The
Compassionate
Buddha
By Anandmurti Gurumaa
Copyright 2011 Gurumaa Vani
All rights reserved. Translated & Compiled by Dr. Urmila Pandey
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying or recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.
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The
Compassionate
Buddha
Anandmurti Gurumaa
Contents
8. Do’s And Don’ts Of Meditation
9. The Impartial Hand Of Death
11. Beyond The Boundaries Of Words
12. O’ Lord, May I Be The Chosen One!
15. Live In Celebration, Die In Celebration
17. Pragya: Ladder To The Ultimate Truth
19. Seek, And You Shall Find Within
20. Drop The Mask That Grins And Lies
21. Death Of The Mind Is Meditation
22. The One Who Starts, Arrives
23. What World? A Grand Cosmic Illusion...
24. God Is Infinitely Forgiving
25. O’ Master! Pranam At Your Lotus Feet
INTRODUCTION
“There is Buddha for those who don't know what he is, really. There is no Buddha for those who know what he is, really.”
Zen Proverb
A heart full of compassion alone can experience true love for all beings and guide mankind from the shackles of suffering towards the bliss of liberation. Buddha was the sheer embodiment of compassion and wisdom. His heart overflowed with benevolence for all living beings, full of boundless empathy and mercy for one and all.
Deeply moved by the
presence of global human suffering and realising the illusory nature
of this world, he renounced everything and walked on the path that
lead him to the ultimate liberation. Buddha was deeply aware
of
others’ suffering and hence he relentlessly worked on guiding
all mankind on this path of liberation from all misery.
Anandmurti Gurumaa has
expounded on the essence present in the
messages given by almost
every mystic and sage who has graced this earth. In this book, she
lucidly explicates the teachings of Buddha making them
readily
accessible to the common man. It is a compilation of the live
discourses given by beloved Gurumaa, addressing the gathering at a
meditation camp.
Through the in-depth elucidation of Buddha’s precepts, Anandmurti Gurumaa motivates one and all to delve deeper, inculcate and experience this deep compassion which resides in all hearts.
About the Author
Her presence is the presence of grace and compassion. Her words are the words of experiential wisdom. Her pragmatic teachings infuse seeking in the non-seeker and intensify the quest of a seeker. She has descended from her abode in the solitude of mountains to catalyse the spiritual growth of one and all. She is a mystic. She is a master. She is known as Anandmurti Gurumaa, mystic master of our times. Although no words can ever aptly describe the master, yet this is an attempt to express the inexpressible.
Anandmurti Gurumaa is a contemporary master who is guiding millions around the world towards their spiritual growth. Her unique way of explaining the esoteric wisdom makes it easy for even a layman to understand its inherent meaning, and on the other hand inspires the intellectual mind to explore uncharted frontiers, thereby giving everyone a chance to learn and evolve.
Talking about life, Gurumaa says, “Life is simple. We complicate it.” Giving a new perspective to meditation, she says, “Meditation is not contemplation. Meditation is not concentration. Meditation is a state of being.” Answering questions on several such topics viz. life, mind, meditation, God, love, truth, relationships etc. Gurumaa has brought about fresh insight into the understanding of these, so as to unclutter the cluttered mind of modern-day man. Her teachings lead to clarity of mind, facilitate harmonious living and show the way to rise above a mundane lifestyle. Most importantly, they make one aware of that dimension of life about which one is generally oblivious.
Her thought-provoking talks not only answer questions but make one question oneself too. Question the purpose of our pursuits. Question our priorities. Question our understanding. In a nutshell, they provoke one to think in the right direction so as to let the answers unfold from within. And don’t be surprised if they make you question your thinking itself!
Never
before has man had such easy access to the age-old scriptures, but
yet their core meaning still remains obscure because only the
realised master can decipher them and impart the wisdom that these
scriptures convey. Gurumaa has elaborated various scriptures
extensively in a very lucid manner, unraveling their deeper meanings,
imparting the message which the mystics intended to express at
different times. These explanations connect the seeker with the
source of wisdom, thus taking one forward on the journey
of
self-realisation.
Gurumaa has also devised a vast array of meditation methods to foster the growth of all those seeking to dive within. Be it a beginner or an advanced aspirant, these methods have been helpful to people from all walks of life. Almost every method of meditation is aided with mesmerising music which deepens the experience of the meditator. In fact, music is not just a part of meditation methods devised by Gurumaa, it is also an integral part of her profound expression.
A poet herself, she has put to music the mystical poetry of several mystics like Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid, Guru Nanak Dev and a lot more. Her blissful bhajans are an outpouring of inner celebration. They cast a spell of enchantment and subdue the incessant wandering of the mind, at the same time bestowing the experience of divine love. “The essence of all religions is love and I belong to the people who love”, says Gurumaa. Thus she defies all religious definitions and considers herself a citizen of world.
Master of several paths, Gurumaa encourages seekers to pursue spiritual practices with zeal, tenacity and determination and also guides them on the spiritual path most conducive to them. Through various means and methods she is constantly making her guidance available to one and all, so that each one can experience the real nature of oneself.
Gurumaa is based at Rishi Chaitanya Ashram in Gannaur (Sonepat, Haryana) and is also accessible through the website www.gurumaa.com. In addition to this, Gurumaa travels all around the world to share the light of wisdom and offer an opportunity to evolve and attain the heights of spirituality. One such opportunity is a meditation retreat with Gurumaa which is held from time to time at different places across the globe. These retreats offer a perfect climate to learn various sacred techniques which rishis of ancient times taught only the select few. Besides discourse and meditation sessions, these retreats also include yoga sessions aiming to accelerate the spiritual growth of the participants.
