ATMA BODHA =(POST 13 :V.29 & 30) = BY ADI SANKARA = ATMA IS ITS OWN PROOF = 4 GREAT VEDIC STATEMENTS = WHO AM I Contnd..

ATMA BODHA

by

SRI ADI SANKARACHARYA

TEXT & COMMENTARY

(PART - 13 – VERSES 29 and 30)

INTRODUCTION

In the last Post, we examined verses 27 & 28 of Atma Bodha.

V.27 tells us that - we need absolute certainty in SELF KNOWLEDGE (Nischaya Jnanam), that we are the Higher self, the Brahman. Once, this certainty of self knowledge is achieved, we become totally FEAR-FREE (Or, fearless).

Without such certainty of self knowledge, we always tend to become fearful.

For example, when we mistake a rope for a snake, we instantly become fearful. But, when we know that (i) the rope is not a snake, (ii) it is not also some other fearsome thing other than a snake, but (iii) that it a Rope only, - we get definite knowledge of the object before us. Then, we become totally fear-free.

In V.28, we saw that – in presence of the Self luminous consciousness of the Atma - the otherwise inert Buddhi, Manas and sense Organs etc acquire a (reflected) consciousness and become competent to perform their actions. Externally, we see the Sareera thrayam performing all actions, indulging in various transactions and undergoing continuous changes. By their own nature, they are inert and lack the consciousness and intelligence to perform any of these things. Wherefrom do they get this consciousness and intelligence? It is from the Atma, the original Consciousness, which is pervading the whole of Sareera thrayam and in whose direct presence, the Sareera thrayam acquires its reflected consciousness, to perform all actions and transactions.

It is like the Light of the Lamp illumining various objects around it and making them visible and shining in its presence. But, by themselves, these objects are non-luminous and can not be seen in the absence of the self luminous and illuminating light.

From the next two verses (No.29 and 30), we are gradually entering into a deeper and more profound analysis of the Self.

29 Swabodhe Naanya Bodhecchaa

Bodha Rupataya Atmanah

Na Deepasya Anya Deepecchaa

Yadhaa Swatma Prakaasane.

In presence of a self luminous lamp, all non-luminous objects and beings (in its vicinity) become luminous, visible and identifiable.

Do we therefore need another self luminous lamp to identify this self luminous lamp, which is helping us to identify things around it through its luminosity? It is very obvious that the answer is,  no. We do not need any other lamp’s help or support to identify a self luminous lamp.

Likewise - Atma is the consciousness principle with the help of which all other objects and beings are recognized and identified. Sareera thrayam, being the inert principle, acquires a reflected consciousness from the Atma, the original consciousness principle, to recognize all objects and beings around it.

The Buddhi becomes a reflecting medium for the original consciousness principle and a reflected consciousness (Chith +Aabhaasa = Chidhabhasa) comes into reckoning now – to provide the means for identifying and indulging in all actions and transactions.

But, the three Bodies and the reflected consciousness can function only in presence of the self luminous consciousness principle of Atma. When Atma is the enabling factor for the inert Sareera thrayam for all of their functions and for recognizing all other objects, does it require some other Object or some other knowledge for recognition of itself?

The answer is a definite no. As Atma helps in proving others’ existence by its sheer presence and its consciousness, its own existence is automatically proved.

There is a classical, oft-repeated example of 10 students of a teacher trying to ensure that all of them have reached the other side of the shore after swimming. The leader asks all students to stand in a row and counts them all. He finds only nine in the row. His heart sinks. The tenth man is MISSING!! Dasamo Nastaha!! He starts weeping. Then, another student counts in the same way. He also finds only nine in the row. Another counts. Same result again. All of them start weeping that one of them (who? - they are unable to identify) is missing!!

A wise man passing that side asks them the cause of their weeping, understands their predicament and first assures them that the tenth man is ALIVE and AVAILABLE. Then, he makes all of them stand in the row and counts all ten people and proves to them that all ten are safe and available. The very fact that the identifier is identifying and proving the existence of all others is proof of his own existence. No further proof of his existence is needed.

