Life is a Drama, Focus on the Real
Something in us constantly urges us to seek. This seeking, according to sages, is a reflection of our need for lasting peace and happiness. Ramana Maharshi termed this seeking as a natural yearning within our hearts to be established in a state of permanent peace. He likened this to the natural process whereby birds return to their nests after their travels. However, because of the latent impressions our minds carry over many years and through force of habit, we seek this peace by pursuing various external efforts. All these efforts prove transient and short as extroversion of the mind only propels a never-ending chain of further pursuits. Bhagvan Ramana therefore advocated turning the mind inwards, by investigating and seeking the source of everything. This, the sage said, was the shortest and surest way of reaching the primordial 'I' con sciousness or the divine power. which is all-encompassing and inclusive. While admitting the relevance of all other techniques, Ramana was un compromising on the need to ulti mately search within so as to dissolve the sense of ego or individual doership. Ramakrishna Paramahansa taught the same truth through the path of bhakti, unconditional love and surrender to the Supreme. Elaborating on his concept of life and living, Ranjit Maharaj would clarify that life as we see it is nothing more than a movie show. According to him, the question of volition of an individual entity was an illusion and the creator of all our troubles. Rather than struggling with the notion of 'doing', we need to come to the understanding that we live through the omnipresent power. The earlier we appreciate and understand that we are the supreme power and not the body, the easier it would be for us to focus within. he onlyC66 practice on sadhana that Ranjit Maharaj prescribed in this regard was to have full faith and remembrance in the words of the guru. For instance, he would tell his disciples that even when someone insulted them, they need to remind themselves that the hurt was directed at the body, which they were not. The more we practise this attitude, the easier it would be for us to seek our non-destructive Self, our nature. We would then be able to live through the vagaries of samsara or life enacting our pre- assigned role realising that in the drama of life, the great orchestrator is the divine power or God. Socrates stated: "I know I know nothing". Therefore, we need to just be rather than mentally strug gle with 'doing'. Whatever needs to be done through us will happen as a matter of course. Ramana illustrated this by quoting the Gita where Krishna clarifies that it was not for Arjuna to choose to desist from fighting. His very nature would compel him to execute the task assigned in the drama of life and therefore it was better to focus on the understanding that he was only an instrument or tool in the whole scheme of things. Bhagvan Ramana said that the concept of doership is akin to a traveller in a train carrying the suitcase on his head with the notion that this would lessen the burden on the train. The understanding of nonvolition would at a practical level help us live by the moment and give the task on hand the best shot and to our best capabilities. Thinking beyond the present therefore becomes an unnecessary or meaningless exercise.A reflection over occurrences around us can help us in realising the truth enunciated by Buddha that "Events happen, deeds are done, there is no individual doer thereof".
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Vijay Vancheswar kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Vijay Vancheswar Speaking Tree, Times of India
Life is a Drama, Focus on the Real
Something in us constantly urges us to seek. This seeking, according to sages, is a reflection of our need for lasting peace and happiness. Ramana Maharshi termed this seeking as a natural yearning within our hearts to be established in a state of permanent peace. He likened this to the natural process whereby birds return to their nests after their travels. However, because of the latent impressions our minds carry over many years and through force of habit, we seek this peace by pursuing various external efforts. All these efforts prove transient and short as extroversion of the mind only propels a never-ending chain of further pursuits. Bhagvan Ramana therefore advocated turning the mind inwards, by investigating and seeking the source of everything. This, the sage said, was the shortest and surest way of reaching the primordial 'I' con sciousness or the divine power. which is all-encompassing and inclusive. While admitting the relevance of all other techniques, Ramana was un compromising on the need to ulti mately search within so as to dissolve the sense of ego or individual doership. Ramakrishna Paramahansa taught the same truth through the path of bhakti, unconditional love and surrender to the Supreme. Elaborating on his concept of life and living, Ranjit Maharaj would clarify that life as we see it is nothing more than a movie show. According to him, the question of volition of an individual entity was an illusion and the creator of all our troubles. Rather than struggling with the notion of 'doing', we need to come to the understanding that we live through the omnipresent power. The earlier we appreciate and understand that we are the supreme power and not the body, the easier it would be for us to focus within. he onlyC66 practice on sadhana that Ranjit Maharaj prescribed in this regard was to have full faith and remembrance in the words of the guru. For instance, he would tell his disciples that even when someone insulted them, they need to remind themselves that the hurt was directed at the body, which they were not. The more we practise this attitude, the easier it would be for us to seek our non-destructive Self, our nature. We would then be able to live through the vagaries of samsara or life enacting our pre- assigned role realising that in the drama of life, the great orchestrator is the divine power or God. Socrates stated: "I know I know nothing". Therefore, we need to just be rather than mentally strug gle with 'doing'. Whatever needs to be done through us will happen as a matter of course. Ramana illustrated this by quoting the Gita where Krishna clarifies that it was not for Arjuna to choose to desist from fighting. His very nature would compel him to execute the task assigned in the drama of life and therefore it was better to focus on the understanding that he was only an instrument or tool in the whole scheme of things. Bhagvan Ramana said that the concept of doership is akin to a traveller in a train carrying the suitcase on his head with the notion that this would lessen the burden on the train. The understanding of nonvolition would at a practical level help us live by the moment and give the task on hand the best shot and to our best capabilities. Thinking beyond the present therefore becomes an unnecessary or meaningless exercise.A reflection over occurrences around us can help us in realising the truth enunciated by Buddha that "Events happen, deeds are done, there is no individual doer thereof".
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Vijay Vancheswar kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Vijay Vancheswar Speaking Tree, Times of India