Special health retreats are also conducted by Gurumaa to make the participants aware about the significance of a healthy body and mind in their journey from the darkness of ignorance to light of wisdom. Similarly, every year a special retreat is organised for youth. Gurumaa’s dynamic teachings endear her to youngsters, for they can interact with her frankly. This retreat is an ideal setting for these energetic ones to seek clarity about their aim in life, become adept in the ways to lead a healthy and conscious lifestyle, learn to meditate, and get exposure to all that is needed for their growth.
If after reading all this, you assume that now you know about the master, then you are highly mistaken. A mystic, a master, a guide, a true friend, a poet…we can go on and on, yet words can’t grasp the versatility of Her Holiness Anandmurti Gurumaa. It is beyond the reach of words. In fact, how can words even give a glimpse of the phenomenon that is triggered in her presence. At best, words can ignite the longing to come and experience the ineffable experience of being in the presence of the master...
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1.
Madhav, what a difference between us!
I a sinner, you the destroyer of sin; such is my Lord.
I am soiled, you the purifier,
I am bereft of any virtues, you the supreme benefactor.
I the fool, you the wisest of all,
Thou are the knower of all.
Your entire creation is marvellous,
You are the giver of my body and pranic energy too.
I have no worthy attributes; you shower on those who are humble.
You shower your benevolence and we can’t even appreciate your grace,
You are the embodiment of happiness and solace.
I seek refuge in you, O my Lord!
You are my treasure, the invincible emperor.
Says Nanak, I refer to Thy bounty of Love.
I pray, keep me ever in company of sages.
These are the sentiments of such a devotee who has seen the Lord in his most beautiful, most adorable form. Thence the devotee calls him ‘Madhav’ – which means the one who is my dearest friend, closest to my heart and mind, my soul mate.
Friends can be of
different types, friendship can be made at different
levels. For
e.g. some friends are made socially, others at a professional or even
a political level. Some are old friends since childhood days, others
have
been made whilst studying for a degree in a college; some are
from the
same neighbourhood; some are more of acquaintances whilst
others are
closer - different types of friends indeed.
It is also seen that
often a well-known person has all kinds of people
coming up to
him. And sometimes friendship happens between the different people
acquainted with this famous person. People frequenting the same clubs
can become friends. People coming together for a common social or
political cause may become friends. Friends can become enemies and
vice versa is also possible. So, a variety of so-called friendship
can be seen in this world.
However, on a completely
different plane – the Guru, the master is also referred to as a
friend. The reference has been made by several masters
including
Baba Bulleshah, Kabir, Ravidas, and Meera to name a few. In the
Gurbani, Guru has been addressed as ‘yaar’ - the beloved, the
most endearing friend.
Listen, O my beloved yaar, I pray to you,
I am wandering in search of none other than, my beloved you.
And relating to the Lord with this bond, this alliance of friendship, the devotee calls out to the Lord as ‘Madhav’, the most endearing and closest one to the heart, to the mind. The reference is on a much deeper plane – God is viewed as the absolute confidant, where the unconditional connection happens at the deepest level of the mind. And remember, human mind is not exactly an epitome of beauty, in fact it is far from it.
Some may question, why should one attend a shivir (meditation camp), what is the purpose, what is the benefit? Well, the importance of attending meditation camp lies in the fact that by staying away from your family, your business/profession, in the quietude you get an opportunity to get familiar with the working of your own mind.
People are biased when
it comes to scrutinising their own minds.
Anything, any attributes
that lead to further strengthening of the ego is all one wants to
see. And people simply want to ignore and deny the existence
of
anything that doesn’t please them, that doesn’t give their
intellect a reason to boast, to swell with pride.
For example, how many people (including you!) will accept the presence of anger or envy within them? Most people will say, “Normally I am not an angry person but what can I do when other people provoke me?” More often than not, one will blame the circumstances and other individuals for their own anger and envy. But if you blame others and don’t take the responsibility for your own anger then how can you be labelled as a human being? A man is responsible for all his actions and no one can get away from this fact.
The purpose of a meditation camp is to give you an opportunity to get acquainted with your own mind. Ask yourself - are you ambitious, do you have envy in your mind? Someone may justify, “I don’t think I am an envious person, but isn’t it natural for me to get angry when someone else climbs on my back to achieve success?”
People always ask
me, “What should I do, my mind simply doesn’t engage in
meditation.” Well, that’s not at all surprising! How can you
meditate when the mind is full of so many negativities? The mind that
is full of so many
desires, overloaded with ambitions, burdened by
the never ending yearnings, will never be able to achieve the
meditative state.
In reality, some people attend meditation camps for all kinds of wrong reasons: Either they are fed up with the stress of daily living and want to get away or they are unwell and misguidedly think that meditation will be the panacea for all their ailments.
It is indeed woeful that
no one has a clue as to why one should be
attending meditation
camps and why should one meditate? What a tragedy that no one is
interested in getting acquainted with the functioning of their own
mind, to get rid of the mental afflictions, to taste the joy of
meditation. Instead people want to learn meditation so that their
desires can get fulfilled. They want to get rid of the anxiety
resulting from their unsatiated desires, so that they are free to get
further involved in the worldly cravings and aversion, what an irony!
Similarly, some people seek out meditation camps just as a ‘cheap’
remedy for their high blood pressure, to do away with popping blood
pressure pills!