I have to check the existence of others but not of myself. I am myself the proof of my existence. Atma is the original consciousness – which is ever evident. All of us experience it.

In every experience of every object, self experience as a conscious being is first evident. Subject experience is always the first and permanent experience. Object experience comes next only and is temporary and fleeting along with the objects.

Swabodhe = for self experience or knowledge.

Anya Bodha icchaa naasthi = there is no requirement of a second cognitive process or effort.

But, most people are trying to experience the Atma, as if it is some thing separate from us, even though, it is of the nature of CONSCIOUSNESS  eternally experienced by us.

Can Chidhabhasa, the reflected Consciousness know and illumine the Atma, the original consciousness?

Can the Sun be proved by the image of the Sun in the Mirror? Why look at the Mirror at all? Look at the Sun. Sun is the proof for Mirror Image but mirror image is not the proof of Sun.

Now a more fundamental question -

Is it not a fact that we are always confusing the Sareera thrayam and the Chidhabhasa as the “I”, and if so, how can we sit firmly in the right self knowledge of Atma as the real ”I”.

30 Nishidhya Nikhilopaadheen

Neti Neteeti Vakyatah

Vidyadaikyam Mahaavaakyaih

Jeevatma Paramaatmanoh.

The perennial problem for us is that Jeeva always goes along with both Atma and Anaatma.

We always experience (1) original consciousness (2) Reflected consciousness (Chidhabhasa) and (iii) Gross, subtle and causal bodies simultaneously.

As original consciousness, I am all pervading and not limited to the Sareera thrayam. The limitations of the Sareera thrayam are not limitations of the I, the original consciousness. But, Sareera thrayam and Chidhabhasa have their limitations of time, space, Gunas etc.

When I experience the ‘I’, there is always a false transference of the limitations and attributes of the Sareera thrayam to the original consciousness.

These limitations and attributes of Anaatma must be clearly understood to be those of the Sareera thrayam /Anaatma and not those of the Original Consciousness, the real I.

There is no new experience in this but a clarity of understanding. How is this to be done?

The oneness of the individual soul (Jeevatma) and the Supreme Soul (Paramatma) is clearly indicated by the Mahavakyas (Great statements) from all the four Vedas.

The four Vedic Maha Vakyas are :

1) Rigveda : 'Prajnanam Brahma' –which means, consciousness itself is Brahma.

2) Yajurveda : ''Aham Brahma asmi'' – which means, I am Brahma.

3) Saama Veda : ''thath thvam asi'' which means - 'That is thou'.

4) Adharwa Veda : ''Ayam Atma Brahma'' –which means, This Atma is Brahma.

Similar Mahavakya type of statements are made by Upanishads as well. Deep contemplation on these Mahavakyas is needed to digest the core of their meanings. The negating process of nethi, nethi is highly effective in understanding the oneness of the Jeevatma (Individual soul) and Paramatma(Supreme, Universal soul). This process of negation of the impermanent step by step is eulogized by the great sages as an effective method to arrive at the ultimate self / ultimate truth.

We must negate each of the Upaadhis and each of the limitations of these Upaadhis, dis-identifying from them step by step but completely. This process is called “nethi, nethi, nethi..” meaning “not this, not this, not this…”.

I am not this. I am not this. I am not this. I must negate this way, all that is impermanent, and all that is not ‘I’.

I must affirm in this negation process that I am not the Sthoola Sareeram, I am not the karmendriyas, I am not the Jnanendriyas, I am not the Manas, I am not the Buddhi, I am not the Chittha, I am not the Ahamkara, I am not the Chidhabhasa, I am not any part of the Prakrithi and no on. This process of effective negation will ultimately bring us to our true self.

As the reader can realize, Adi Sankaracharya is leading us from a detailed analysis of Anaatma and Atma to the difficulties in identifying with Atma and from there, to the effective processes of arriving at the oneness of Jeevatma and Paramatma – in other words, towards Nischaya Jnanam.

