Pity the ones addicted to intellectuality, for they are unaware of the prison they live in!

Whether you call Life - a Dream or a Reality, you are still trapped in it!

 

If you have noticed...

A Philosopher always talks about LIFE.

A Meta-physicist always talks about MIND.

A Scientist always talks about TRUTH.

And a Spiritualist always talks about ENLIGHTENMENT.

In Reality, these are just the proverbial "carrots hanging in front of us"  so as to indulge our minds in the constant activity of racing. Mere Concepts to elude the mind from Resting.

A mind that is at Rest is at Peace!

"When we're deluded there's a world to escape. When we're aware, there's nothing to escape."
- Bodhidharma

This being the last week of December, one gets to see lot of promotions around. Resorts and Event Managers are inviting people to come out of their homes and celebrate the New Year in a grand style. They package their events with everything the Mind craves for - Music, Songs, Celebrities, perverted Stand-up Comedy, so on. On the other side, there are Television channels with equally exciting offering. They too have shows that promise total entertainment and fun-filled celebration of the New Year.

To the imprudent Mind, there is nothing wrong in this. It's an event to celebrate and so the Mind wants participate in it. However, the question arises why is Entertainment so much stressed upon in the name of Celebration?

For a very simple reason - Mind needs this dose of Entertainments to stay away from Reality.

Mind's inclination is not merely towards Celebration. It is ready to indulge in any activity that guarantees Pleasure. Mind can go to any extent for the sake of Pleasure. It is even ready to bear Pain temporarily. The fast observed as a part of the ritual, the torturing  one's body in the name of Rites are merely an attempt of swallowing Pain for the sake of promised Pleasure.

The Hindu scripture speaks about "Maya" as an illusion that blinds the human Mind. This is only partly true. While the Maya has the ability to create a parallel illusory Reality, it doesn't invite the Mind to be a prey to its tricks. 

The Mind by it's own desire turns away from Reality, and towards Maya. The Mind is never ignorant to Reality nor is it ignorant about being spell-bound by Maya. Reality is the state of Mind and Maya is the creation of the Mind. The Mind has the ability to switch towards either of them in a fraction of second. Yet the Mind never switches to Reality intentionally. The reason being the discomfort that is caused when exposed to Reality. The discomfort being merely absence of Pleasure.

The basic nature of Mind is to seek Pleasure and refrain from Pain. Every other attribute of the Mind is influenced by this trait. While Reality causes discomfort, Maya provides comfort. Therefore, the obvious choice for the Mind is to remain immersed in the Maya ...willingly.

The difference between Reality and Maya is that Reality is the everpresent existence while Maya is the impermanent creation. As soon as Maya evaporates, Reality surfaces out. To keep the Reality buried, Mind has to constantly recreate Maya. It therefore, consciously indulges in Maya so as to refrain facing the Reality.

This very tendency of the Mind is Escapism.

Any thing that Mind craves for is a source of Pleasure. Be it Success,  Fame, Wealth or for that matter, even Nirvana. Yet, Pleasure is not restricted to these major pursuits. Even in every day life we plan for annual gatherings, monthly trips, weekly outings, weekend parties and if all else fails to materialize then we simply resort to watching television in the name of  entertainment. All these are mere different shades of Pleasure. The Mind will not stop at one, it will continue pursuing something or other. For being involved in the pursuit is yet another tactic of the Mind to elude the Reality.

Mind despises Reality so much that it justifies being lost in Maya. It pushes itself further deeper in the Maya. So there is a constant urge to pursue something or other. That is why pursuit of anything is glorified. Ambition is given high regards. The Mind has cleverly devised that all these pursuits as the "Purpose of Life". And everything it does to fulfill this Purpose, is justified.

The term "Purpose" literally means an anticipated outcome, which in another word can be referred as desired outcome. For if it is not desired, why would the Mind anticipate. The Mind does so for the outcome that is expected is what the Mind seeks. To the Mind, Purpose and Pleasure are synonymous. The Purpose of all of Mind's endeavor is Pleasure in one form or the other. Just another game, the Mind plays with itself in an attempt to escape the Reality.

Mind devoid of Purpose is devoid of Plans.  Mind devoid of plans is devoid of Activities. And Mind  devoid of Activities is left with nothing but Reality!

Dare face it?!

 

Johny's first day in the prison was predictably "like hell". Like every newcomer he did his best to resist the confinement. He fought a dual battle. On outside, with the "Prison System" that has judged him guilty and worthy of imprisonment. And on inside, he was struggling with himself, trying to make sense of the unexpected new turn of events. He couldn't accept the ill-fated events that were taking place in his life.  Still wondering over why and how it happened. He couldn't even bear the thought of wondering what his future had in store for him. It was that scary for him. His days went by in the darkness of his sorrow.

It took him over a month to come to terms with the reality of the four walls surrounding him. The prison still bothered him but not like before. Gradually he started coming out of his mournful reclusiveness. One day he moved out of his cell and wandered around aimlessly. A day's stroll outside the cell, had provided him with lot of information. He came to know about "The God".