Ask yourself – why do
you want to learn meditation? Why have you come to this shivir? Right
in the first session of this shivir, you need to be very clear about
why you have come here. A shivir is for knowing one’s own self,
the
nature of one’s own mind and not as a remedy for curing
bodily illnesses, as some misguided people think. So, be clear that
you should be attending
meditation camp not with the intention of
attaining good physical health but for your own spiritual evolution
and upliftment. Even if you were to become a great sage, will there
be a guarantee that your body won’t get sick?
The body will fall ill
now and then; it is inevitable. Even a Guru’s body can fall sick.
The law of nature is applicable to one and all. I don’t know about
others (and I am not saying that I am a great sage), but my body too
falls ill. After all, that is the nature of the body. Vata, Pitta,
and Kapha – these may
increase or reduce and the balance may be
disturbed by the weather or indeed anything else. Ayurveda states
that an imbalance of these three principles leads to occurrence of
diseases in the body.
Diseases occur in the
body and the ignorance of your real identity is in your intellect.
So, whether someone is enlightened or is an ignoramus, it is
related
to your intellect and has nothing to do with your body. They are
foolish who think that a ‘real’ Guru can never fall ill. What an
absurd notion! When a sage performs all bodily actions just like you
–eats, sleeps, bathes, feels hunger - if all this is happening to
his body, then won’t his body fall ill, just as yours does?
So who is my mind’s
best friend? The answer is Madhav. I can hide my own mind from
myself, I may be blissfully oblivious to all the
negativities
harboured in my own mind - be it jealousy, envy,
anger, lust, greed, egotism. I can evade and run away from my own
mind, and furthermore, can even manage to conceal the negativities
from the Guru. However, the one I can never deceive is Madhav who
resides right within me, who is my truest friend, for there is no
veil between the Lord and me. Here Madhav refers to God. How can
there be any veil from God, who resides right within me?
You must have heard about shoplifters who steal things from shops. And sometimes they come from rich families but shoplift because of some mental problems. They are kleptomaniacs and they ‘enjoy’ the experience of stealing. These days the shop owners tag all objects in their shops so that if someone were to leave the shop without paying, the tag on the object ticks off an alarm at the exit. But despite this, there are such adept shoplifters who manage to elude all the security procedures. The point I am making is that no matter how clever you are in deceiving others, the one you can never ever cheat is God.
Guru Nanak Dev, in one of his odes, says, “O’ Lord, I am soiled and it is you who makes me pure. I am the sinner and you are ever absolving. I err and you forgive. I am ignorant and you are infinitely knowledgeable.”
It is worth noting that
someone of the calibre of Guru Nanak Dev had said this - the one who
lived a spotlessly pure life, not even a speck of blemish
anywhere.
He made this statement so as to motivate people to introspect and be
aware of the filth lying in their own minds.
But alas! People are usually concerned only about maintaining their public image, putting all effort in hiding their shortcomings and weaknesses from public scrutiny. So, no matter how bad we are inside, all our efforts are to hide this from other people; even if we steal or cheat, we want the society to regard us as a nobleman. A liar will not have any qualm about cheating others but will nevertheless want the world to regard him as the epitome of honesty!
One steals but doesn’t
want to be known as a thief; one lies but doesn’t want to be known
as a liar; one is arrogant but doesn’t want to be known as an
egotist. And eventually, one gets so used to deceiving others that
soon one starts deceiving one’s own self and completely deny the
existence of any
negativity in the mind. Thus, people actually
start believing that they are best behaved, noble, compassionate and
say, “We get up in the morning to do our meditation, we love our
Guru, we are such great devotees of God - see our virtues!”
Let’s suppose someone comes and says to you, “Wow, you have become so virtuous! I called you at 6 am but your wife said you were meditating. Wow, getting up early to meditate, really great!” Now if some more people come and say the same thing to you, your ego will swell up and you will reply, “Did you come to know of this only today? Well, I have been doing so for the last 3 years now.”
In this way, without even becoming aware, you start to repeat statements which further strengthen your ego; you start patting your own back, praising your own self. Guru Nanak Dev shatters this self-deception by saying, “Lord, I am soiled, cleanse me.” Try to remember how many times have you felt envious of others’ success and progress? The neighbour buys a new car and on his face you may make pretence of congratulating him but your insides are being eaten away by envy. And when you hear that his new car has broken down, can you deny the secret upsurge of pleasure in your mind?
It is only the compassionate Lord, your truest friend who eradicates all the mental negativities, all the impurities with his loving grace. Guru Nanak Dev says, “Lord! You take care of my weaknesses, you cleanse my impurities. I am ignorant but you are all-knowing, hence, I feel assured that as long as you are watching, nothing bad can happen to me. And even if I want to ruin my life, it won’t happen, as ‘You’ would take care of it.”
Guru Gobind Singh says,
the Lord is the supreme guardian of all
hapless beings who have
surrendered to Him. However, for this to happen, annihilation of the
ego and complete surrender is a must. And it won’t work if on one
hand, you say that you will take care of yourself and on the other
hand you also expect the Lord to keep a watchful eye on you. So, you
either take the burden on your own shoulders, or you completely
surrender to His will, but you have to take one stand. The Lord
protects and takes care of all those who have surrendered to Him
completely, who are egoless.
And this is not easy for the mind that is so used to forming relationships based on fulfilment of desires – this grace will not happen until and unless you completely give up the desire of getting anything in return of your prayers. If you are forming a relationship with God so that you get something in return, then this is bound to fail.