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ATMA BODHA =(POST 12 :v.27 & 28) = BY ADI SANKARA = FEAR IS BODY BASED = FEARLESSNESS IS ATMA BASED = WHO AM I Contnd..

ATMA BODHA

by

SRI ADI SANKARACHARYA

TEXT & COMMENTARY

(PART - 12 – VERSES 27 and 28)

INTRODUCTION

Atma Bodha is a science par excellence. You, as reader, are taken methodically through a journey from total ignorance to the heights of self knowledge.

You need to methodically complete this scintillating journey - understanding each concept in it and crossing each mile stone.  At the end of this great Journey, you will have no cause for any regret – just as it happens with every seeker of this knowledge. As Sankaracharya says in the very first sloka – become an ardent seeker of this knowledge and derive its full benefit. We have so far examined 26 verses. Let us very briefly review the important concepts covered by us so far.

MOKSHA : Moksha is total Freedom and liberation from all Sorrows and fears. On attaining it, you find yourself as the ever blissful, ever existent, eternal consciousness. Moksha can be attained  even as we are alive, in this very life – through clear understanding of our SELF and identifying with the Self. What is needed is dis-identifying with the Anaatma and identifying with the Atma, the real Self.

JEEVA : Jeeva is a combination of Both Anaatma and Atma. Atma is the Self and Anaatma is the Non-self in the Jeeva. Jeeva always acts and transacts through Anaatma only, but always in the presence of Atma. In Jeeva, Atma is seen as Vyaktha Chaitanyam, the evident consciousness. Atma’s presence can be easily experienced in the Jeeva, even though Atma is all pervading. Outside Jeeva, Atma is Avyaktha Chiatanyam. It is there, being all pervading, but for the Jeeva, it is not easily evident.

ANAATMA : In Jeeva, the Gross Body, Subtle Body and Causal Body and all of their actions and transactions together represent Anaatma. Anaatma is also called Anaadi Avidhya or Beginningless Ignorance.

The gross body is formed by Pancheekaranam process and is the seat of all pleasures and pains. It is the only visible part. It is subject to the birth-growth-decay-death cycle, at much more frequent intervals than Subtle body and causal body.

The subtle body is formed by Apancheekaranam and is the enjoyer of all pleasures and pains. It has much longer life cycle, and leaves the gross body on its death, along with the PUNYAM-PAPAM store to wherever its Karma cycle takes it further. It is constantly affected by the dualities of the world like Likes and dislikes and pleasures and pains.

The causal Body is the cause of the Gross body and subtle body formation and is the beginningless avidya in itself, but, it cannot be easily identified and defined. It has the longest life among the 3 bodies.

Universe : Externally, the entire Universe represents Anaatma. Universe as Anaatma, manifests itself as numerous objects and beings,  with different Names and forms. These names and forms misdirect us and prevents us from proper identification with Brahman.

ATMA : Atma and Brahman are one and the same. Other names so far used by Adi Sankara like Hrisheekesa, Parameswara, Brahma and Eswara are purposely used to emphasize that all these signify the one and only Brahman, also called Atma, also called advayam, or one without a second.

ATMA’S QUALITIES: Atma is Sath (Existence), Chit (Consciousness), Aanandha (Bliss), Nithya (Eternal) and Nirmalatha (Pure). It means Atma is ever existent, all pervading, never changing, bliss in itself and ever pure.

Atma is both the material cause (and the maker, through mere sankalpa) of the universe.

If we go beyond the numerous names and forms of the Universe, we discern the Brahman, the Advayam, meaning, one without a Second, everywhere. It is beyond the Sareera thrayam in the jeeva and beyond the names and forms of the Universe.

WHAT ATMA DOES : In the pure intellect, or Suddha Buddhi, untainted by the dualities of life,  there is a reflection of Atma as reflected consciousness (RC). But – (i)Atma, the original Consciousness(OC) does not participate in the actions and transactions of Anaatma (ii)  Atma always remains a witness to all such actions and transactions, but (iii) in its presence only all actions and transactions can take place and no action or transaction is possible without its presence.

