Living on expectation.

Living on expectation.

We’re all playing around the idea central to Henry James’s novella, “Beast in the Jungle.” The protagonist is gripped by the idea that something will happen in his life. That is his greatest anticipation and greatest apprehension.:

'Something will happen in my life'.

Isn’t that the unspoken kernel driving most of our lives, until that day when we actually understand that that something has already taken place, and the rest of our days are spent figuring out:

"What is it that happened to my life?"— Posted by Sue (June 15 2008) in NY Times, commenting on Judith Warners' article: Midlife crisis averted -

http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/midlife-crisis-averted/#comments

On Kaikeyi

Character analysis is the theme of the following essay by Pradip Bhattacharya on Kaikeyi. It presents Kaikeyi as a victim of deceipt by Dasaratha who married her with a promise which he broke to make Rama the King after him.

The Ramayana story is an illustration of how the dictum 'yat bhaavam tat bhavati' works in real life. Dasaratha acted in haste to make Rama his successor, breaking his solemn promise to make Kaikeyi's son his successor. The results that followed the action based on his intention were not in his control and the story of Ramayana unfolded -- banishment for fourteen years, his own death, abduction of Sita, battle with Ravana.

The article by Bhattacharya suggests that the person to be blamed for all this is Dasaratha, not Kaikeyi who was merely the instrument for the operation of the rule: action arises from intention, results inevitably follow action. (The web-site boloji.com hosts many interesting articles by various authors on a variety of subjects).

Kaikeyi "That Horrible Woman": -- Understood At Last *

Our greatest national epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, bristle with irony.
The ostensible root of the misfortunes visited upon the protagonist is also the bedrock on which the epic is founded.
Would the world have the Song Celestial, if Dhritarashtra, the veritable trunk of the tree of adharma,
had not asked Sanjaya to relate what was happening on Dharamakshetre Kurukshetre?
And what would be left for the Adi-kavi to relate in the life of Rama devoid of fourteen years' exile?
The Mahabharata story can exist, its epic status unimpaired, without the Gita; but without a Kaikeyi, the Ramayana?
It degenerates into a tame "and they lived happily ever after" fairy tale with the marriages of the four brothers.
Yet, over the millennia, Kaikeyi has been bracketed with Shakuni as the villain-of-the-piece and her role ever seen as on par with Dhritarashtra's.
Actually, Kaikeyi's fate has been worse than Shakuni's. Read the complete article at
http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/057.htm 

In silence, we hear.

We choose words and use them to communicate.
We assume that words are merely our tools to serve our purpose,
almost like servants in the homes.
But we should be aware of the hidden power of words
to charm our minds and mislead us.
The following writing warns us thus:
(Extract, adapted, from "The Song of the Bird" by Anthony de Mello)
(see also: http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/34616)

Beware of words.
The moment you look away, they will take a life of their own.
They will dazzle, mesmerize, terrorize and lead you astray,
from the reality they merely represent,
and lead you to believe that they are real.
The world you see is but a fragmented one,
broken into a thousand pieces by the word.
It is as if each ocean wave were seen to be disparate
and separate from the body of the ocean.

When words and thoughts are silenced,
the Universe blooms forth real, and whole, and one.
Words become what they were always intended to be:

the score, not the music;
the menu, not the food;
the signpost, not the journey's end.~

The language of the divine is silence.

In Dakshinamurti Slokam, Adi Sankara envisions
Siva as the Guru teaching the assembled rishis in silence:
mauna-vyAkhyA-prakaTita-para-brahma-tatvaM
(silently communicating the supreme Truth)

Lao Tsu echoes this in his ‘Law of the reversed effect’ thus:
It is in the letting go, that we are enabled to receive;
In the stillness, that we can participate;
In the silence, hear;and,
out of the dark night, see.
To know the Truth, one must get rid of knowledge

What does Siva teach thus in silence?
It is parabrahma tatvam - the understanding of the Supreme Truth
which is expounded at length in the Upanishads and the Vedas!

In societal transactions, words are necessary for communication.
But when we we want to communicate with ourselves
during the rare,and the few precious momets of solitude,
words merely strengthen the Ego to entrench itself firmly against intrusions by the Spirit.

When the mind is silent, devoid of all thoughts,
the ego has no place in the mind and
the Universal spirit is able to enter and instruct us in silence.

The Guru

In Zen Practice, it was stated: "There are no Zen teachers and nothing to teach.
But this truth must be realized by each one of us".
To help/guide us in this realisation, Hinduism advises us to seek a competent Guru.

In Kathopanishad, Yama describes the spiritual path as beset with great difficulties
and advises Nachiketas to seek a most competent person to guide him on this path.

This verse from the Guru Stotram explains the Guru's role lucidly:

ॐ अज्ञान-तिमिरान्धस्य / ज्ञानान्जन-शलाकया
चक्षुर-उन्मीलितम येन / तस्मै श्री-गुरवे नमः

OM ajnaana-timiraandhasya / jnanaanjana-shalaakaya
caksur-unmilitam yena / tasmai shri-gurave namaha

Salutation (namah) to that (tasmai) Guru (gurave) by whom (yena) the eyes (cakshur) blinded (andhasya) by the darkness (timira) of ignorance (agnyana) were opened (unmilitam) with the collyrium (anjana)-(applied with the) sharp pencil (shalakaya) of knowledge (gnyana).

