Below is the excerpts of a seminar titled "who am I?", that I have attended when I was in IIITH.
Object, Observer and Observability -
English is ambigous enough, so will put forth the definitions which are of interest to us first.
Definitions:
Object - Person or thing to which action or feeling is directed (or)
word or phrase representing person or thing affected by action
Observer - Person who observers/perceives/watches/takes-note scientifically
Observable - Capable of being or liable to be observed.
All scientific experiments 'observe' an 'object'. Observability is possible only when 'object' and 'observer' are different (rather not one) from each other.
Taking this concept, the speaker (did his PhD in Physics, later renounced everything in search of truth), gave us an illustration as part of his talk. He picked each of our senses and then our mind as objects and deduced that we are not mere these senses and mind, as follows -
Q1) Can you observe presence and absence of your vision?
A) We can clearly say when our vision/sight fails and when it works perfectly.
So, we are NOT our eyes.
Q2) Can you observe working of your tougue?
A) We do know when we cant taste things and/or when we can.
So, we are NOT our tongue.
Q3) Can you observe sense of touch, with skin?
A) Yes! we can clearly sense when our skin fails to feel things we touch. Best example is when we sustain burns, area on the skin where burns are present can sense hot/cold or anything. We say skin is dead.
So, we are NOT our skin.
Q4) Can you observe over your sense of smell?
A) We can surely know when our nose is working or not. Example is when we get cold, we cant smell anything.
So, we are NOT our nose.
Q5) Can you observe your hearing?
A) Again yes. We do know when we cant hear a thing and when our ears are working.
So, we are NOT our ears.
We can conclude that we are separate from our 'gyanendriyas'.
Now, lets look at 'karmendriyas'. Can we or can we not know the presence or absence of our legs, kidneys, generative organs, throat and even heart? Yes! we surely can. If you are wondering about heart, a person who has undergone heart transplant does know that he has undergone such.
Hence, we can conclude that we are separate from our 'karmendriyas'. (If you are wondering what gynaendriyas and karmendriyas are, just for a short intro look at http://www.swamij.com/indriyas.htm)
Now, the speaker posed another question - Can you or can you not distinguish when your brain/mind is functioning?
The answer is that we can indeed know when our mind is working or not. Example, when we are in deep sleep our brain/mind is not functioning. But, we know that it is not functioning. That is, we are able to observe the presence and absence of mind too. Which implies, we are separate from our mind.
Final question by the speaker - "If you are not gyanendriyas, karmendriyas, buddi and manas (mind), then what are you? Know yourself."
Who am I?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
the Joker and me ...
This post is not about characterization of the clown in the Dark Knight movie Or the acting of Heath Ledger for which he got an academy award. This is about the philosophy of the joker.
The first time I saw the movie, I was awestruck. I never imagined that some one could actually understand the joker and present him exactly the way he is. Comic books and previous Batman movies failed to create the real clown. They only make his looks scary. But hats off to Nolan brothers, they have shown that Joker is not scary because of his looks but for his thoughts. To me, Joker is the guy who understands the system in Gotham completely, sees its flaws and puts them across in the wrong way.
Nolan brothers created a Joker who understands 'the greedy' and 'me, myself and my family' part of others and pushes them to the limit of their beliefs. He tests there integrity. In the movie at various situations he uses and plays with people, with their desires, beliefs and fears, and dumps them once they are done with. Here are few examples-
1. Opening bank robbery sequence. He uses thug's greedy nature and hints them to kill their partners once the other's work is done.
2. Gives option to Gambol's assistants to join him for 'aggressive expansion' after he kills Gambol.
3. Uses Berg's and Ramirez's family fears to do unethical things of killing and betraying compatriots.
4. Uses 'The Chechen' wish of earning money, to get control over the mob (Remember Joker says "You and your kind, all you care about is money. This city deserves a better class of criminal. And I'm gonna give it to them!")
5. Gives Harvey Dent, his 'Ace in the hole', philosophy of chaos and fairness to convince him that society is not worth his loyalty and sacrifice. To do this, I realized the Joker indeed understood Harvey Dent completely, Harvey's belief of taking decisions in the name of chance.
The only place he fails to capitalize other's fears is with the people in the ferries. And of course with the Batman.
The director presents us with classic conversations between Joker-Batman, Joker-Harvey Dent. Here are few lines of them, to see how Joker tries to convince other's using their beliefs/fears.
Joker to Batman (in Gordan's cell) -
"Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve."
Here Joker tries to see if Batman really gives-in with the fear of being called an outlaw or condemned. Tries to demoralize him saying the efforts, risks he is taking are not worth the people of the city he lives in. But Batman has belief in people and the system.