Who has given prana (cosmic life force, vital force) to your body? Bear in mind, it is not your parents. For if this was true, then prana would never leave your body – after all, which parent would want his child to die? This pranic energy has been given to you by none other than your beloved Madhav. It is the Lord who has created your body and perfused it with the cosmic life force, the prana.
The heart should be
filled with utmost gratitude to the Lord for giving us this precious
life, for He is the source of the very breath that we take
in.
Although you have received your body through your parents, the
life force in you is a gift of the Lord alone.
‘O’ Lord, it is your
grace that I have received this precious life. O’ merciful one, you
are constantly looking after my wellbeing but alas! I don’t
understand it.’ People think that they are running their lives. But
the truth is that all
happens according to the Lord’s will.
Everything is happening as per the divine will, but people find it so
very difficult to surrender themselves to the divine will.
‘O’ Lord, you are
always merciful.’ The sun can only give out light and it does so
unceasingly. Likewise, the divine is unceasingly showering us with
His love, benevolence and mercy. Any adversity in your life is a
result of your own doing either in the present or the result of
previous karma (action). On the other hand, all the abundance in your
life is a reflection of the Lord’s
benevolence.
People waste their lives
by polluting their minds, filling it with all kinds of filth. Even
while attending a meditation camp, they keep falling prey
to
negativities like envy – comparing their experiences with
those of others. They are so used to living their lives in envious
comparison to others that they are unable to keep away from this
loathsome habit even in the serene ambience of a meditation camp.
‘How could the other person sit still longer than I?’ ‘How come
I never experienced the laughter and crying that others could?’ so
on and so forth!
If only people started
focussing on themselves, how much easier and
happier their lives
would be! Each individual has his own pace of growth and evolution,
so where is the question of any comparison? But alas! This habit of
comparison is so deeply rooted in the mind, perpetual pointless
comparisons - be it wealth, looks or status – people compare
anything and everything.
Amusingly, some advertisements use this human tendency to compare as the basis of their marketing strategy: ‘How can her clothes be whiter than mine’– is the punch line of an advert for a washing powder! Comparison and the resultant envy is indeed a very deeply entrenched malady of the human mind. And the consequence of comparison is that either it leads to superiority or inferiority complex, both of which are unhealthy.
One should never compare
but people do. And even when people come to shivirs (meditation
retreats), they bring their envy along. If you only learnt to focus
on yourself, to be watchful of your own life, you will be so
much
happier, because comparison will only reveal the object of
comparison to be either bigger or smaller.
Everything is relative.
Hence, any object is either going to be bigger or smaller than the
other objects. Once emperor Akbar drew a line and asked his ministers
to shorten the line without touching it. As usual only Birbal (one of
his grand ministers) could solve this puzzle. Next to the line drawn
by the
emperor, he drew another line but longer, this
automatically made the first line shorter!
And isn’t this what people do – either boast and gloat in comparison to someone less endowed or feel inadequate in front of someone better off than them?
Why compare and look up to others? Look up to no one but the Lord, as it is only He who can make you blissful, no one else. Guru Nanak Dev says, “O’ ever merciful Lord, O’ bestower of joy, bless me so that I look up only to you and remain forever at your feet.” The cord of love with the Lord needs to be from the bottom of your heart, and not by mere words.
My eyes are saying,
I wish to be by your feet,
I will endure the pangs of love but never gasp.
Pain of separation from you is so very deep, that I can’t stay apart,
Day and night, this pain stays in my heart.
I will endure all pain but still want to be with you,
In every breath, I remember only you.
Every moment, I yearn for your grace,
Your love is my jewel, the most cherished treasure,
I am living because I have your love, the utmost pleasure.
Every second, Thy name resounds in my heart,
I will endure all pain but still be with you, O my sweetheart!
I wish to drink the wine of your love,
I am thirsty for your love, your blessings,
I will endure all pain but still be with you.
Guru Nanak Dev says, “O’
Lord! My eyes are saying that may I forever stay at your hallowed
feet. Not my tongue, not mere words, but my eyes are reflecting my
heart that forever wants to be at your feet.” This is not
mere
formality, but such deep sentiments, such deep devotion, are
an appeal straight from the heart, no less. It is not easy to form
this bond of love with the Lord, but Nanak continues, “O’ Lord,
you regard everyone with the same love, with no discrimination
whatsoever.”
Such should be the surrender to Him that there is no individual will left even to live. The selfless bond of love with the Lord should be so deep that there should be no place left for your individual will.
Sometimes when someone is very upset, in a moment of despair, he may say that he would rather die but otherwise everyone wants to live. Ordinarily everyone wants to hold on to dear life. Even hapless, sick, impoverished people living in dire conditions on the streets, don’t give up the desire to live. For, people live in hope - hope of a better tomorrow, hope of a better future. But how many ever contemplate on the purpose of their life, the justification for their individual existence? What is the purpose of this human life - is it only for gratifying the senses, making money, running this never ending rat race, in the hope of an elusive better future? There will be diverse answers to this question, depending upon each person’s individual perception. However, for a devotee, there is only one answer – to search the Lord within, as he considers this to be the will of the Lord.
Guru Nanak Dev says, “I don’t know about others but my life is for my Lord, to seek Him. I pray that may I be blessed with the company of sages, whose guidance will make this life worthwhile and take me to my destination, which is none other than my beloved Lord.” Bear in mind, Nanak says that without a sage’s guidance the journey will remain incomplete, so he pleads to God for the company of sages.
