My
Dear Friends-on-Mother-Earth,
Happy
Friday evening to you folks.
Well, as we all strive hard to be in peace; in a world full of
“races” among man’kind’, thought would be prudent to really understand the
TRUTH behind Self, Peace, Serenity and Bliss ,
many striving hard to attain that ‘state of the brain’, using various
“templates”!
Ravi:
Wonderful connecting with you again. Post the visit to Anandashram in Jan’12(what they call ‘An abode to bliss’), these 6 months
in almost near hibernation did made me stronger, more relaxed and at ‘peace’
with myself first. But still, maybe due to genetic disorder, that dysfunctional
anger still remains and I tend to “smoke-out” especially “Atrociously selfish” people.
Well, DO we all have to go
Ashram’s to be in peace?? Let’s understand the ‘juice’ behind this ‘state
of brain’ with the friendly sage we are blessed to know.
GRK:
Hey, glad to walk-the-talk with you again. By the way, how’s the climate in
Chennai?
Ravi: Well, there are only 3 climates in Chennai – They are hot, hotter
and hottest! Our body is hot and
hence our brain is also hot. No wonder you would often find verbal skirmishes
for nothing!
GRK: Let’s understand the TRUTH in ‘peace’ first. ‘Peace’ is NOT merely absence of sorrow NOR absence of
suffering. A human may NOT be peaceful EVEN
with all the comforts and luxuries of life. He/she may NOT be happy as well as
peaceful with all the pleasures. Haven’t you noticed?
What is peace?
Ravi: Absolutely. So, what is peace THEN?
GRK: Peace is a sense of
fulfillment. It is an attitude of our brain–a state of brain, nay a quality of brain. The sense of
fulfillment is possible when only we have contentment-contentment of wants,
desires and aspirations. Thus again, contentment is a feature of peace, which
in turn is a state of brain OR a condition of brain after so many years and may
be births of ‘collective consciousness’ stored in the brain.
Ravi: Well, sounds interesting. Could it be possible for us, the human
beings, with the flimsy, fragile and sentimental brain-stuff, to ‘still’ the brain
to attain peace? If everyone has to
go Ashrams to find peace, what would happen to humanity? Disaster, gentleman as God-men and God-women would rule our lives?
GRK: Hah Ha! Not to bother.
The brain is always restless and oscillating. It is nomadic and all the time;
wandering and roaming, rather straying in all directions without any
purpose. Only a ‘still brain’ can
experience peace; for peace needs calmness of brain and NOT a wandering brain.
A calm-and-composed brain is a ‘still brain’. It is not restless and does not
have many longings. It is serene and serenity
is a condition of peace, nay an
aspect of peace. A peaceful brain is a steadfast-brain. In other words, peace
is ‘steadfastness’ (‘stilling’ the
anxieties, desires, feelings). It is anchoring
of the brain-NOT hovering.
Ravi: Does contentment alone sufficient to attain a peaceful state of
brain?
GRK: Peace does not only require contentment but also a brain which
could withstand and resist against the daily hurts and injuries of life. The brain
has to insulate and immunize to all the daily agonies and sorrows, which are
unavoidable part of life and it has to develop a capacity to resist against
daily onslaughts on peace.
Thus, peace is an unperturbed state of both brains,
rather a culmination of it. For this, human beings need an intellectual
courage, an extraordinary courage to face life as it is and its daily
trivialities of suffering, with an equanimity or ‘detached-attachment’.
What is Bliss?
Ravi: What is bliss, then?
GRK: When the ‘self’ forgets itself in a rapturous joy of life
experience, it loses identity and merges with the experience itself as a part
of communion with the cosmos, it experiences ecstasy. (A ‘self-forgetfulness”) This
ecstasy itself is bliss, a thrill and an extraordinary joy. It is a highest
form of peace and everlasting too. Attainability
of bliss is a greatest benediction to man and mankind.
What
is Self?
Ravi: ‘Self’ forgetting
itself! What is ‘self’, then? Does this ‘self’ mean our name, our
caste, our sex, our age and our religion?
GRK: Yes, it means all these and much more. Self means ‘i’, our identify,
our self-consciousness. I am so and so, my level is this and my status is this
etc. it means status and the level.
Ravi: Is ‘self’ then a
divisive force?
GRK: Absolutely.
‘Self’ in other words means an image of oneself. It
means attachment to certain things. It is a divisive force. It divides ‘i’ from
the rest. It leads to choice making. It is subjectivity leading to angles in
one’s perceptions. Thus it leads to contradictions, as self-versus others. In
understanding, it colors, nay blocks
our understanding. Self is ego, it is pride, it is estimating of one self,
often self-conscious estimate. Thus it leads to conflict with on self, with
others, the surrounding reality and with the whole nature itself. Hence, ‘self’
leads to sorrow-contradiction-conflict-agony and peacelessness.
Ravi: So, what’s the way out for mankind?
GRK: The only way is to be aware of the self, to sublimate the self, to raise
above the self, to forget the self; nay
to erase the self itself. Where there is no ‘self’ there is no contradiction,
no conflict and no sorrow –no colored perception and no understanding based on
choice.
Ravi: Awesome learning. Easy to understand, difficult
to practice as we all are conditioned to dogmas and our own doctorates! Thank
you for your time. Look forward to our talks again next week.
Folks, I guess we need to understand this deeply to get the juice. Take
your time and one may get the juice by reading and re-reading and pondering over
it. Let’s all aim to be in bliss which GRK
says is the greatest benediction of man’kind’.
Wishing
you all a blissful weekend with your near and dear ones!
Kind Regards
G&W Ravi