What really caught me is Nolan brothers understanding of the present situation in the society and presenting it through the Joker. The lines "You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be." clearly say that. I have realized at many instances that people base their thinking on relative beliefs. I know the term relative-belief is abit confusing, here's an example to explain - I had a friend, during my under-grad, who at the beginning was very enthuastic and sincere in his preparation and efforts during examinations. There were many others who used to copy during the exams and get more marks than him. He first felt disappointed, then dejected and finally gave up. When I spoke to him during our final year of under-grad, he replied "What is the point of preparing? Just by copying people are getting marks. Why shouldn't I follow the same path?" and he continued to do it. The saddest part of this that I found he extended this philosophy to other parts of his life. Now he speaks vulgar language, gave into drinking (no offense to drinkers here), looks for every opportunity to utilize the flaws in the system. My point is, he was very simple, straight forward, truthful when he began his life at the college. Just sighting other's acts he evaluates his acts and changes them along with his principles and beliefs.
I find many people saying "Why should I do or follow this? Nobody does. They don't get penalized, on the other hand get benefits not following it." They don't see what is truth, ethical or right way. They change their beliefs in comparison and experiences with the surroundings. Now can you see why I call their beliefs relative? So, when the Joker says "They're only as good as the world allows them to be." we can see that he is referring the people who DO GOOD only in their comfort zone, but when pushed little harder, drop down to commit barbarous acts. Of course, at the end of the movie Nolan brothers give us hope that people are not as bad as Joker presents them to be, by showing that so called good citizens of Gotham and Harvey Dent's scum bag of criminals don't blow up each other on the ferries. There is a beautiful sequence wherein we are showed how GOOD people decide to kill others when their survival is at stake and how BAD people don't look at it as an option at all. Good and bad get really blurred here, and question us to look for something greater to take decisions.
Joker to Harvey Dent (in Gotham general hospital) -
"You know... You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan". Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan." But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds! Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order. Then everything becomes chaos. And you that thing about chaos don't you? its fair."
Here, I realized a serious flaw in my understanding of the system and laws, thanks to the Joker for this. Previously, the above lines wouldn't make any sense to me. When ever I read news like "8 soldiers die in a encounter with terrorists/naxals" I felt sorry for them. When I read "2 people die in a road accident" I felt sorry for them. But after listening to these lines in the movie, I realized that the amount of feeling I associated with both the events of death was different. Then, I realized the reason behind it. It is because I took loss of a soldier in his line of duty as acceptable (part of the plan as Joker calls it) and not the death of civilians in an accident. This seriously disturbed me. Death of a person is equivalent to another, no matter what their professions are. This is the point Joker was trying to raise to Harvey Dent (at the least that's what I feel). But when I feel my thinking has a flaw I should agree to the Joker like Harvey Dent does. Here is the serious mistake Harvey Dent did. By realizing that our belief has a flaw we should not cross it and break it to our own convenience, but rather put efforts to understand it in a better way. Harvey Dent loses the sense of right and wrong, drops down his thinking to taking revenge of Rachel Dawe's death. As I said before, Joker was able to grasp Harvey Dent's love for Rachel and his sense of chance, and twist him.
Harvey Dent in the end says "You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time. But you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair."
How many of us would have respected the system and law when we experience great pain? The situation seriously questions our beliefs.
It is not that Harvey Dent developed these feelings about the society all of a sudden, here's a little conversation with Rachel during fund raiser given by Bruce Wayne -
Harvey Dent: You can *not* leave me alone with these people.
Rachel Dawes: The whole mob's after you, and you're worried about *these* guys?
Harvey Dent: Yea, well, compared to *these* guys, the mob doesn't scare me.
This is the basic difference between Batman and Harvey Dent. Though both were fighting for cleaning the society, when come across personal crisis, take different paths. Batman had faith in the system. He believes his role is only to give a helping had to Law and not to take Law into his own hands (That's why he never kills anyone). Harvey Dent failed to see this point even though he was a good citizen and a responsible public servant. Also, Batman is fortunate enough to have old wise Alfred on his side in those crucial times. Alfred gives him wisdom to look beyond himself and take right decisions which will bring greater good even at personal loss.
Running through these thoughts, I couldn't help myself but draw parallels and inspiration from stories I was told from my childhood. These stories, part of Hindu philosophy, are about warriors, saints, demons, demigods and gods, were written as guidelines for the people to get inspiration from. The point I realized with my experience with Joker philosophy is that, the present understanding of individuals in the society is guided mostly by their personal experiences and not on some higher principles of living. Relative nature is playing a bigger role than absolute and eternal. Many people no longer judge their acts based on principles and ethics but rather do by their greed and other's greedy acts. For example, a person can say "why shouldn't I abscond tax, when our ministers themselves are so corrupt?" As you can see this person takes actions on relative basis and not on what is right.