CONFUSION OF ATMA WITH ANAATMA : Atma has no  Gunas/ Characteristics by itself, which can propel it into any action or transaction. But, because of (i) proximity with Anaatma(Sareera thrayam),and (ii) the reflection of the Atma in the Intellect, the Gunas of Anaathma are confused with and wrongly attributed to the Atma.

Dualities of likes and dislikes, pleasure and Pain and so on  cast their influence on mind and Intellect constantly. These are typical of the Anaatma characteristics.

All Gunas, all actions and all dualities pertain to the sense organs and Mind/Buddhi. But, Ignorance and confusion make people  to ascribe all these to Atma – because of the reflection of Atma in the Intellect(Buddhi) and the confusion of this reflected consciousness with Buddhi on one side and Atma on the other side.

Kartha & Bhoktha : The sense organs & Ahankaara are the  Kartha (Doer) and Bhoktha (Enjoyer) – for all actions, transactions and their results. But ignorance makes us ascribe these roles to the Atma, which is beyond all actions, transactions and changes. Atma remains as the ever present witness to all these actions and transactions. But, it is never the Kartha or Bhoktha of any transaction.

WHO FEELS AS DOER? : It is the Ahankara ( the Ego I) part of the subtle body that feels as the Doer and Enjoyer of all actions and Results. The reflected consciousness in the Ahankaara and its proximity with all sense organs in the subtle body make it feel as the doer and enjoyer. The Atma is never the doer or enjoyer.

But, there is a perennial confusion of “I the Doer” with the Atma -  due to (i) the identification with the Sareera thrayam and the reflected consciousness and (ii) non identification with the Original consciousness, the real self.

REMOVAL OF IGNORANCE / AVIDYA : How to remove  the Avidya / ignorance? Can any action like worship, Meditation or Sathkarma (Good Deeds) remove Ignorance or Avidya and lead to Moksha?  No. Their role is to purify the mind and Buddhi.

A purified Buddhi gives a better reflection of Atma. The identification continues with the purified, reflection in the Buddhi and not with the original consciousness, the Atma, as long as avidya persists in us.

We will continue to see the universe as numerous objects and beings  with different Names and forms. The universe continues to misdirect us and prevents us from proper identification with the Real Self (Brahman / Atma), due to the lack of self knowledge and the presence of Ignorance in us.

Total removal of Ignorance can be accomplished only by acquiring of Self Knowledge. Till we achieve self Knowledge, our worldly life goes on without awareness, very much like  Swapnavastha or Dream state.

When we wake up from Dream state, we instantly know that it was a dream; the characters in it, the actions in it, the emotions in it and the entire sequences in it – are all created by us and none of them are real. It is similar with this life, till we attain Self Knowledge.  When Self knowledge dawns, the real nature of this worldly life becomes evident.

As part of self knowledge, our foremost task is to dis-identify from Sareera thrayam and identify with the real self, the Atma, the ever existing consciousness-bliss principle.

Let us now continue our discussion from verse.27.

27 Rajju Sarpavad Aatmaanam

Jeevam Jnatvaa Bhayam Vaheth

Naaham Jeevah Paraatmeti

Jnateschet Nirbhayo Bhaveth.

Why are we in FEAR and when does Fear leave us?

When we wrongly identify our Self with the Jeeva (the Anaatma portion of it), all of its actions, transactions, changes etc are bound to create fear in us. The Anaatma is subject to (i) birth, growth, decay, disease and death cycle and to (ii) all the dualities of Raaga-Dvesha (likes and dislikes), Sukha-Duhkha (comforts & sorrows) etc. Also, the Ahankaara in the Anaatma feels as the Kartha and Bhoktha (Doer-enjoyer) and this doer-enjoyership is bound to take us through all dualities. These are bound to create fear – as our identification is with this Chidaabhasa (Reflected Consciousness) in the Anaatma portion of Jeeva and this is subject to quick changes.