Albert aka "The God" was the senior most prisoner. He earned his title by serving wishes. He could grant any wish except for getting out of the prison. His only desire was to be referred as "The God", which the fellow disciples willing agreed to. In return he got them everything they could think of. From books to cellphones, from cigarettes to babes, he could arrange everything. Whether or not he was not a part of the system, no one knew. No one even bothered. He was there right from the beginning and would probably remain till the end. No one cared. All it mattered, was you ask him and he would grant it.

Johny decided to pay a visit to "The God". Next day, he approached "The God" in his domain.  "The God" sat beneath a Banyan tree, situated in the center of the prison park, giving his regular discourses. That day's subject was - "The Path Of Life", inside the prison of course. He spotted Johny approaching from a distance. His sources had already briefed him about Johny and his unusually long phase of mourning. Johny didn't join the disciples who sat on the ground facing "The God", lost in admiration. He just stood behind the crowd keenly studying "The God".

When the daily discourse was over, the crowd dispersed returning to their other chores. Johny stood where he was, still watching "The God". "The God" realized his hesitation and moved towards him with a smirk on his face that gave an impression that he knew everything - the past, the present and the future. If Johny was intimidated, he managed to hide it.

"So what brings you here?"
"Guess you already know that. After all, you are...", Johny replied sarcastically.
"The God!" Albert completed the sentence for him.
"I like being called that way.", confessed Albert.
"I can understand. Self-Gratification!"
"Not exactly!", corrected Albert without taking any offence.
"I do it for a reason.", Albert explained.
"And the reason is...", Johny probed still not willing to buy the story.
"People who are thrown in here easily loose faith in God. They feel the worse has happened to them and God was being unfair to them by making them go through such a phase. I could have asked them to chant - Albert the great, but I didn't want to. I wanted them to remember God. If through me, so be it. Today most of them don't even know what my name is. They just know - the God."

For the first time, Johny let his shoulder fall. His crossed arms opened up, exposing his heart to the stranger. He had maintained a posture of confidence and command in front of Albert. But suddenly, he felt relaxed. Even his tone softened.

"Do you know why I came here?", Johny questioned, now being influenced by the aura of "The God". 
"I am supposed to.", Albert answered with a smile.
"Let's take a walk."

Johny obliged willingly and the two began to stroll along the park.
Aware of Johny's inner turmoil, Albert chose to give his rare discourse - "The Prison".  

What follows is the excerpt from Albert's discourse...

The first day in the prison is always awful. You mourn in pain. But, slowly you get used to the prison. Yet the prison has nothing to charm you. Deep within, you crave for freedom. Every step you take is towards freedom. You may appear relaxed at the outset but from within you continue to strive for freedom. Occasionally, you get digressed towards several tempting distractions.  These objects of desire hold your interest for a while, but in the end you return to your original craving - the freedom.

Most of them spend their life chasing these distractions. Few like you, stay away from the distractions and remain focused on your primary need - the freedom.

While you are better than them, you are not good either. You too are wasting your time. They are wasting on their desires and you are wasting it on your seeking. The seeking won't fetch you the freedom. Nothing you do can get you freedom. In fact, you rather not do anything to get freedom. For freedom is inevitable. Your time here is finite and freedom is infinite. If you just continue to go your way, eventually, you will cross path with freedom.

The more you struggle the more you mess it up for yourself. The more you revolt, the more you violate the system. And the system is almighty! It has the power to punish or pardon. If you break rules, it can extend your tenure. On the other hand, if you abide by the rules, then the system may take heed of your desire and even grant you a probation. But without the will of the system, you can't get out and that is the ultimate truth.

The Prison is Life!!!

Albert paused, waiting for Johny to surface out of his trans. Johny was immersed in Albert's wisdom that flooded his conscience.

"So what do you plan to do?", Albert asked, fully aware of Johny's answer.
"Guess, I will do what you are doing...."
"And that is...", probed Albert, wanting to ensure that Johny has got the message.

"Just serve my time till its time to leave!"

There's a man in the mirror
But he doesn't seems like me
I stand chained before him
While he appears to be free

My tears doesn't flow through his eyes
And His smile doesn't reflect on me
He is filled with joy and pride
While I suffer guilt and agony 

I killed my heart at every turn
But He seemed to be ruled by heart
Stressed I'm at the end of my journey
But he's excited like he's about to start

I envied him and he pitied me
Then I asked why such a difference
He looked at me and smiled
Then gently revealed the suspense 

Life's the same for everyone
But we act as we please
I stood firm on my grounds
Where you fell on your knees

It is amazing how good we all are in weaving stories. It's a trait almost everyone has. We never miss an opportunity to weave a story. I guess it is passed on from generation to generation. It starts when we are just born. We are just out of our first sleep after the painful process of birth. And we wake up and see our relatives around us. And one of them begins -
"Hey look he recognizes me. I think he likes me. Look how he is smiling at me."