The story of inspiration I was referring to was Ramayana. Because I am fan of Rama, I tend to refer to him quite often. He was the single person who believed in following Dharma (the rightful act). He dint even look for his own comforts or profits and tried to establish Dharma in his kingdom. After the war with Ravana, he asked Sita to leave him though he knew that there was no fault of her and had confidence in her. His Dharma as a son of renowned king Dasaratha, and as a prince of Ayodhya prioritized his role of husband. He clearly expresses his respect towards Sita when he says "When eyes get a disease they cant see the source of light clearly, so is my thought about you right now." He means, Sita is the light source, without any fault, but he himself is faulty to question her. Now, how many of us put our personal beliefs and desires aside for a greater good? We don't even know what Dharma or rightful act is, now a days. And are in a position to ask if it carries any meaning now.
My point of referring to Ramayana is to just put forth the following -
Joker was able to play with people because of their improper understanding of the system. But if at all we had guidance like Alfred (in my sense scriptures), we can take much much better decisions and direct ourselves for greater good. Don't be Harvey Dents but be Batmans! The Joker too accepts that Batman is incorruptible in the end.
And, the Joker is now where else but in us. Driving us crazy by showing us path of relatives, and dragging us down to lose our integrity and ethics. The fight with Joker is always ON! whenever he gets a chance, he seduces us. Taking help of age old wisdom is important in any situation.
The first time I saw the movie, I was awestruck. I never imagined that some one could actually understand the joker and present him exactly the way he is. Comic books and previous Batman movies failed to create the real clown. They only make his looks scary. But hats off to Nolan brothers, they have shown that Joker is not scary because of his looks but for his thoughts. To me, Joker is the guy who understands the system in Gotham completely, sees its flaws and puts them across in the wrong way.
Nolan brothers created a Joker who understands 'the greedy' and 'me, myself and my family' part of others and pushes them to the limit of their beliefs. He tests there integrity. In the movie at various situations he uses and plays with people, with their desires, beliefs and fears, and dumps them once they are done with. Here are few examples-
1. Opening bank robbery sequence. He uses thug's greedy nature and hints them to kill their partners once the other's work is done.
2. Gives option to Gambol's assistants to join him for 'aggressive expansion' after he kills Gambol.
3. Uses Berg's and Ramirez's family fears to do unethical things of killing and betraying compatriots.
4. Uses 'The Chechen' wish of earning money, to get control over the mob (Remember Joker says "You and your kind, all you care about is money. This city deserves a better class of criminal. And I'm gonna give it to them!")
5. Gives Harvey Dent, his 'Ace in the hole', philosophy of chaos and fairness to convince him that society is not worth his loyalty and sacrifice. To do this, I realized the Joker indeed understood Harvey Dent completely, Harvey's belief of taking decisions in the name of chance.
The only place he fails to capitalize other's fears is with the people in the ferries. And of course with the Batman.
The director presents us with classic conversations between Joker-Batman, Joker-Harvey Dent. Here are few lines of them, to see how Joker tries to convince other's using their beliefs/fears.
Joker to Batman (in Gordan's cell) -
"Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve."
Here Joker tries to see if Batman really gives-in with the fear of being called an outlaw or condemned. Tries to demoralize him saying the efforts, risks he is taking are not worth the people of the city he lives in. But Batman has belief in people and the system.
What really caught me is Nolan brothers understanding of the present situation in the society and presenting it through the Joker. The lines "You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be." clearly say that. I have realized at many instances that people base their thinking on relative beliefs. I know the term relative-belief is abit confusing, here's an example to explain - I had a friend, during my under-grad, who at the beginning was very enthuastic and sincere in his preparation and efforts during examinations. There were many others who used to copy during the exams and get more marks than him. He first felt disappointed, then dejected and finally gave up. When I spoke to him during our final year of under-grad, he replied "What is the point of preparing? Just by copying people are getting marks. Why shouldn't I follow the same path?" and he continued to do it. The saddest part of this that I found he extended this philosophy to other parts of his life. Now he speaks vulgar language, gave into drinking (no offense to drinkers here), looks for every opportunity to utilize the flaws in the system. My point is, he was very simple, straight forward, truthful when he began his life at the college. Just sighting other's acts he evaluates his acts and changes them along with his principles and beliefs.
I find many people saying "Why should I do or follow this? Nobody does. They don't get penalized, on the other hand get benefits not following it." They don't see what is truth, ethical or right way. They change their beliefs in comparison and experiences with the surroundings. Now can you see why I call their beliefs relative? So, when the Joker says "They're only as good as the world allows them to be." we can see that he is referring the people who DO GOOD only in their comfort zone, but when pushed little harder, drop down to commit barbarous acts. Of course, at the end of the movie Nolan brothers give us hope that people are not as bad as Joker presents them to be, by showing that so called good citizens of Gotham and Harvey Dent's scum bag of criminals don't blow up each other on the ferries. There is a beautiful sequence wherein we are showed how GOOD people decide to kill others when their survival is at stake and how BAD people don't look at it as an option at all. Good and bad get really blurred here, and question us to look for something greater to take decisions.
