What Divides Us

By Ashok Vohra
In the Mahabharata, when the Yaksha asks, ‘What is the greatest wonder of all?’ Yudhishthra replies, “Day after day countless creatures are going to the abode of Yama, yet those that remain behind believe themselves to be immortal. What can be more wonderful than this?” This narrative illustrates our attitude towards others in our workday life. We believe that what happens to others will not happen to us. We apply different standards to evaluate our own behaviour and that of others in all fields of activity.
The ‘other’, across cultures, has been seen variously as a friend – an extension of oneself – or as a foe posing a threat to one’s freedom. The other has been seen by some as deserving our concern or respect, by some as an opportunity for solidarity or mutual transformation, and by some typically as an unwelcome practical, political or cultural limitation. The other can be the ethnic other, the cultural other, the religious other, the national other or simply the other gender.
Sartre sees the other as obstruction to an individual’s freedom. So much so that he considers the other as hell.Some authors in the Indic tradition (Manu and Kautilaya, for example) prescribe different awards and punishments both in terms of quality and quantity for identical action to different classes. It is hard to see how such a differential treatment could be justified in the present day world, which lays great emphasis on equality.
The question of how far the demand for equality is justified without ensuring equity in resources distribution becomes equally significant. In the above context, the question whether preferential treatment to a part of the community can at all be justified also arises. Our hostile attitude towards other races and castes is based on the fear that they undeservedly take a part of what rightfully belongs to us.
Like the Buddha, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan believed that our attitude towards the other is the result of our ignorance of his ways of thinking and living. He argued that “When we do not know other, we become frightened, angry, even hysterical”.
To remove our ignorance of the other and to increase understanding of the other Radhakrishnan advocated “living together, working together” with them. By doing so, he felt that “we get to understand one another and bridge the gulf that separates us in feeling and imagination”. By living together we come to “know them, appreciate them, make allowance for their weaknesses (or strengths) and accept them”. We get rid of fear of the other. The other thus is amalgamated into ‘we’and becomes us.
The possibility of amalgamation is there in a bad person but not in an alien. Recognising this Radhakrishnan upheld that“A ‘bad’ citizen is all right because he belongs to our state; a good alien cannot be all right because he doesn’t (belong to our state)”. The other, however ‘bad’ he may be, has the inherent potential of becoming us because like us, he is Brahmn.
Radhakrishnan argued that we divide the world into us and them “due to persistent cussedness in human nature; a moral blindness, a spiritual affliction”. We can easily tame the beast in us by educating ourselves about our true nature. It can be done by inner spiritual development. Then we see the whole of human family as one.
Once the diversity of races, classes and castes are fused into one, we could together “strive for the great ideals of economic justice, social equality and political freedom”. This essential oneness of humankind ‘transcends human-made barriers.
The author is professor of Philosophy, Delhi University

For That Spiritual Experience

By Kishor Kulkarni
There are five aspects of spirituality – the objective, the why of spirituality, the means for attaining the objective, who pursues spirituality and when.

Objective of spirituality is to transcend the limited bodily identity and experience the oneness of the single whole that this creation is.

Why should, or rather, why does, one pursue spirituality? We can start by saying that one gets a desire to pursue spirituality and hence goes ahead with it. Then comes the question, why does one person get that desire and why don’t thousands of others get it? The only answer to this question can be that the Creator wants it that way.

The means of attaining the objective can vary from one person to another. But they must essentially serve the purpose of transcending the physical world. And physical world and our bodily identity are two sides of the same coin. Many tend to argue that spirituality cannot be divorced from worldly living as spirituality basically entails living normally, albeit with an attitude that i am something more than the physical body. While this may make sense to most spiritual seekers, there is a danger that it will amount to nothing more than hypocrisy. One may continue to merrily indulge in worldly pursuits and simply keep telling himself now and then that there is a soul beyond the body. That will be self-deception. It is unlikely to bring any spiritual experiences to such a person.

Many believe that spirituality means living in a noble way – by practicing honesty, integrity, charity, selflessness and other such noble qualities. These are, no doubt, an important preparation towards attaining the ultimate objective. As gurus say, such ‘satkarmas’ lead to accumulation of ‘shuddha punya, credit for good deeds. However, this is not the be-all-end-all of spirituality for it would confuse means with the end. If one falls into that trap, it may amount to walking on a tread mill when, in fact, one wants to reach a destination! Yes, he will get the side benefit of shedding some unnecessary fat. But he won’t be progressing towards the ultimate goal. Without vairagya or detachment, it might not lead to the ultimate goal of Self-realisation.