Even as we grow up, parents pass on this trait. Whether it's a castle in the sand or baby doll we are taught to cook stories around it and we carry on the trait further. That's how it begins and it has no ends. We continue telling stories till we ourselves go to sleep... forever.

There are many instances to prove that we have this trait. Look at people around you. They all seem to be narrating a story all the time. The best examples are the pet owners. You should hear their stories. They will actually give a personality to their pets. The owners take great pride in telling stories about how human their pets are, how thoughtful, how intelligent, how sensitive, how emotional and so on... the stories never end.

We are so used to telling stories that we have even woven stories around inanimate objects like stones and carved an idol of worship out of it.

We don't stop at pets and lifeless objects. We take it a step further. We try our skills on fellow humans. Yes! We weave stories for each other. We actually should never have a need to talk to each other. Because all the time we keep weaving stories around the other person - about the intention, about the hidden agenda, about anything that the other is not intending to share with we for whatever reason. But we being so skillful, we weave a story as to what could be behind the scene. We are so interested in our stories that often times we are more concerned about the behind the scene than see things as it is on the screen. We can't accept that because our stories contradict it.

Our entire life is governed by the stories we weave for ourselves and others. So important it is that it decides who will stay with us and who will part.

And it is this importance that we give to our stories is what makes me wonder at times -
What if our stories are just Stories and there's no Reality in it? Would it had made a difference to our life?

A friend of mine recently spoke about a book called ‘Bringers of the Dawn’ and explained about the existence of Pladiens around us. While I heard the concept of Pladiens I couldn’t help but compare it with the concept of God. To my understanding, there was not much difference; rather there was no difference at all.


It was then I felt, that science has finally arrived at the same level as that of Religion. Religion had since ages carved out the concept of God for the same purpose that which Science is today advocating. While Religion guides people of Faith, Science influences people of Reasoning.


Although, indifferent towards each other and often contradicting, both have the same intention – to guide humans in the direction of a positive and healthy existence.


Religion tries to achieve this by asking you to keep your faith on GOD and believe in prayers. It says – Ask with faith, and you shall receive.


Science takes the rational approach to explain the same phenomenon. It says entire universe is governed by energy including Mind. So if the Mind can direct thought towards a particular goal, it can achieve it by the sheer power of its Will. There are various ideas woven around this concept such as positive thinking, self-hypnosis, auto-suggestion, affirmation etc. The crux of all these concepts is that – if you affirm something for yourself, you will achieve it.


No matter which notion you believe in. No matter what discipline you follow. In the end the bottom line of all is this – In your mind, lies the power of the universe.


It may sound similar to the concept of Free Will, but actually it is different in the sense that, like all concepts, it doesn’t address the possibility of exceptions.


Whether it is Science or Religion, it is an established fact that not all that you ask for will be granted. Which means some of your Affirmations and some of your Prayers won’t work. Of course, both Religion and Science have their explanations for this but then the fact is that there are exceptions to this concept.


Concepts are considered necessary and hence a lot of them are created every now and then with and intention of giving you more food for thoughts. Because the mind is prone to thinking and the thinking never stops. And this tendency of mind gives rise lot of questions about future, life and existence. And an unanswered questions causes stress and anxiety. The Fear of Uncertainty leads to the feeling of helplessness, which leads to further distress. To avoid this, positive concepts like Gods and Pladiens, Prayers and Affirmations are given to us. So we can relax believing that things will work in our favor.


This is where Spirituality differs from Science and Religion. While the later duo try to give you a positive concept to replace a negative concept of Fear; Spirituality on the other hand attempts to eliminate the root of all concepts – the Mind.


Which means the only way, Spirituality can be effective is by putting the Mind to rest and achieving a state of Mindlessness, which doesn’t mean being Unintelligent. Rather it means reacting out of Instinctive Impulse, which is the supreme Intelligence. And when that happens, Mind can dispense its Thoughts, which is the root-cause of human agony.


A Mind at rest can never conceive a Thought! In the absence of Thoughts, there is no scope for Concepts. And a Life without Concepts is what is called Attainment.

There’s a part of me in everyone I am not one, I am a legion Not a single soul seems a stranger Feels like I am looking in the mirror Not a single incident is a surprise Life’s no longer a puzzle to my eyes Like a story I have heard before I have known life till its core Knowing this world has made me a misfit I am no longer a part of it Amongst the struggling mortals I laze while life throttles Though I am still holding my breath Can’t say I haven’t seen death I have been in the cycle forever And it seems to end never It’s the same old life again Same series of joy and pain Life repeats like a pattern For each and everyone

Lot have been said about me

A little have been heard

A Lot have been believed

Too little have been ignored

Within the ocean of granted Image

I live like a shaded drop

Some placed me at the altar

Some hunted me ready to chop

I may smile, I may cry

But it is all in the flow

When the moment passes by

There's neither tear nor glow

Life led me in all directions  

And I have followed wholly

Too lost to worry about character

Too busy to shape the personality