gt8554a@prism.gatech.edu (JANAKIRAMAN,SHANKER) (06/09/91)
Knowledge is limited.
More knowledge is more limited.
Ignorance is bliss.
Total ignorance is total bliss.
Just a few stray thoughts that may be absurd or illogically
logical!!
The goal of a human being is to be happy. We try to attain
this by seeking various things, almost always material. That we are
not happy after achieving one is driven home again and again. Perhaps
for the lack of an alternative, we continue our pursuit riding ups and
downs. So, the problem of human existence can be expressed as, how to
rise above the tides of pleasure and pain and be happy always.
That material pursuit alone doesn't make us happy dawns on us
sooner or later. Intellectual pursuit though may provide a greater
satisfaction still doesn't completely solve the problem of life.
Otherwise all intellectual giants should be really happy and the whole
world would be rushing to academia. Spirituality points the reason
to be the neglect of our inner self. In our rush to survive and succeed,
our motivation and drive is through external sources and we are left
with no time to look into our inner condition. This then is the core of
the problem.
Mystics have come time and again and have shown the path to be a
inner look into ourselves. Their calm exterior and a profound insight
into nature and life is an indication of their attainment. What is this
that we look into? Where do we go when we look into ourselves?
That we have a physical body is obvious and we know the limits to
which we can develop physically. We have a mind and we have seen our own
mental development since childhood. That we have a soul is oft-mentioned
but not easily perceived. Spirituality tells us that it is our evolution
when we look into ourselves and let the soul proceed through the journey
to reach the highest. Alternately, we develop our consciousness to the
highest level. This state, we can call as Self-realization. For
centuries people have been talking about creationism. For about a
century we have Darwin's theory. One question that remains is, where do
we go from here? Is there further evolution? What does further evolution
mean? A plausible answer is the development of our consciousness to the
highest or progress of the soul to its destination. So, the evolution
having proceeded at the organismic level and mental level proceeds at the
spiritual level. Our suffering possibly arises out of the hindering of
this evolution.
Just a few minutes of observation of the mind is enough to show
us how rapidly it wanders. As thoughts arise in unregulated mind, they
leave behind their impressions. Our thought process thus creates layers
and layers of impressions on our conscious or soul. At the same time,
these thoughts give rise to our present behavior and tendencies. This I
think, is conditioning when thoughts result because of the environment.
These layers of thoughts hinder the progress of soul. So, in order to
be happy we need to regulate the mind from forming impressions and at
the same time 'clean' ourselves of the past that hinders our evolution.
In other words, we should aim at the co-operation of mind and soul
through the regulation of mind.
Whether one is willing to pursue this hypothesis or not, it is
obvious that unregulated, wandering mind disturbs us and we seek 'peace
of mind.' Therefore, it is in our best interest to regulate the hither
and thither of the mind. How can we do this?
From my experience, a simple yet effective way is a Raja Yoga
Meditation. No amount of reading or discussion can result in the state
that we are seeking. To appreciate the beauty of a flower, we have to
see it, isn't it? Of course, some reading and discussion to a point
might be useful to know what we are up to. Meditation is the way to
practically experience and see for ourselves the results of our
search.
For several years now, I was seeking to know the purpose of
life. The daily life, as lived by most of us didn't seem complete.
I took recourse to reading and discussing about God and why we are
here. This only made me more frustrated. God, as is widely
believed, is someone sitting above controlling our life. If we
accept this, how in the world can we experience God? I stopped
pursuing God but the question of life kept bothering me. Some say,
life is a biological accident. Then our existence becomes
meaningless to me. If we are conscious human beings who can
exercise choice, why should our birth and death be a mere accident?
After several years of reading, discussions, and despair, I started
practising a Raja Yoga Meditation.
Within a few months of practice, I could notice several changes
in myself. I used to imagine at times, what if I die in a few days?
Will it be a satisfactory end to life? Answer invariably used to be no.
Now the question itself has changed to a wonder to experience that
progress towards that satisfactory end. Of course, there are several
other worthwhile outcomes of meditation. Greater calm, more will power,
discipline, decreasing procrastination, increasing confidence and a
growing ability to sense right and wrong.
It is my realization that happiness can only result from doing
right. This happiness is different from pleasure which is usually short
lived. My example may not be relevant to anybody else in the world.
The search is internal and outcome of meditation is for ourselves to
see. However, I can assure you that it has quenched my thirst in some
way and there is the fascination of an ever expanding frontier of
experiencing the 'beyond.' Probably it will be so for others too.
--
JANAKIRAMAN,SHANKER
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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