Friday, May 11, 2012

Dilemma of a Seeker

Persons who become interested in pursuing some spiritual practice often have a doubt – whether by following this path one would continue to be interested in one’s work and one would fit into this world where everyone is materialistically oriented.  And some of those who have followed this path for a few years and have become a little inward looking, find themselves a little estranged from their earlier social circle.  They start thinking whether it would not be better to quit one’s job or occupation and devote themselves fully to their chosen path.
Before one can venture to answer these questions, some basics of life have to be understood.
This body and mind and all their attributes are acquired from the nature (Prakriti).  The body and mind belong to this world.  By its very nature this body and mind mechanism cannot live without action.  It is bound to act according to the diktats of the nature.  It has no independence. 
The consciousness (Purush) or the life force within this mechanism is always free and is not bound by anything.
Somehow, mysteriously, when this consciousness comes in contact with the body and mind mechanism, another centre ‘I’ comes into existence.  This centre starts thinking this body and mind as ‘its’.  It also ascribes the ‘acquired attributes’ of body and mind as its ‘qualities’.  This identification spreads to persons and things outside to whom this ‘I’ calls as ‘mine’.  Then all the struggle for acquiring and maintaining the qualities, material possessions and relationships starts.
To be spiritual is to drop this ‘I’ and be free.  In absence of ‘I’, ‘mine’ obviously has no existence.
If one’s intellect is sharp enough to understand the nature of body, mind and consciousness; nothing remains to be done.  It cuts through the identification and one is free.  But we obviously try to comprehend this through our mind.  Logical comprehension by the mind does not become our understanding.  The identification with the body and mind and consequently with things and persons outside continues.  Because of this, the path of understanding (Gyan yog) is not available to many.
Another way to drop ‘I’ is to feel from every pore of this body and mind that this nature is also manifestation of the consciousness and as such everything and everyone is 'consciousness' or ‘God’.  When everything and everyone is ‘God’ the question of something like ‘I’ being there does not arise.  This is way of Bhakti.  Few are endowed with bhakti.
Third way is to let this body and mind act in this world (as it cannot remain without action) with an understanding that all which this body and mind mechanism has acquired is acquired from this world.  Everyone is merely using the bounties of the nature.  There is nothing which one has created and which one can really call as his.  With this understanding, one would obviously serve the world with all one’s acquired attributes and material acquisitions, i.e., the Prakriti (this body and mind) will serve the Prakriti (this world).  Such action (without any desire for personal gain or glory) is Karmyog.
Yet another way is that of ‘Dhyan’, i.e., meditation.  It has two main branches - ‘Yog’ and ‘Tantra’.
When one starts entering the path of Yog (Ashtangyog – the eight fold path enunciated by Patanjali), the questions relating to morality, ethics, celibacy etc. crop up as ‘Yam’ and ‘Niyam’ are prerequisites on this path.  This is the path of the renunciants.
The path of Tantra (112 methods of meditation told to Parvati by Shiva) involves total acceptance, i.e., acceptance of everything, every emotion, every thought, and every being.  There is nothing wrong or right, good or bad or moral or immoral.  It cannot be, as all is manifestation of same consciousness or energy.  Science also now accepts this truth.
As discussed earlier one cannot remain without action.  When one is simply lying down, enormous activity is still on inside the body and mind which is nothing but action.  Action in this world is inevitable.  So be in it.  Unless this inherent urge for action is allowed to unfold, one cannot reach a state of meditation, i.e., a state of relaxation (non-doing).
When action is inevitable (and in fact it aids reach the state of meditation), easiest way to go about in this world is to respond to the situation in which one finds oneself to be in.  Every game has to be played with some rules.  Follow, therefore, the rules of the game (acting according to social norms and law of the land - referred to as Shastras in ancients texts).  In the context of Government service, the relevant law and procedures, the CCS(CCA) Rules and the Conduct Rules are the Shastras.  Know that in responding to a situation according to Shastras, one is not doing anything, things are just happening.  For example, when a judge orders death sentence to a law breaker, it is not he who is punishing him but it is the action of the law breaker which has resulted in the punishment.  Action or response according to Shastras does not bind one (there is no accumulation of Karmic-baggage), i.e., there are no emotional reactions or suffering.  Act according to Shastra and be finished with it.  Move on in freedom.
With this kind of orientation one would not only fit but will excel in this world as one’s actions are no more affected or inhibited by fear or greed.  One’s mind is unburdened and thinks clearly.
The desire to run away from the action and responsibilities on the pretext of giving oneself totally to one’s chosen path is, more often than not, because of dominance of ‘Tamas’ and / or one’s inability to face the situations around.  Running away also takes away from one the possibilities of encountering situations where one’s progress in spiritual field may be tested.  It is the real life situation that tests one’s patience and capacity to remain unaffected by the pleasant or unpleasant situations and provide opportunities for further progress.
As for fitting in the social set-up, when one is at peace with one self (this happens when one attains a state of total acceptance and merely responds to the situations as per the social norms and law of the land – one evolves to this state as a result of one’s spiritual practices), one would be at peace with everyone.  Though with progress in the spiritual field, the futility of material ambitions becomes obvious, with inner harmony in place, one would be comfortable in late night parties and discussion on everything under the sun.  Problem arises when one continues with one’s likes and dislikes.  Total acceptance, as envisaged in Tantra, is the key.  Further, with progress in this field one smoothly acquires a new circle, a new family of seekers.  It is like change of one’s circle from childhood to adulthood or adulthood to old age.  It is a natural change.
One should, therefore, continue in the thick of action, let the life teach its lessons, pursue one’s spiritual practices and allow the change of social circle to happen without any clinging to the old.  And thus achieve peace with oneself and everything and everyone around.  And be blissful in this unity.
Osho guides his disciples by saying – continue in this world as you are, do not try to bring about any change in your actions.  Only add meditation to your daily routine.  Whatever needs to change will change by itself.  Whatever does not change, it is OK.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Living in Harmony – No Conflict, Compromise or Sacrifice