Life is not meant to be
lived in unhappiness and make others unhappy. Hence a devotee prays
that may the Lord bless him with the company of sages who will guide
him on this path to the divine, so that he can complete his
journey
and make his life worthwhile.
Life cannot be only about eating, sleeping and procreating. And neither is life only about listening to discourses on the divine – mere listening will lead to nothing. And there is no dearth of TV channels telecasting so-called spiritual discourses throughout the day. But what good will mere listening do? How will this benefit you? Your welfare is in getting acquainted with your own mind, because only by knowing your mind will you be able to emerge from all mental impurities and negativities.
If you really want to evolve, then you need to know the functioning of your mind and come out of all its negativities and weaknesses. You need to get acquainted with your own mind. Yes, the Lord can purify you but only when you accept the presence of the impurities in you.
So, introspect and
accept whatever mental impurities you come across. Observing mauna
(silence, quietude) is an important aid to becoming aware of the
mind. However, do note that silence does not mean talking in hushed
voices or whispering! Eat and sleep in moderation; excessive sleeping
and
eating is also a kind of addiction. Moreover, overeating leads
to lethargy.
Don’t waste your time
in frivolous chit-chatting. Use the time to introspect, and see what
all is lurking in your own mind. Observe all the negativities you
encounter, whatsoever, be it anger, lust, greed or any negativity.
And if while introspecting, you recollect any previous incidents of
your life where you have erred or you come across any negative
emotion or behaviour, then please don’t condemn yourself. Just
acknowledge its presence. If you don’t accept the
presence of
negativities in your mind, how can you eradicate them? This
acceptance without condemnation is the beginning.
Surrender to the almighty, your truest friend and pray from the depth of your heart; pray without having any expectations whatsoever and realise the purpose of this life.
2.
The ‘enlightened one’ means the one who has awakened. The word ‘Buddha’ generally springs up the image of Gautama Siddhartha. In essence, however, ‘Buddha’ refers to the enlightened one. This earth has been graced by several enlightened beings like Gautama Siddhartha, Mahavir, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Ravidas, to name a few.
Nevertheless, the word
‘Buddha’ is so deeply entrenched in people’s mind that most
equate it with Gautama Siddhartha. Hence, I use the word
‘Sambuddha’,
which refers to all enlightened ones. There are those who are
enlightened, and there are others who have the latent potential to
get
enlightened. See, there are so many souls waiting to be born
into this world, we can say that they are in a waiting list - waiting
for a womb. They are yet to be born.
Likewise, there are those who are already enlightened and then there are others who are not enlightened as yet but will be in the future. Who are they? None other than you all. You are ignorant as of now but you definitely have the potential to be awakened.
Simplistically speaking,
there are two types of people in this world – the vast majority are
ignorant and then there are few enlightened ones. Ignorance refers to
lack of awareness, one who is still in the bondage of samsara (the
cycle of birth, suffering, death and re-birth). Whereas the
enlightened one has
experiential knowledge of the eternal truth,
is supremely aware, lives in a state of heightened consciousness and
is liberated from all bondages whatsoever.
All seeds have the
potential of becoming a tree. A seed sowed in a fertile soil will
eventually transform into a tree which in due course of time
will
produce flowers and fruits. Similarly, all ignorant people
have the latent
potential to become enlightened. Now this is very
heartening and motivating as there is hope for all mankind to reach
the very pinnacle of being, to be
liberated of all bondage, to
emerge out of the age-old ignorance.
So, you too have the
potential to awaken to become a Buddha, the
possibility is very
much there. This is indeed a very inspiring and motivating statement.
I say to all the devotees – why be content with just being the
devotee of Sri Krishna; when you can, in fact, yourself become a
Krishna; why be
content with just being the devotee of Shiva when
you can actually
become Shiva?
However, it is also true
that simply having this potential within us is not enough – immense
resolve and a lot of self effort are crucial. People find this very
difficult as they are so used to living their lives being dependant
on
others – be it other people, money or objects - always
seeking external support. These impart a sense of security, albeit
false!
You are the ocean, you are the shore,
Thence why do you seek support, why seek succour?
Sometimes with the body, at other times with the mind,
That has bound you, made you confined.
You are entangled, in your own mind,
You have won from all, but got defeated by your own mind.
Delve deep within yourself and accept whatever that lurks,
Be it poison or nectar, seek the depth in yourself.
You are Shiva and beloved child of Shiva too,
Seek nothing outside of you.
Forget what is sin and virtue,
Stress not on fruits of your karma,
Just do your karma and throw away the worries,
You are but His shadow, His reflection,
Your heart beats to His tune.
You are the ocean, you are the shore,
Thence why do you seek support, why seek succour?
People find it difficult
to carry their own responsibility. Hence, they
perpetually look
for support – be it the mother, father, siblings, spouse,
children.
In effect, one never really learns to stand on one’s own feet,
constantly seeking physical, monetary, emotional support from others.
And one carries the same
dependency even on the spiritual path by
seeking to offload the
responsibility of one’s own spiritual progress on to the master,
the Guru - the master will take care of everything or God will take
care of everything. You are committing the same mistake here too, and
that is being dependant on someone else.
This dependency can
yield no good, the one with such clinging can never be happy. What
happens when the person you were being dependent upon, is no longer
there for you? This dependency becomes like a crutch and you
become
so used to walking with its aid that if it is taken away, you simply
won’t walk on your own.