But, when the identification is with the higher Atma (Param- aatma, the Brahman, or, the original consciousness), which is our true Self, none of these modifications and dualities can touch us. Aatma is changeless and unaffected by all changes occurring in the Anaatma around it. So, automatically we are freed from all Fears. As Atma, we are eternal and pure consciousness and Bliss and there is no cause for any fear for us.

The example given in the Sloka is of confusing the rope for a snake and getting into fear. How does this fear go? We must clearly come to the understanding that (i) the rope is not the snake (ii) rope is not some thing else and (ii) rope is only ROPE.

This is called Nischaya Jnanam or the certainty of knowledge. There is no point in merely knowing that rope is not snake and confusing it as some thing else. We must know with certainty that it is ROPE ONLY. When we know with certainty that  I AM THE ATMA OR THE SELF -  all fears will vanish. Generally, we cannot see our own Face. We can see our face also in a mirror only. This is what is happening to us – we see our self in the Chidaabhasa (RC) and confuse it as our self. The chidaabhasa is subject to all  changes in the Sareera thrayam, being the reflection of all these. All these changes in the Sareera thrayam create fear in us.

So I must claim to be the OC, the original consciousness, the para-Atma (the higher self), which is free from all Sanchita, aagami and prarabdha Karmas, Karma Phalam and all dualities.

I am not the temporary Chidaabhasa (the RC or reflected consciousness) and not the temporary Sareera thrayam(the RM, or the reflecting medium). When this self Knowledge stands firm in us – all insecurity and all fear automatically dissolves totally.

28 Atma Avabhasayatyeko(ekaha)

Buddhyadeen Indriyaanyapi

Deepo Ghataadi vat Swaatmaa

Jadai Stair Na Avabhasyate.

A very pertinent question is - Who will know Atma?

Can Atma be an object that can be known by some other Knower, as subject? Is it some one other than Atma? Other than Atma, whatever is – is Anaatma. In Anaatma, which part can know Aatma? These are troubling questions.

Anaatma, the whole of it, is INERT / JADAM  principle – and has no chance of ever knowing the CHETANA ATMA which is consciousness principle.

Only the Consciousness principle of Atma can know the  inert, Anaatma principle. It is the Anaatma principle which is Avidya or Ignorance and needs removal. If avidya is removed, instantly, the Aatma will shine forth in its true splendor.

Atma is all pervading, original consciousness principle and advayam, one without a second.

That being so  – it is Anaathma which shines, exists and transacts in presence of the Atma Chaitanyam.

The example given in the sloka is -  Lamp is self luminous. All the objects kept near and around the lamp are non-luminous. All these objects which are near the lamp are illumined by the Lamp. We see them in the light of the lamp. But, the non-luminous objects have no chance of illumining the lamp. Always, luminous can only illumine the non-luminous.

In the same way, the self Luminous Atma can only illumine the non luminous Anaatma. Non luminous Anaatma can never illumine the luminous Atma. Atma is ever the knower principle and never the known principle. Atma is also ever the experiencer and never an object of experience.

Do I ever need one lamp to  identify another luminous lamp? Where is the self knowledge enshrined? This will be examined in the next 2 verses in the next post.

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LIFE = HOW ROBOTIC IS HUMAN LIFE = FREE WILL = DEATH = FEAR OF DEATH

IT’S A QUESTION

OF

LIFE AND DEATH

What is Life?

We know with near absolute certainty what Human life is. 

In a very simple way, Human life is our journey from birth to death.

Life takes us through birth, childhood, adolescence, youth, adulthood, Middle age, old age and death.

Diseases, accidents, wars etc can cut short our life at any of these points and deprive us of the remaining points of our life.

But, no power can take away the last point, that is, death, from us.

Death is therefore the most certain event of our life. Just consider the following.

You can die as a sperm or as an egg. You can die as an embryo. This means, even birth is not as certain an event in life as death. You can die as a child. You can die as an adolescent, as youth, as adult, as middle-aged person or as an old person. But, die you must. Your prophets died. Your incarnations of God died. The best Doctors who boasted that they saved a number of people from death also died. And, people whom they saved also died. So, die you must.