To a friend who misunderstood the concept that compromise and sacrifice does not lead one to a joyful living
It is true that if in a relationship one makes a sacrifice or compromise, an expectation is attached to it.  More often than not such expectation is not fulfilled resulting in a feeling that one has allowed oneself to be taken for a ride.  Consequently there is a feeling of frustration, anger or depression.  In some way (unknowingly - propelled by sub-conscious feelings) one is likely to take his revenge and, therefore, sacrifice or the compromise as such does not help anyone.  But at the same time, it is equally true that when we have no option but to live in this society, particularly with our family members, if we have to be happy and enjoy our lives, our relationships have to be harmonious and free of confrontations.
There is thus an unavoidable need for change in all of us – to achieve harmony in our relationships.
Now the question is how to avoid confrontations in relationships without compromise, repression and sacrifice?  It is impossible to achieve it through change of persons or situations or through rationalisation of one’s thought process or mind.  The process of rationalisation can at best reduce the irritants to some extent and make the relationships tolerable.  But in this, there is no scope for joyous living.
For a joyous living one has to look for some other process – a process of transformation which results in increased level of acceptance in us.  If acceptance arises, one is in harmony with everyone and everything around and the question of repression or sacrifice does not arise.
Before coming to the process of inner transformation, it would be better if we first understand the reasons for non-acceptance or disharmony.  The level of non-acceptance in fact depends on intensity of our likes and dislikes.  These in turn depend on our ideas of good and bad, or so to say, our social conditioning. These ideas and conditioning constitute our personality or mind.  If we have rigid notions about right and wrong or good and bad, our personality, a false sense of self (ego), is strong.  We would then have strong likes and dislikes.  Since most of the external situations (including the behavior of our family members and friends) are not going to be exactly as per our likes and dislikes, they would trigger emotions like anger, violence, depression, fear etc. in us and cause all kinds of complexities in our mind and relationships.  The demolition of this false sense of self, the personality, is thus the only way to become more and more accepting and capable of living in harmony with the persons and the existence around.
The demolition of mental constructions or false sense of self or ego – the process of inner transformation – is the aim of all spiritual sadhana.
Once, one is in harmony with the persons and things around, one is in paradise – always joyous.  It also requires to be clearly understood that sadhana does not lead one to a disinterested kind of life but to a fuller life – capable of enjoying everything and every situation.  Sadhana is the only way to live life like a king and not as a beggar – always seeking attention, love and appreciations from others.
Guru shows the wayfollow it – never to regret later.
One more thing to understand – the existence or the God or any Guru cannot force any thing on any body.  If it was possible, one Krishna or one Buddha, with the compassion they had for all the suffering in this world, would have made the entire world free of suffering and enlightened.
If one is open, willing and aspires for some change, only then he can help remove the obstacles.