There is a sense of helplessness and destitution if there is a loss of these self-created crutches. It is worth noting that even animals and birds are free of this constraint of dependency. A bird will watch over the eggs only until they hatch and the young ones are ready to fly – that’s about it! Unlike humans, self reliance comes early to animals and birds.
In fact once the young ones leave, it is hard to say which offspring belongs to which bird. Animals are the same. Whether it is the buffalo, cow, goat, camel, horse, how long do they look after their brood? Yes, they do look after their offspring, but only for some time and soon you will see the cow peacefully grazing the grass. Have you ever seen a cow pulling her hair in anxiety over the wellbeing of her calf?!
On the contrary look at the human child. Even if he grows up to be 80 years old, he is still looking up to his 100 year old father, asking him whether he can go out or not! He still cannot take his own decisions. Can you?
Agreed that man being a
social creature, he cannot break the societal
relations. However,
one has to draw a line somewhere – after all, there is a big
difference between living in harmony and dependency. Being with your
family members, looking after their needs, spending time with them
etc is symbiotic. However, if one thinks that he or she cannot live
without them – that is
dependency.
People often ask when will they progress on the spiritual path but no one wants to know how to untie the bondages they have created for themselves. A pigeon tied down to a stick cannot fly, no matter how hard it tries. Likewise, how can one soar on the spiritual path without first cutting the shackles of this bondage that one has created for oneself?
I will narrate a story to elucidate this further: A man was travelling in a desert with his four camels. When night befell, he stopped to take rest and started tying the camels to a wooden peg. He soon realised that he had only three ropes and hence couldn’t tie the fourth camel. He was distressed as he didn’t want the camel to wander off in the night. He approached an elderly gentleman and asked for his help.
The wise old man advised
him, “You know that there is no rope but the camel doesn’t know
that. Simply brush your hands across the camel’s leg
pretending
that you are tying a rope, as you would normally do and say aloud to
the camel that the rope has been tied until morning.” The man did
as he was advised. Lo and behold, in the morning, the man found the
camel in the same position as he had left him.
Interestingly, however, when he pulled the rein to get him to move, the camel refused to budge! The wise old man came to his rescue again – he asked him to pretend untying the rope from the camel’s leg, the rope that did not exist. As soon as he did this: Voila! The camel started to move.
Isn’t this the story of your life too? You ask when you will make any progress, any advancement on the spiritual path but you don’t do anything about the bondage that is tying you down, preventing you from soaring and moreover this bondage has been created by none other than you yourself.
How can you walk on the spiritual path when you have tied yourself down with the illusory ropes of bondage? Let me tell you about the ropes that you have tied yourself with. The first rope is pramaad, which means lethargy, inertia, drowsiness.
Buddha’s precept states:
Yo cha pamijitwa so na bhajti soham lokam
Na bhajti soham lokam, bhawa seti va mutto va chandrama
This means that the one who doesn’t repeat his pramaad, after doing it once, he shines like the moon on a clear night sky that illuminates the entire earth.
Pramaad is a state where one is neither fully awakened nor unconscious, a kind of drowsiness. Most of you would be familiar with the drowsiness that occurs after taking some cough medicine - you are neither asleep nor fully alert.
Most people are born and
die in this state of pramaad, never experiencing a state of full
awareness. This is the reason that although people know that they
should keep away from negativities like anger, lust, greed, envy but
they continue to go through these anyways, having no control. Someone
gets angry and then realises ‘Oh! I shouldn’t have been in
anger.’ Someone acts out in lust and then regrets it later. And it
is this very rope that prevents people from
actually performing
spiritual practices even if they think they want to do so, as the
mind comes up with a hundred excuses!
You want to get up early in the morning to sit for meditation but the mind comes with so many excuses for not getting up – ‘I slept late at night, so I can’t get up early’, or ‘my back is hurting due to all the work I had to do, so I can’t sit down.’
The truth is that you can put your mind to whatever you really want to do. But the question is do you have the earnestness and fervour that someone like Bulleshah had? He could hear music even in the sound made by the weavers weaving woollen clothing. That sound was enough for his mind to get stilled and move inwards. The movement of the spinning wheel reminded him of the Lord who has made this entire universe and thence he would easily get engrossed in his contemplation on the divine.
Likewise, a talented musician can find music in pretty much anything – a glass, a spoon, any utensil. And the music thus produced is so melodious that it becomes hard to believe that someone can produce such music from a glass, a spoon!
The one who wants to be in remembrance of the Lord, who wants to be connected to the Lord, for him even the sight, even the sound of the spinning wheel in motion is enough to take him effortlessly to remembrance of the Lord. And on the contrary, if the mind is stuck in the world then no matter how many rosary beads you turn, the mind will not turn to the remembrance of the Lord. Then despite sitting in meditation, the mind will still be stuck, embroiled in the world!
Why do people keep on
repeating the same mistakes? And often the
person feels repentant
as to why he erred again but yet the mistakes keep
getting
repeated, again and again. He doesn’t understand that the
reason
behind this is the presence of pramaad and he doesn’t
know how to eradicate this pramaad.
All the mistakes are occurring due to the presence of pramaad, but instead of eradicating the pramaad, you just keep on rectifying your mistakes. So you make a resolve ‘from now on I am not going to lie, I will not hurt anyone’, but as long as pramaad is there in you, no matter how many promises you make, they will all be broken.
You are ignorant but the potential of enlightenment is there in you. So why are you not able to actuate this potential? Because, you are unable to emerge out of this pramaad. And furthermore, you are unable to eradicate the pramaad, because there is a very long list of mistakes, of impurities, of sins within you. All the sins that you have committed in the past, all the vices, all the inappropriate actions, all your mistakes - your pramaad is a consequence of all that.