Joker to Harvey Dent (in Gotham general hospital) -
"You know... You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan". Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan." But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds! Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order. Then everything becomes chaos. And you that thing about chaos don't you? its fair."
Here, I realized a serious flaw in my understanding of the system and laws, thanks to the Joker for this. Previously, the above lines wouldn't make any sense to me. When ever I read news like "8 soldiers die in a encounter with terrorists/naxals" I felt sorry for them. When I read "2 people die in a road accident" I felt sorry for them. But after listening to these lines in the movie, I realized that the amount of feeling I associated with both the events of death was different. Then, I realized the reason behind it. It is because I took loss of a soldier in his line of duty as acceptable (part of the plan as Joker calls it) and not the death of civilians in an accident. This seriously disturbed me. Death of a person is equivalent to another, no matter what their professions are. This is the point Joker was trying to raise to Harvey Dent (at the least that's what I feel). But when I feel my thinking has a flaw I should agree to the Joker like Harvey Dent does. Here is the serious mistake Harvey Dent did. By realizing that our belief has a flaw we should not cross it and break it to our own convenience, but rather put efforts to understand it in a better way. Harvey Dent loses the sense of right and wrong, drops down his thinking to taking revenge of Rachel Dawe's death. As I said before, Joker was able to grasp Harvey Dent's love for Rachel and his sense of chance, and twist him.
Harvey Dent in the end says "You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time. But you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair."
How many of us would have respected the system and law when we experience great pain? The situation seriously questions our beliefs.
It is not that Harvey Dent developed these feelings about the society all of a sudden, here's a little conversation with Rachel during fund raiser given by Bruce Wayne -
Harvey Dent: You can *not* leave me alone with these people.
Rachel Dawes: The whole mob's after you, and you're worried about *these* guys?
Harvey Dent: Yea, well, compared to *these* guys, the mob doesn't scare me.
This is the basic difference between Batman and Harvey Dent. Though both were fighting for cleaning the society, when come across personal crisis, take different paths. Batman had faith in the system. He believes his role is only to give a helping had to Law and not to take Law into his own hands (That's why he never kills anyone). Harvey Dent failed to see this point even though he was a good citizen and a responsible public servant. Also, Batman is fortunate enough to have old wise Alfred on his side in those crucial times. Alfred gives him wisdom to look beyond himself and take right decisions which will bring greater good even at personal loss.
Running through these thoughts, I couldn't help myself but draw parallels and inspiration from stories I was told from my childhood. These stories, part of Hindu philosophy, are about warriors, saints, demons, demigods and gods, were written as guidelines for the people to get inspiration from. The point I realized with my experience with Joker philosophy is that, the present understanding of individuals in the society is guided mostly by their personal experiences and not on some higher principles of living. Relative nature is playing a bigger role than absolute and eternal. Many people no longer judge their acts based on principles and ethics but rather do by their greed and other's greedy acts. For example, a person can say "why shouldn't I abscond tax, when our ministers themselves are so corrupt?" As you can see this person takes actions on relative basis and not on what is right.
The story of inspiration I was referring to was Ramayana. Because I am fan of Rama, I tend to refer to him quite often. He was the single person who believed in following Dharma (the rightful act). He dint even look for his own comforts or profits and tried to establish Dharma in his kingdom. After the war with Ravana, he asked Sita to leave him though he knew that there was no fault of her and had confidence in her. His Dharma as a son of renowned king Dasaratha, and as a prince of Ayodhya prioritized his role of husband. He clearly expresses his respect towards Sita when he says "When eyes get a disease they cant see the source of light clearly, so is my thought about you right now." He means, Sita is the light source, without any fault, but he himself is faulty to question her. Now, how many of us put our personal beliefs and desires aside for a greater good? We don't even know what Dharma or rightful act is, now a days. And are in a position to ask if it carries any meaning now.
My point of referring to Ramayana is to just put forth the following -
Joker was able to play with people because of their improper understanding of the system. But if at all we had guidance like Alfred (in my sense scriptures), we can take much much better decisions and direct ourselves for greater good. Don't be Harvey Dents but be Batmans! The Joker too accepts that Batman is incorruptible in the end.
And, the Joker is now where else but in us. Driving us crazy by showing us path of relatives, and dragging us down to lose our integrity and ethics. The fight with Joker is always ON! whenever he gets a chance, he seduces us. Taking help of age old wisdom is important in any situation.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Weird feeling .... totally unexpressible ..!
This is my state when I came know news touching to two extreme facets of creation, in a gap of an hour. Yes, the two extremes of death and birth. Death of my friend, another friend been blessed with a baby boy.
One of my friends met with an accident on 15th of Aug, was hospitalized, and he left his last breath in the late hours of 16th Aug. Given that his marriage was scheduled on 25th Aug, its even more painful. I only pray, he realizes his soul (if not already) atleast in his next birth.