Now about the “who” part. Satkarmas leading to accumulation of shuddha punya are like a walk towards the gate to the ultimate destination. However, for the ultimate experience, one has to enter the other side through the gate. Now, it is Here an element of divine grace is required. The reason to bring in the aspect of divine grace is because how the selection is made is not known to us, nor can it be understood. That is why even Jesus Christ said that the gate is narrow and many will jostle to enter; but only a few will manage to get in. However, a seeker desirous of attaining the ultimate goal must put in his best efforts. That is the only thing within his capacity.

When does one go on to the spiritual path? It may depend on many complex factors, including past karma. So, an easy answer would be that it depends on the sovereign plan of the Creator.

Spiritual experiences cannot be had through one or more of our five bodily senses. They are the kind that can be perceived directly from inside in one’s consciousness. For this to be possible, one has to have a really intense desire for it. He has to switch the physical world off completely for as long as possible. Only then can he make himself eligible for receiving spiritual experience.

Get Ready To Receive The Truth

By Farida Khanam

A milkman, deeply influenced by Gautama Buddha insisted that Buddha visit him and share his nuggets of wisdom. In lieu of this, the milkman offered to present milk to Buddha. The Buddha agreed. In the evening when Buddha set out to visit the milkman he took with him a container in which he intentionally put some mud. The milkman took the container but just as he was about to pour milk into it, realised that the container had some impurity. So he cleansed the container and removed all the impurities. He then poured the milk into it and gave it to the Buddha.

Upon receiving the container, the Buddha got up to leave. Surprised, the milkman asked him why was he leaving before imparting any wisdom. The Buddha replied that he just had. He explained to the milkman that the mind is similar to the container and thoughts that preoccupy us are like the impurities he found in the container. To attain wisdom, we must purify the mind by making it free of all impure thought. The Buddha asked the milkman to cleanse himself of his thoughts as only then will he be able to imbibe any further learning.

First empty your mind; only then you can make room for wisdom to come in. Prepare the mind to face situations in a way that enables you to harness its potential. Living with a mind that is narcisstic will impede progress. A life that is full of ego leaves no room for receptivity as one thinks about nothing else other than its own self.

Trying to deride the discovery of a scientist, a man once said to him that all discoveries were nothing but chance occurrences. Calmly, the scientist replied: “You are right. But such chances took place only with the scientists.” This was a befitting answer. It is only a prepared mind that is able to achieve the goal. There is nothing mysterious about it. It is quite understandable that only a mind that has engrossed itself in trying to unravel a phenomenon, would eventually decipher it. However, a price must be paid to attain such a state – that price is working hard to prepare the mind to receive. To make the mind receptive, you need to be sincere in your efforts, objective and unbiased in your approach and ready to admit a mistake and reassess your approach to the target.

I recall here an anecdote about the famous Sufi saint – Bahaullah. He once visited another saint Fariduddin for receiving guidance. Bahaullah gained the wisdom in a very short span of time. Seeing this some other of Fariduddin’s disciple accused him of favouritism. As Fariduddin heard of these charges, he told his disciple that Bahaullah was like dry wood while all of them are like wet wood. This was a classic example of receptivity. Dry wood is highly combustible and catches fire easily. High levels of receptivity enable us to imbibe spiritual guidance.

In order to be receptive to truth, one must make the effort to be ready to recognize and receive the truth. Human beings have become conditioned entities on account of habit. It is this conditioning that is a major obstacle on the path. To be able to overcome this hurdle, we must be ready to revisit existing ideas; be willing to rise above all kinds of biases and prejudices and become receptive to truth that may come from anywhere.

The writer teaches Islamic studies at Jamia Millia Islamia.
fkhan1001@yahoo.co.in

Your Body Is God's Palace

Measuring Spiritual Growth

By Jaya Row

Shakespeare echoed the central theme of the Upanishads when he said in ‘As You Like It’ – “All the world’s a stage, / And all men and women merely players; / They have their exits and their entrances...”. Vedanta speaks of sakshi bhava or ‘witness attitude’ as a measure of spiritual growth. Objectivity is the key to material success, happiness as well as growth to one’s potential. Maintain the attitude of an observer, never getting entangled. Be impartial in all circumstances, non-partisan; unbiased, unprejudiced. Be like a spectator in a boxing match. If you jump into the ring you could get beaten up by both parties.

You are an actor in the drama of life. Play your role wholeheartedly, dispassionately, perfectly and exit gracefully when the time comes. Don’t get entangled in a make-believe world.

Atman, the spirit, is completely objective. It enables all your activities but has nothing to do with their functioning. Just as fuel propels all cars to move but does not determine their performance. Electricity is the same in all gadgets but is not responsible for manifestations.