Buddha’s precept says,
‘The one who having been in pramaad, doesn’t
repeat the same
and manages to eradicate the pramaad forever, his life becomes like a
brilliantly shining moon in a clear sky with no clouds. And moreover,
the clouds, no matter how dark, cannot darken the moon.’
The clouds are at a much
lower plane than the moon. So even when the moon cannot be seen due
to passing clouds, it doesn’t make any difference to the moon.
Likewise, no matter how many clouds of sinful actions or thoughts
exist in your mind, the lustre of the ‘Buddha-hood’ within you
remains
untouched and pristine, always, no matter what.
However, the one who is still in pramaad commits the same mistakes again and again in that state of being; a state which is neither alert, nor asleep. And no matter how much one tries to refrain from repeating the mistakes, this will be a futile act. Moreover, instead of finding a solution, what we do is justify the mistakes saying: ‘It was due to the difficult circumstances’ or ‘it was my partner’s fault.’
The general tendency is to blame others for all that is going wrong in one’s life. A man bought a new house with a beautiful garden. However, he was soon distressed on finding out that every night someone was destroying all the plants. He kept cursing the perpetrator for the ruin. But it was only when his wife kept a night vigil that she found out that the culprit was none other than the man himself – he was suffering from somnambulism and used to destroy the plants in the state of sleep walking.
You blame others for all
ills in your life. You blame others for ruining the garden of your
life. But see carefully, is it others or is it you yourself who
is
destroying your own life? So, what do you have to do? Take the
responsibility for your own well being.
It is your pramaad, so it goes without saying that you have to make the efforts to eradicate it. A Guru can only guide, but the onus is on you to make take the appropriate effort to get rid of this pramaad and stop hurting your own self and others. This has to be eliminated right at the root level, or else it will keep sprouting up every now and then; making you and others around you unhappy.
Lamentably, people
rather want to see others unhappy than themselves happy. A true
seeker is the one who is happy on seeing others happy and who also
feels the pain of someone who is suffering. But most people
behave
otherwise – they get further agitated when they see
others happy and but gloat in others’ misery.
A story goes that once a man got blessed by a celestial being who granted him three wishes. The condition however was that whatever the man would receive, his neighbours would receive the double. The man consulted his shrewd wife and as per her advice he asked for a ten storied house. No sooner had he stated his wish, he got a ten storied house and his neighbours got 20 storied houses.
For his second wish, he asked for a well in front of his house. That wish too was fulfilled, with his neighbours getting two wells. For the final wish, the man made a strange request – that he be made blind in one eye. Needless to say his intention was to see his neighbours go blind in both their eyes and fall in the wells, and he would gleefully enjoy their mishaps.
As long as the roots of
pramaad are firmly entrenched in your mind,
mistakes, misdeeds and
wrong doings will be an inevitable part of your life. This has to be
uprooted completely so that it never sprouts up again. As long as you
don’t uproot the tree right at its roots, it will keep on
sprouting.
The highest realisation
of the self won’t happen as long as you don’t
expunge pramaad
completely. It will keep on rearing its head in the form of depraved
thoughts, foolishness, sinful acts and wrongdoings.
You must have noticed that when the branches of a tree grow out too much, obstructing traffic, the municipal corporation people chop them off so as to shorten their length. However, as the tree and the roots are still alive, eventually the branches will grow again.
Likewise, when you
attend meditation camp and practice meditation, quite a few of the
manifest ills in the mind get chopped off. Nevertheless, as the root
of pramaad is still intact, once you return to your homes from
the
meditation camp, the negativities start reappearing.
And don’t be under any
delusion that the Guru can eradicate your
pramaad. Taking
responsibility for your own life is an important part of the process
of annihilating the pramaad. How can the Guru take responsibility for
your life?
Sometimes I get asked:
“You have so many disciples. It must be hard for you to get a
decent night’s sleep as you have to shoulder all
their
responsibility!” To this my response was, “I am a
different type of Guru, I don’t take the responsibility of people
but instead I teach them how to be responsible, how to look after
their own selves.”
It is this pramaad which prevents one from actuating the latent potential of achieving great spiritual heights and awareness. Only the one who realises and accepts the presence of this pramaad can make efforts to eradicate it. And the one who manages to eradicate it, Buddha says, his life transforms and gets filled with radiance – like the full moon in a clear night sky.
The first step is to accept that no other individual can take responsibility for your life – you have to take the reins of your life in your own hands, be completely self reliant. Meditation does not mean that you sit for an hour in the morning and then be unaware for the rest 23 hours.
The step towards eradicating pramaad is to be awake and alert for all 24 hours in a day. All day to day activities need to be performed with complete awareness – alert discernment prior to any action, be it verbal or physical. Do everything with awareness. Think before you act. If you think after acting, that becomes pramaad. Learn to rely on this power of discrimination within rather than seeking this constant guidance from other people, the Guru or God.
The divine reflects
within you, is mirrored within you. So learn to look within. The mind
needs to be churned. But remember, when it will be churned, it will
first throw out poisonous negativities. And when you become aware of
the existence of these negativities, it is the first step towards
acquiring the
nectar.
There is a mythological
story wherein it is said that once an ocean was churned
(samudra-manthan) by the Gods and demons with the intention to find
the nectar of immortality. However, the first produce was of a
deadly
poison. Obviously no one wanted to touch that, but somebody
had to drink it so that eventually nectar could be churned out.