Other things are uncertain.

There is a manufacturing date and an expiry date stamped on you – as in the case of drugs we manufacture. Your choice is to expire earlier or on the expiry date. Most people consciously or unconsciously choose the earlier option.

Suppose you know the expiry date. Will that be a great discovery for you? Even for Medicines, the expiry date is not really exact. It is a few months this way or that way of the expiry date mentioned on the label. So, it is for us. Give or take a few years. The expiry date is around 100 years. We always bless people to live for a hundred years. “Satha maanam Bhavathi, Satha Aayuh Purushasya..” says the Sanskrit blessing given by elders to youngsters in India, which means, may you live for hundred years.

Suppose you want to live for more? No one will bless you. You will be a nuisance at hundred itself. So, please…

Where is this hundred years stamped in us?

It is probably in our heart beats. Or, it is in our breath cycles. Ultimately, these are the only two indicators we look at to determine whether we are alive or expired. Pulse and breath.

Your heart is a machine and is made for a certain number of beats. Your lungs too are made for a certain number of cycles. I am almost sure that this stamping – either as 100 years, or this many beats or cycles - is there on them. Though, we can’t see them with our present knowledge.

Ancient Indian Yogis regulated their breathing systems and slowed the breathing down into slower rhythmic cycles – in the hope that – since the number of breath cycles are fixed, the slower an individual breath cycle, the longer in terms of number of years is the life that they could live. There is a claim that many such Yogis are alive for several hundreds of years in the Himalayan caves.

The Indian Yogis could also stop or slow down their heart beat and most other life processes. This particular fact was tested in modern scientific laboratories on some yogis and it was found that they could do that.

In recent past, one person in India is found to be living without food, water, urination and defecation for several decades now– and he claims it as due to yoga and some divine blessing. His name is Prahlad Jani. But then, he also could not avoid the other processes of life, like childhood to old age, we have mentioned earlier.

If we forget the Indian Yogis and make them an exception, what is life for all the rest of us?

We all breathe – and the breathing process is constant, reasonably consistent and automatic, till the Expiry date and moment. You can try to stop breathing for a few seconds or a few minutes. You will get enough proof instantly that your breathing process is automatic and not much under your control.

You are not even allowed to try that with your heartbeat.

You eat. Just think of what happens after the food travels beyond your mouth towards your stomach. Lots of things are happening inside you. Your stomach, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, etc are at work, in a totally automated process, free from your intervention. When you drink, the same automated processes happen. None of these processes are given to you to control.

I shudder to think of the day, these processes happening in your lungs, heart and stomach (and its allies) are all given to your free will – without automating them. Your expiry date – is that very moment of exercise of your FREE WILL!

Well. What about other life processes?

You can turn your eyes on any object. Rest of the process (of seeing) happening inside you is automatic. You can turn your ears towards a sound. Rest of the processes happening inside you (of hearing) are automatic. You can touch an object. Rest of the processes inside you are automatic. You can put an item on your tongue. Rest of the processes inside you are automatic.

Ah, what a free, robotic life you are living!! Guaranteed for a hundred years – unless you misuse it.

Yes. This one thing is given to you. You can misuse it. And reduce your life.

Every moment, lots of living cells in you are dying and getting replaced by new living cells. Your skin cells, bone cells, muscle cells, blood cells, nerve cells and every thing else in you is getting replaced. Your life is being renewed by this process. As you can see, this renewal is also an automated process.

Your friend is not the same person you saw three years before. He is brand new. So are you. As they say – you don’t bathe in the same river twice!

You don’t even embrace the same spouse twice. You will find lots of changes the second time. Not merely in the cells. But, in many other aspects. The more the time lag, the more the changes. Three years down the marriage, your wife (or husband) isn’t the same one you married. Brand new, really. Not a single cell remained in the person you liked, fell in love with and married.

Brand new spouse – but slightly older!! Three years older now.