To the other extreme, another friend was blessed with a baby boy, during the early hours of 16th Aug. Again, I can only pray, the new born realizes himself in this birth and breaks the cycle.
Both these incidents, though happened with some time gap, came to me within a hour of difference. As of now, my mind is going vary with weird feelings unable to express itself, feeling both pain and happiness or may be neither of them. I can't even say.
The most weird part is, I am here, still writing this blog, dont know what this means!! May be I am still with the false ego (this post is filled with words 'I', 'me', 'my') that I am gonna live forever and, I am above life and death. My brain does understand that success and failure are both, sides of the same coin. But even after watching so many births and deaths of various living beings around it, it does not understand that life and death are merely two points in the journey of realizing the self. My brain is really really dumb.
One of my friends met with an accident on 15th of Aug, was hospitalized, and he left his last breath in the late hours of 16th Aug. Given that his marriage was scheduled on 25th Aug, its even more painful. I only pray, he realizes his soul (if not already) atleast in his next birth.
To the other extreme, another friend was blessed with a baby boy, during the early hours of 16th Aug. Again, I can only pray, the new born realizes himself in this birth and breaks the cycle.
Both these incidents, though happened with some time gap, came to me within a hour of difference. As of now, my mind is going vary with weird feelings unable to express itself, feeling both pain and happiness or may be neither of them. I can't even say.
The most weird part is, I am here, still writing this blog, dont know what this means!! May be I am still with the false ego (this post is filled with words 'I', 'me', 'my') that I am gonna live forever and, I am above life and death. My brain does understand that success and failure are both, sides of the same coin. But even after watching so many births and deaths of various living beings around it, it does not understand that life and death are merely two points in the journey of realizing the self. My brain is really really dumb.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sky Nature of Mind
Below is an interesting article in "The Speaking Tree" column of TOI, 5th May 2010.
Sky Nature Of Mind
By Girish Deshpande
In every sentient being the buddha mind is omnipresent. We don’t have to go looking for it. We don’t have to strive to perfect it. It has been with us since birth and it is always perfect! Just as the sky. This is the nature of our mind. Who would want to strive to perfect a cloudless sky?All of us want to be happy at all times. So why do our actions of body, speech and mind work often in contradiction to what we really want, bringing suffering in its wake?
The reason is simple; it’s because we allow them to. We could correct this; we can attempt to clear the clouds that obscure the beautiful sky.
What is holding us back from exploring the brilliance of the sky? The four faults, as enumerated below:
Too close: Have you ever tried to see your face without something that could reflect it? Not possible. Similarly, the nature of the mind is so close to our mind that it finds it difficult to see it.
Too profound: How often have you waded into unknown waters? You take a few steps and the fear of the unknown stops you. Similarly, we have no idea how deep the nature of mind would be. We cannot fathom its depth. So we don’t make an attempt.
Too easy: It is often that we have not attempted something simply because it was too easy. So it is with the nature of mind. Something that has always been with us, always perfect, gets a priority that is low amongst other worldly distractions and attractions.
Too wondrous:How many times have we left something untried because we see it as an immense task? We just don’t believe that we can actually attain enlightenment which is the essential nature of our minds.
The Tibetan word for ‘Buddhist’ is nangpa, which means insider’, that is, alluding to the fact that one has to learn of living and dying not from external sources but from knowing the nature of mind.
However, people fear to look within themselves, not knowing what they will find. Whether they will be able to face what they will find. They are afraid that they will be treated like social outcasts amongst friends, left alone to live life in solitude.
And this conceptualised, misplaced approach plays perfectly into the ploy of the wily ego that could have asked for nothing more than this. The answers you genuinely seek will come to you only from within, from the nature of your mind and not the nurtured mind.
Even if you get the most accomplished teacher, his only responsibility will be to guide you through unknown pathways with the help of teachings and practices, cutting through obscuration of a contrived mind and make you discover the true nature of your mind.
And in doing so, help you dispel the fears of sickness, old age and death and understand better the prospect of life, death and afterlife.
It needs endeavour. Let the winds of awakening blow away the clouds from the sky nature of your mind. Introduce yourself to the perfect sky that is your very own and has always been with you. This is the only happy way out from here! Buddhahood to you!
The writer is a Pune-based dharma practitioner.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Staying with the Question
Below is an interesting article in "The Speaking Tree" column of The Times of India, 04 Apr 2010.
Staying With The Question
Marguerite Theophil
While we are always encouraged to go in search of answers, we are not taught the higher-order skill of asking the right kind of questions.When solving problems, we are more likely to find relevant, wise answers if we learn first to ask “rich and juicy questions”. These, we learn, almost always start with ‘what' or ‘how' and are crafted around creating a desired outcome, rather than being framed as the kind of ‘why' questions that are mostly focused on examining what went wrong.