Ultimately Lord Shiva agreed to drink this, retaining it at the level
of the throat (giving it a blue hue). Hence, he is also referred to
as neelkantha.
The story is a metaphor – the nectar and poison are present in the human mind. Nectar refers to the sublime attributes whereas the poison represents all the negative afflictions of the mind. One needs to churn the mind – at first all negativities will become apparent. And that is the first step towards getting rid of them.
Only when you are aware of the filth and rubbish around you, you can make efforts to sweep it off. It is another matter that people can’t see the dirt present right under their nose!
I remember an incident from my childhood. I used to accompany my mother to a sage’s house. There used to be a lady there who looked after the cleanliness in that place. I asked her how I could help. She asked me to sweep the floor and hence I picked up the broom (which happened to be taller than I was at that time!) and started to sweep the floor with sincerity and love. As I would move ahead, the lady would remind me, ‘there is some mud behind you.’ As soon as I had cleaned that she would say, ‘there is some dirt to your right…to your left…’ I got fed up but did not say anything.
Eventually the lady came up to me and said, “Come I will show you how to sweep floor.” Once that was done, she asked me to wipe the floor with a damp cloth and the same thing happened again, eventually she showed me how to do it. In all that process, she knew that I was getting irked but she also knew that despite getting irritated if I learnt the skill from her, I would perfect it just as she had perfected the skills. At that time I was too young to notice the dirt but now I can. Here I am referring to the inner, mental impurities.
I still come across so many people who keep on hankering for some sewa but when given the task, they cannot do it properly. Once when I was touring the U.S, I stayed with a couple for the duration of the talks. The first night when I sat down for dinner, my hostess asked me what I would like to eat. I said that it would be nice to eat Okra, as in that season one would get them plenty in India.
No sooner had I said
this, the lady promptly served the said vegetable. She continued
asking me for my choice and kept on serving all that I said, like a
magician producing it from his hat! I couldn’t understand how she
was
managing to do this.
Later I found out that
she had prepared so many different food items
several weeks ago
and had stored them in a freezer! Such stale food - how can anyone
derive any nutrition from such archaic food? Moreover, the kitchen
wasn’t clean with the kitchen top greasy and unkempt enough to put
someone off eating completely.
I am using this anecdote
to impress upon you that people can’t recognise the filth, the
garbage present in their own mind. How can you think of
eradicating
something when you are not even aware of its presence? The sign of a
disciple, of a seeker is the one who is making efforts to know the
impurities buried in the mind. Unless and until you don’t
introspect, you will never know what all impurities are lurking in
your mind. And it is only when these
impurities are eradicated
that the underlying sublime attributes will emerge. And only then you
will be able to tap the tower of strength within.
3.
NIGHT LIT BY
The sage lives alone in the dense wilderness, surrounded by
lush trees and chirping birds, his entire being is filled with bliss,
not in any bondage, free, forever free.
Swami Ramteertha
A yogi (practitioner of yoga) is someone who is completely self-reliant and has reached the pinnacle of spiritual evolution through unshakeable resolve and perseverance. It is these attributes that make someone a yogi.
Swami Ramteertha in his ode has described the yogi living in the forest. He illustrates the yogi, who is living alone in the wilderness, in picturesque surroundings. His body has become nothing but an abode of the almighty, whose individual self has merged with the cosmic universal self.
And the truth is, even if such a yogi moved to live in a concrete jungle i.e. the hustling bustling city, there would not be a slightest reduction in his state of bliss. It is a common misperception amongst people that to be a yogi one needs to exile oneself to the forest, to the mountains far away from civilisation.
I remember when Guru
Nanak Dev was travelling though the Himalayas, the yogis living there
saw him and were curious to know how an ordinary
person had
climbed the heights of the Himalayas. On enquiring, Guru Nanak Dev’s
disciple replied, “My name is Mardana and this is my friend Bala.
And the one standing over there, with a beautiful, serene face is our
beloved Guru, Guru Nanak.” To all the questions those people asked,
like “Which God you worship, which mantra you recite, which
religion you follow?” Mardana had but one answer, “The ever
merciful almighty Lord.”
Guru Nanak Dev told
them, “If you have completed your sadhana
(spiritual discipline,
spiritual self-training), attained the spiritual heights,
then you
don’t need to live in isolation anymore. This is because the true
test of whether you have attained all there is to attain cannot be
done here – you can only be tested when you return to the worldly
life.”
When one is living alone high up in any mountain, far away from home, no markets, no attractions, where there is no one to entice, to provoke, to bind – how will you know if you have successfully managed to kill all the demons in the mind and eradicated all impurities?
It is true that the quietude in the mountains, the lack of any distractions and disturbances, the cool and pleasant atmosphere in these secluded areas, the oxygen rich air, no pollution – all these factors do aid in quietening the mind.
Although it is another
matter that normally when people visit these
beautiful mountains
as part of tourism’ not many go there to enjoy the natural beauty,
the quietude. In general people go there for their usual definition
of enjoyment – eat, drink and be merry. Hence, they are unable to
make the most of the captivating scenery.
Once I asked a young adult why he always went to Shimla for a holiday, what did he do there? He replied, “Well, I and my friends check-in to a hotel, then get all spruced up ready to roam in the town centre. There we have fun playing games, visiting bars, wolf-whistling at girls.” I said if that is what you like doing, why go all the way to Shimla? Any bustling market square in Delhi will provide all that fun including being jostled around by the crowd!