At Kurukshetra, Arjuna is overwhelmed by emotion. Grief-stricken, he refuses to perform his duty. He asks Krishna, his friend and mentor, for help. Krishna’s opening remarks in the Bhagwad Gita are,“The wise do not grieve either for the living or the dead. All grief is because of wrong identification and attachment”. You believe that the cause of your misery is out there in the world. You blame the spouse, kids, the government and even the weather for your unhappiness. As long as you believe the world is causing you sorrow, there will never be a solution to your problems.

You are responsible for your sorrow. As long as you identify with the body, mind and intellect, you will be unhappy. These instruments are matter as world is also matter. Matter affects matter, just as magnet attracts iron. You are neither body, mind nor intellect; you are spirit. The world does not have the power to affect the spirit but you think it does because of your involvement with body, mind and intellect. Just remember you are atman and interact with body, mind and intellect. Then you will remain a sakshi, witness, of everything but never get involved.

You go through three states of consciousness – waking, dream and deep sleep – all projections of your mind. The real you is atman, the fourth state. Live life as if you are re-entering a dream, knowing its illusory nature, tongue-in-cheek, objectively, joyfully. Do what you have to do, without involvement, entanglement or heartburn.

Objectivity is the secret of enjoyment. You are able to enjoy a tragic movie because you know you are not a part of it. Had you been even remotely connected with the happenings in the movie you would suffer. Practise objectivity by observing the world around you. Observe external objects, people around you, their appearance, emotions, and thoughts. Then shift your attention to your own body, mind and intellect. You will be in an oasis of peace and tranquillity in the midst of turbulence around.

The mind is the realm of emotions and feelings; the intellect is of reason, discrimination and judgement. The mind is involved, attached and partisan. The intellect is capable of remaining objective, unbiased and unprejudiced. Use your intellect, strengthen it so you are objective in all situations. From such an impersonal viewpoint, you will find life entertaining.

A Rationalist View Of God

By Atul Sehgal

Rigvedic hymns offer a succinct account of the nature of God in true, scientific terms. They describe God as a spiritual substance pervading the entire, infinite universe. As a spiritual entity, God is omnipresent and every material object of the universe is contained in this spiritual substance or medium. The terms that denote this are ‘sarvavyapak’ and ‘vyapta.’

Imagine a small piece of chalk dropped in a glassful of water. Within seconds, water will percolate the chalk piece. Once water has been fully absorbed by the chalk, it can be said that water pervades all space within the glass tumbler including the chalk piece and also that the chalk piece is contained in water. Water represents the spiritual substance called God and the chalk piece, a material object of the universe.

Rigveda and Atharvaveda describe God as the most subtle substance existing throughout the universe. They talk of three cardinal entities in the infinite universe. These are: i) inanimate and eternal material nature (matter) composed of five elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether ii) countless souls existing as animate eternal spiritual finite entities and iii) one eternal, animate infinite spiritual entity called God.

The soul is subtler than matter and God is subtler than soul. Matter is made of particles –electrons, protons, neutrons and positrons. The soul being subtler than matter can reshape, relocate and work upon finite portions of matter, but God as the most subtle spiritual substance holds complete control over matter and souls. This control comes through centrifugal action which is directed from within outwards. God regulates the existence of soul by providing it physical body and enabling it to refine itself and evolve through enlightenment. The process of enlightenment culminates in salvation of soul. The process of refinement and evolution involves association of soul with a physical body through a process of birth, growth, ageing and death which repeats itself.

If God is understood as supreme, infinitesimal, all-pervading spiritual substance, his power over matter and soul becomes clear. Then, we would not need to regard God as an object of obeisance through blind faith; rather we would understand God scientifically. Superstition would yield place to scientific enquiry and curiosity, which would be satisfied rationally. This would make way for true communion with God and true tapping of his infinite beneficent energy which action is called ‘worship’.

The soul, Vedas say, is endowed with limited knowledge, understanding and intellectual prowess. God, on the other hand, is omniscient. Because the soul is limited by understanding, souls residing in human bodies perceive God in multifarious ways. Out of their ignorance about the real nature of God, they begin to view the formless God through totems, images and forms. This ignorance further creates multiple schools of religion and faith, many of which differ sharply on basic precepts and premises. This is precisely the reason why there is so much strife and discord in the world in the name of religion.

If only we human beings began to understand the simple, matter-of-fact metaphysical truths expounded in Vedas, they would easily converge to a common, shared understanding of God and God’s relationship with matter and living beings. That would enhance peace, harmony and empathy among human beings and would surely make this earth a much better place to live in, thus facilitating the physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual evolution of us human beings towards the goal of salvation.

Look Up

THE BUZZARD



If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.

The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet.

Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT



The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
THE BUMBLEBEE




A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
PEOPLE

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee.

We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up!


That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem...

Just look up!

--------------------------------
Sorrow looks back,
Worry looks around,
But faith looks up!
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly, and
Trust in our Creator,



Who loves us.