Accepting unquestioningly all that ‘consensus reality' offers us, we may live relatively safe lives, being fed our answers; never mind whether or not these answers are wholesome, just or humane. So, if the answers teach us that ‘the other' – anyone different in terms of religion, culture, community, gender, or whatever – is to be feared, suspected or even hated, we avoid questions like “Am i/ are we really that different?” and “When have i/we also thought or acted in a similar way?” and “How can i learn to see beyond my biases?”
These questions are scary to ask, because on the way to the answers, we might need to accept that our previous ‘givens' were not all they were made out to be, no matter where or whom they came from.
An interesting questioning process is ‘The Work' of Byron Katie, author of Loving What Is. This is a way to identify and question the thoughts that are the basis of our suffering. Part of this approach is a process of inquiry that includes ‘The Four Questions', that pull you progressively deeper into your unquestioned assumptions and really make you look closely at your habitual reactions: Is this true? Can you absolutely know that it's true? How do you react, what happens to you, when you believe that thought? And most interestingly – who would you be without the thought?
On another level, Sam Keen suggests that what shapes our lives are not just the questions we ask, but those we refuse to ask, or never think of asking. The questions we ask determine whether we will be superficial or profound, accepters of the status quo or seekers.
There are lower-order questions, and higher-order questions. Strangely, the lower-order ones give us answers more readily; but we really should be suspicious when our answers reveal how good, right or righteous, or wronged by others we are, and how wrong, misguided, cruel the other one is or other ones are. Typically, we ask: “Why me?”
Higher order questions often give us more churning, greater discomfort, or even a further lot of questions. But staying with them often gives us life-enhancing insights. Tough questions we grapple with include: What would i no longer be doing if my life were perfect in every respect? How do i become the unique self i am meant to be? How do i contribute to Life? What should i do to reduce the quantity of hate around? What will make me stronger? Which ‘rules' must i obey; which ones are healthy to disobey? What gives me true joy and peace? What are the first steps i must take to translate understanding into action?
To become a questioner is to make a commitment to search for wisdom rather than certainty. Many of these questions may not give us very clear-cut answers, but that is precisely the point; it's the act of asking them that works to shift one's consciousness.
Monday, February 22, 2010
No need to dread death
Below is a beautiful article by Mr. Rajiv Vij published in "Mind Set" column of Times Of India on 21st Feb 2010. The article tries throws light up on a paradigm on "Death" which I never came across. It was a total of-the-box experience for me.
Being aware of dying does not mean fearing it but realizing that it’s a part of the renewal process of the universe, says Rajiv Vij.
Death is not a subject we often think about or are even comfortable talking about. In fact, a number of contemporary sociologists believe that despite widespread liberalization of thought in modern times, death is one of the topics where the extent of taboo has actually grown.
There are two keys perspectives to understanding death. Firstly, that death is an integral part of life. All organisms are evolving and renewing simultaneously in some way; we are dead and alive at the same time. How conscious are us of the fact that despite our feeling completely healthy while reading this article, millions of cells in our body are dying right now? Our body is made up of cells, and cells are made of atoms, which in turn are made of electrons, protons and neutrons. These subatomic particles, moving about at amazing speed, zoom in and out of our existence all the time.
Simultaneously, these atoms and molecules vibrate, dance and reconfigure continuously. Same goes for our cells that break down incessantly, only to regenerate: 98% of atoms in a human body are replaced annually, the stomach lining partly packs up whenever we eat food and rebuilds itself about every five days, the skin, nails and hair cells are dying all the time and are made afresh every month. These individual cells die and renew frequently so the whole (our body) can live on. Similarly, we are a small part of the bigger whole (the universe), and we die and renew to keep the bigger whole alive.
Secondly, the universe is totally fluid and there is no fixed solidity anywhere — and so, everything and every organism is constantly transforming. When we eat an apple, its essence does not disappear, its nutritious elements just get transformed into energy inside our body.
Similarly, if it falls to the ground, it decomposes into soil, perhaps to turn into nourishment for another apple tree one day. Ice peaks turn into rivers, and oceans into clouds — while their underlying composition remains constant, the changing frequency of vibration of the hydrogen and oxygen molecules results in different physical forms of ice and steam.
Similarly, an adult was once a child, and the child once a fertilized egg. Through all these forms, of an egg, child and adult, the only constant is the underlying consciousness. All external appearances are impermanent — the only thing eternal is the formless consciousness which manifests in different forms from time to time.
It’s another matter that based on our conditioned beliefs, we tend to identify rather strongly with our physical form — the body, the mind and the senses. We fail to recognize that the physical form is not solid matter, even though it appears so, but essentially made up of fluid energy — the same energy that runs the universe. This energy (or consciousness) is unborn and undying and irrespective of whether we are dead or alive in the human form, we remain this consciousness. How else would you describe the transformation of forms in the above examples?