He is no more youth. He is Adult. He is becoming middle aged. His reflexes are slowing. One day, he will be as old as your father or grand father. So, will you be. (He or She as it may be).There are many, many such automated processes in you and your life – on which your control is close to zero percent.

Now, from automated processes, we will shift attention to semi-automated processes.

When you became youth, you began falling in love with some one; some one hovering in your vicinity, some one of the opposite sex. You did not fall in such love when you were a child or a small boy. You liked toys as a child and then you liked sports. Now you liked the opposite sex. You say you loved. Don’t you see that there was some semi automated process going on inside you? You were slightly powerless to resist what you were doing. You may say – yours was a divine love, which nobody else ever experienced. Fine. I agree. Many others said the same thing all these thousands of years. I can’t disagree with any of them. But, it is a semi-automated process inside you. That is the only point. That much is a fact of life which I can see. It is not entirely your free will.

You didn’t know when exactly you were going to succeed in having children– and whether it would be a boy or a girl. Not everything was left to you in the process. Come to think of it, You may have had the choice of refusing to beget children – but having children, their timing and other details were not much left to your choice.  

You took care of the children. You wanted your children to grow in some way. But, invariably, they grew differently. No child ever grew in the way the parents wanted. First – the two parents never agreed on how the child should grow. Second - the child never agreed with either of the parents. So, again a semi automatic process was at work. You contributed your free will. Others contributed theirs. Some thing else happened. Your Child grew into adolescence, youth, adulthood, Middle age and so on – much the same way as you did. He also went through the divine love process etc.

Some time during all this, you found your father and mother, growing into middle age, old age and going through the inevitable death. Do you miss them? Many of their generation were and are getting through death into oblivion. You too are approaching the middle age and OLD AGE!

Well. We will stop the story of life here.

Why did we recount this? Just to point out the automated and semi automated facets of life. I haven’t yet told you everything there is. Just enough to convince you to see that your life had many robotic aspects in it. I had written another Blog Post on your physical quotient, emotional quotient and Intellectual quotient a few months earlier, which can show you a few more aspects of what you think you are but you are not.

Can we LIVE DIFFERENTLY?

Can we take more of our life into our hands, into our  FREE WILL, – and lead our lives successfully?

Can we be much more HAPPIER than at present?

Yes, we can. We are exploring these aspects continuously in this Blog and will continue this effort much more vigorously in the days to come.

In the last four Blog Posts, we had however dealt with various aspects of FEAR in human life. Fear probably comes from the stage of the sperm and continues to the stage of death along with us. After death, the next certainty in life is – Fear.

Did you get a sense in reading these previous posts that FEAR was one aspect, where  you had some FREE WILL too? We did suggest that in  matters of fear, you had some free will -  to be afraid or not to be, and to choose a more sensible, effective, agreeable option than you used to adopt in the past.

In this Blog post, a few paragraphs earlier, we have said that you have some option – of dying on your prescribed expiry date or before the expiry date. You can exercise some free will here too – either consciously or unconsciously.

These are the two most important aspects of Life, namely Death and Fear, two constants and certainties of life, in each of which we are all given some free will.  We need to combine these two aspects and the two options of free will. For some reason, fear of death is a universal fear – for human beings, for animals, birds, insects and every living being.

We could die a thousand times in our life, for a thousand different reasons – but ultimately we die only once, for one reason.

And, what are we going to do after death? It is uncharted, unknown territory, as of now. But death casts its shadows deep into the life.

From day one, people are all afraid of Dying! Fear of Death stalks life and makes living difficult.

So, we must deal with the Fear of death. We must get over it. We must live our lives up to the expiry date – happily. Let us therefore see how we can conquer the fear of death in the next few Posts.

PS:  I am placing this Post in both of my blogs – www.wiselivingideas.blogspot.com

and www.wisespiritualideas.blogspot.com – since this is relevant in both. Those interested in Fear of death ( and conquering fear as a whole) may kindly visit wiselivingideas.blogspot.com for further posts.

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