Hidden Treasure Series-Part XIV- On Self, Peace, Serenity and Bliss

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

Hidden Treasure Series-Part VIII-On Perception, understanding and realization

My Dear Folks,

Ramesh, a humane (e) friend of mine, complimented me the other day for doing nothing for quite some time now. I was stunned by his understanding. How did he understand me the way I have to be understood? Wasn’t there any ‘colors’ to his perception? How did he realize that am going through a ‘process’ and enjoying every minute of it?

Let’s ‘walk-the-talk’ with Shri.GRK see if we can have a have a firm ‘grip’ on perception, understanding and realization.

Ravi: Fantastic Saturday evening to your Shri. GRK. Am on top-of-the-world now – having the privilege to ‘walk-the-talk’ with you.

GRK: Am I to understand that your ‘self’ is in a state of ‘Aanand’ with all your adventures and explorations?

Ravi: I do not know. As far as I could remember nothing affects me much - Small success (es) and privileges that Almighty willfully gave me or the failures that beckoned me.

On perception

Ravi: The world is full of opinionated people. ‘Switch on’ the prime time News in Telly and that would tell you the story. Well, What is perception? Is it a mechanical or a casual looking at things?

GRK: No. Not-at-all. Perception is being ‘aware’ of things. It’s a natural, simple and spontaneous awareness of (wo) men and matters. Or in other words, perception is the sinquonon of ‘awareness’.

Ravi: Is perception easily possible? Could one perceive ‘right’ all the time?

GRK: No. Could not be. Because we do not perceive things as they are, nay as they exist; we have “angles” of perception. Many “angles” such as ‘self’, caste, race, class, education, religion, sex, age and many others interfere with our perception.

Ravi: Do you mean because of the early conditioning of the brain, notably the LEFT?

GRK: Yes. We are taught from the childhood through family, through job and through religion to perceive things from different angles but NOT as they are. In fact we are ‘conditioned’ to perceive things in a particular way. That gets registered in the LEFT brain. Thus, we do not perceive things as they are, but as we wish them to be. Thus, our “angles” interfere in the perception of things.

Ravi: That was stupendous. With all my inherent limitations, my wife conveyed that “She loves me for what I am”, THEN and NOW. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, right?

 GRK: You are blessed, my boy. Moving on, could it be possible for us to appreciate a ‘rose’ as it is? No; not easy, isn’t it? The consciousness of the particular color of the rose, the type of rose, and the fact - whom it belongs, and whether it is beautiful in comparison with another rose which we have seen - all these stand in our way and interfere to perceive the beauty of the ‘rose’  as it is.

On Understanding

Ravi: Is ‘understanding ‘ a subset of perception, THEN?

GRK: Yes. Understanding is the part-and-parcel of perception. It is an exploration into reality and as well as culmination too. It is a natural, spontaneous and intense insight into men and matters. Our conditioning, our angles, our self and our subjectivity de-limit our understanding and stand in the way for understanding the reality.

Ravi: Relationships would be liberating if humans have this kind of understanding without perceptions and prejudices. BTW, does ‘ego’ play a part in perception and understanding?

GRK: Yes, indeed. However we do know that in becoming egoless, we don’t become  a ‘moron’. However, an ‘ego-less’ person is charged with Cosmic consciousness and is in connection with the Almighty / Cosmos. May I add that it’s a big sense of relief when one lets go of their ego, which in fact plays a role for “colored” perception and “imperfect” understanding.

On Realization

Ravi: What is Realization, THEN?

GRK: Realization is the perception of one’s self. It is highest and the final. This involves not only the realization of one’s self, but also his relationship with others, with society, with nature with the Almighty/Cosmos/The supreme force/Natural laws and forces. In other words, realization is a perception and understanding of (wo)men and matters, as they are (sath) and their patterns of consciousness (chith) and appreciating them (ananda) and living and moving with them (sivam) in a natural and spontaneous way.

Thus, realization means liberation of oneself from all his angles, limitations and possessions. Realization is an ‘earthly’ process as well as transcendental too. Realizing oneself, in other words, is ‘nirvana’. It is attaining moksha or ‘resurrection’. Hence, the need for a clear and pure perception. Then only total understanding or realization is possible.

Ravi: That is very liberating to me as I inch my way forward to be in THAT state. Thank you for your time. Hope you take some well deserving rest during the weekend.

Folks, hope you are enjoying the conversations as much I en’joy’ key-stroking these words-of- wisdom from Shri. GRK, who according to me is Yogi-like, a living Socrates / Aristotle-like, am fortunate to know.

Wishing you all an ‘invigorating’ Sunday.

Love

Ravichander Venkatraman

Hidden Treasure Series - Part VI- On ‘Self’

My dear friends and friends-of-(y)our friends,

Today, without much ado, we get to the ‘meat’ of the understanding of the true meaning of ‘self’ which bothers many of us, isn’t it?

Ravi: A cheerful Friday evening to you Shri. GRK. Tell me, Does the word ‘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. For those, self means status and the level.

Ravi:  Is ‘self’ not an image of oneself?

GRK: We can safely say that ‘Self’ in other words means an ‘image of oneself’ or in other words, you see yourself in a disassociated state.

Ravi: And what the ‘self’ does to an individual if not understood properly?

GRK: Self 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 on 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 peace-less-ness. 

Ravi: And what’s the way out of this ‘self’ consuming pride in mankind?

GRK: The possible way for peace or joy or happiness 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 and no conflict -no colored perception and no understanding based on choice.

Ravi: In short, as regards ‘self’, we becoming the ‘subject’ to ourselves is FAR better than we becoming the subject(s) to others! Anyway for your information, have stopped using CAPITAL ‘I’. Instead using ‘i’. Not just symbolical.

GRK:  That’s the progress man(kind) develops. See you soon!

Ravi: Thank you for these awesome walk-talk sessions with me. Shall always cherish these sessions with you and right now FEELING manifold ‘joy’ as these ‘pearls of wisdom’ are being ‘shared’ with our brethren on ‘Mother Earth’

Allow me to end with a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson:

“In every part and corner of our life, to lose oneself is to be the gainer; to forget oneself is to be happy”. 

Kind Regards

G&W Ravi