Would you say the apple died; or the egg or the child died, even though they physically ceased to be so at some point in time? So, while we may die in the physical plane, we never die in the spiritual one. Once we realize this, we can appreciate, as is said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience.”
As we become familiar with this thought process, it gives us a perspective on the purpose of our existence. As we see the ephemeral nature of all our sensual experiences, we start to become less identified with our physical self. Then, we also realize the futility of many of our vain pursuits after titles, power, money and external success. When we are even slightly prepared for death, we can appreciate each moment of life’s beauty better. The purpose of reflecting on death is not to fear it all the time, but to live in the awareness of the fragility of our existence. Reflecting on death guides us towards focusing on how we want to dedicate our lives towards more meaningful objectives. Only when we begin to know about death, do we actually learn to start living. As David Wolpe, an accomplished Rabbi, said, “The aim of life is not to know whether there is immortality, but to live so you deserve it.”
Often this wisdom about death begins to dawn on us only when we grow old and notice the limitations of our selfish existence. That’s when people start to realize the impermanence of their egoistic pursuits and acquisitions. As death draws near, the attachment to possessions and form begins to fade. That’s when people tend to become more compassionate and focused on serving others.
For the most part of our lives, we ignore paying attention to these issues. Guess, we are somewhat like the Buddha’s father, King Suddhodana, who hoped that as long as his son wasn’t exposed to death, sickness or any other suffering, he would never give up worldly ambitions.
In a way, we all think as long as we don’t think about death, life is quite okay. Also, sometimes people fear that if they focused too hard on these questions, they may lose interest in life in general — including in their work and family. This fear then makes us cling to the world of attachments and physical form. However, when we reflect deeply on death, we realize that this need not be the case. In fact, as we thus conduct ourselves with an attitude of let go and surrender, our productivity at work goes up and our relationships blossom further.
The point here is that if living this way and becoming spiritually aware is important at a later age, how can we learn to live that way throughout our lives? “Are you not ashamed,” said Seneca, the Roman philosopher “to reserve for yourself only the remnant of life, and to set apart for wisdom only that time which can’t be devoted to any business? How late it is to begin to live just when we must cease to live.” If only we could start to live this way when we are younger, we can create a meaningful life for ourselves.
Being aware of dying does not mean fearing it but realizing that it’s a part of the renewal process of the universe, says Rajiv Vij.
Death is not a subject we often think about or are even comfortable talking about. In fact, a number of contemporary sociologists believe that despite widespread liberalization of thought in modern times, death is one of the topics where the extent of taboo has actually grown.
There are two keys perspectives to understanding death. Firstly, that death is an integral part of life. All organisms are evolving and renewing simultaneously in some way; we are dead and alive at the same time. How conscious are us of the fact that despite our feeling completely healthy while reading this article, millions of cells in our body are dying right now? Our body is made up of cells, and cells are made of atoms, which in turn are made of electrons, protons and neutrons. These subatomic particles, moving about at amazing speed, zoom in and out of our existence all the time.
Simultaneously, these atoms and molecules vibrate, dance and reconfigure continuously. Same goes for our cells that break down incessantly, only to regenerate: 98% of atoms in a human body are replaced annually, the stomach lining partly packs up whenever we eat food and rebuilds itself about every five days, the skin, nails and hair cells are dying all the time and are made afresh every month. These individual cells die and renew frequently so the whole (our body) can live on. Similarly, we are a small part of the bigger whole (the universe), and we die and renew to keep the bigger whole alive.
Secondly, the universe is totally fluid and there is no fixed solidity anywhere — and so, everything and every organism is constantly transforming. When we eat an apple, its essence does not disappear, its nutritious elements just get transformed into energy inside our body.
Similarly, if it falls to the ground, it decomposes into soil, perhaps to turn into nourishment for another apple tree one day. Ice peaks turn into rivers, and oceans into clouds — while their underlying composition remains constant, the changing frequency of vibration of the hydrogen and oxygen molecules results in different physical forms of ice and steam.
Similarly, an adult was once a child, and the child once a fertilized egg. Through all these forms, of an egg, child and adult, the only constant is the underlying consciousness. All external appearances are impermanent — the only thing eternal is the formless consciousness which manifests in different forms from time to time.
It’s another matter that based on our conditioned beliefs, we tend to identify rather strongly with our physical form — the body, the mind and the senses. We fail to recognize that the physical form is not solid matter, even though it appears so, but essentially made up of fluid energy — the same energy that runs the universe. This energy (or consciousness) is unborn and undying and irrespective of whether we are dead or alive in the human form, we remain this consciousness. How else would you describe the transformation of forms in the above examples?
Would you say the apple died; or the egg or the child died, even though they physically ceased to be so at some point in time? So, while we may die in the physical plane, we never die in the spiritual one. Once we realize this, we can appreciate, as is said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience.”
As we become familiar with this thought process, it gives us a perspective on the purpose of our existence. As we see the ephemeral nature of all our sensual experiences, we start to become less identified with our physical self. Then, we also realize the futility of many of our vain pursuits after titles, power, money and external success. When we are even slightly prepared for death, we can appreciate each moment of life’s beauty better. The purpose of reflecting on death is not to fear it all the time, but to live in the awareness of the fragility of our existence. Reflecting on death guides us towards focusing on how we want to dedicate our lives towards more meaningful objectives. Only when we begin to know about death, do we actually learn to start living. As David Wolpe, an accomplished Rabbi, said, “The aim of life is not to know whether there is immortality, but to live so you deserve it.”
Often this wisdom about death begins to dawn on us only when we grow old and notice the limitations of our selfish existence. That’s when people start to realize the impermanence of their egoistic pursuits and acquisitions. As death draws near, the attachment to possessions and form begins to fade. That’s when people tend to become more compassionate and focused on serving others.
For the most part of our lives, we ignore paying attention to these issues. Guess, we are somewhat like the Buddha’s father, King Suddhodana, who hoped that as long as his son wasn’t exposed to death, sickness or any other suffering, he would never give up worldly ambitions.
In a way, we all think as long as we don’t think about death, life is quite okay. Also, sometimes people fear that if they focused too hard on these questions, they may lose interest in life in general — including in their work and family. This fear then makes us cling to the world of attachments and physical form. However, when we reflect deeply on death, we realize that this need not be the case. In fact, as we thus conduct ourselves with an attitude of let go and surrender, our productivity at work goes up and our relationships blossom further.
The point here is that if living this way and becoming spiritually aware is important at a later age, how can we learn to live that way throughout our lives? “Are you not ashamed,” said Seneca, the Roman philosopher “to reserve for yourself only the remnant of life, and to set apart for wisdom only that time which can’t be devoted to any business? How late it is to begin to live just when we must cease to live.” If only we could start to live this way when we are younger, we can create a meaningful life for ourselves.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
It Is Not All That Easy To Have Faith
The following article appeared in "The Speaking Tree" column in Times of India on 20th Aug 2009. The article is written by B Jivan Yati Maharaj.
French pilot Ronald Nikson was flying his plane and he and his four colleagues were trying to locate the defence facilities of the German army during World War I. They entered German air space and were hiding their plane behind clouds. Nikson needed to clearly view the defence sites, so he took the risk of lowering his plane. His plane was hit. The German army was firing at them and the plane was in flames.
Nikson later wrote of the incident: ‘‘I was a non-believer in God. Observing that my burning plane was losing height rapidly and would soon crash, with no chance of survival, i murmured, ‘If there is a God, save me.’ I went blank after that. On regaining consciousness, i was told that i remained unconscious for almost 2 months. When i inquired about my colleagues, i was told that somehow the burning plane re-entered French border territory and fell there. Nothing remained, none of the others survived – except the pilot, yours truly.
‘‘After getting discharged i began going to church and inquiring about God from various priests. If God exists then i should find Him and talk to Him. I was not satisfied with the answers i got and eventually began reading many holy books. My desire to meet God increased day by day. After all He was my saviour. I was advised to visit India to learn further about God. I was informed that sages of ancient India had researched deeply into this topic. I resigned from the Royal Air Force, and came to India in search of God.’’
Nikson came to India and took up a position as professor in the English department at Lucknow University. Krishna says in the Gita that He helps those who seek Him out with sincerity. Nikson familiarised himself with Indian scriptures including the Gita, the Upanishads, the Vedas and the Srimad Bhagavatam. He took the name of Sri Krishna Prema. He established a centre at Mirtola in UP, now known as ‘’Uttar Vrindavan’. It is said that he realised the Supreme Lord here and used to talk to the Lord. .
Once Srila Madhav Maharaj met the Nobel prize-winning scientist C V Raman. During the course of a discussion, the scientist said to Maharaj that if he could show Krishna to him, then he would concur with the Maharaj’s words. They were in a laboratory in Kolkata city.
The northern side of the laboratory had a wall without windows. Maharaj asked Raman, ‘‘I am unable to see anything beyond that wall. If i say, ‘there is nothing outside this wall’, will it be correct?’’ Raman replied, ‘‘I can see through my instruments.’’ Maharaj said, ‘‘There is a limit to your instruments. You can see only as far as your instruments allow you to see.’’ Raman said, ‘‘I will not give any attention to anything that is not within my sense-experience.’’ Maharaj then said, ‘‘If your students say to you, they will study your scientific findings only if you make them realise the results first, what would be your reaction?’’
Raman replied that the students would have to go through the learning process first. ‘‘If this is true for you and your scientific knowledge, can not our seers say the same thing? Follow their process and see whether you experience God’s existence or not.’’
The writer is general secretary, All India Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math.
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