Salutations to that Guru who applies the collyrium of knowledge with a sharp needle
to open the eyes blinded due to ignorance (lack of spiritual knowledge).

We act to achieve certain end-results; we are happy when we are successful and unhappy when we fail to achieve the intended result. Life consists of a series of transactions intended for our sukha praapti ; but many times, there is only dukha and we feel disappointed and dissatisfied. Ramana Maharishi in his Upadesa Saram has compared this sorry state of affairs to falling repeatedly into the ocean of samsara and has suggested self-inquiry as the way out to derive permanent satisfaction in our lives.
By middle age, when this dissatisfaction grows and we feel lost like one blinded due to absence of light (of relevant knowledge), we approach a Guru and seek his guidance to gain gnyana drishti for leading life in a manner conducive to yield a steady, happy state of the mind which will not be easily affected by set-backs and failures. In other words, we approach the Master and seek his help to identify for us the steps that we should take for removing the obstacles which prevent us from being happy, which stop us from being contented. We realize that due to lack of knowledge in this matter, due to our agnyana, we are presently mired in this condition of dissatisfaction with life, seeing no way out.

The Guru is the Master who can remove the disease of ajnana. But it is not as simple as removing a something that is covering what lies hidden underneath. It is a tricky process since there is nothing really to be taken out; what is required is a total transformation in us. The Guru-doctor applies the ointment (anjana) of knowledge to our affected eye (mind) and restores our insight – he grants us the gift of gnyana drishti.

The Master’s role is similar to that of the sculptor who uses chisel and hammer to unlock the hidden potential in the stone. If the stone could communicate with us in words, it would describe the great pain it suffers with every every blow of the chisel and hammer. Finally, it seems that the torture has come to an end. The sculptor leaves the stone alone for many days. Then one day he returns and starts rubbing the surface of the stone with sand-paper to get rid of even the smallest of imperfections. The stone starts feeling, “I thought everything was done. Why is he torturing me like this again?”

But after having undergone this tortuous process, a beautiful murti emerges from the stone; the real glory of the stone is finally expressed. It is then installed in a temple. It becomes elated because it starts receiving flower garlands, it starts receiving alankara. The sculptor’s vision has created from a piece of shapeless stone a beautiful art-piece that is worthy of being worshipped. But to reach that state the stone had to undergo the process of chiseling, and fine refinements. The stone acknowledges to the sculptor: “What a great opportunity you have given me to bring out the best in me!" And in all humility the sculptor replies: “I have done nothing. The potential always existed in you. All I have done is to remove that which was blocking the expression of your potential".

If we substitute the words Guru for the sculptor and disciple for the stone, we can fully understand the roles of the Master and his disciple. Their relationship is beyond human understanding or expression in words. When we talk of the highest in love, we talk of the natural love of a mother for the children she has given birth to. The love and care of the Master for the student is born out of a deep sense of duty and responsibility that he has voluntarily accepted so that the student may reach the spiritual state in which he himself revels. His efforts to remove the ajnana, which are so painful for the disciple in the beginning, are intended for the purpose that the student can reach and enjoy the same kind of bliss that the Master is enjoying - nothing less. For, in the field of spirituality, either there is perfection or there is nothing - nothing in the middle. The Master directs all his efforts to help his disciple reach that state of perfection.

The Master is not going to change our lives, the Master is not going to change our environment; he is not going to change the world that we live in. The Master is only changing our vision, our perception. It is not the srishti that has to be changed, it is our drishti that has to change, and the Guru is the person who takes pains in changing that drishti. He is the person who, with all love and concern, tunes our body, mind and intellect and dispel the darkness that we are living in so that we can understand the truth. He blesses us with that vision, drishti, so that, staying in the same srishti, we can enjoy the bliss and glory that is the expression of the Lord.

In order to do this, the Guru has to wipe the slate of our mind clean and create a disciple out of us. Guru is thus Brahma, Guru is Vishnu, and Guru Himself is Mahesvara. Guru is nothing but that absolute truth and happiness which we are searching for. He is therefore called Brahma, Vishnu Maheshvara. He is Brahma creating that disciple in us. He is Vishnu, who sustains us as a disciple to reach the state of perfection. He is Rudra, destroying, removing the ignorance that we are holding on to and which is an obstacle to our progress.

Source: the article "tasmai shri gurave namah" by Br Uddhav Chaitanya.

Zen Practice

Great Faith, Great Doubt
On the pull between faith and doubt that can spark awakening - by a Zen teacher

Most of the work in Zen practice takes place while sitting zazen
because, in reality,
there’s nothing anyone can give us.
There’s nothing that we lack;
each one of us is perfect and complete.

That’s why it is said that
there are no Zen teachers and nothing to teach.

But this truth must be realized by each one of us.

Great faith, great doubt, and great determination
are three essentials for that realization.
Great faith is the boundless faith in oneself and
in one's ability to realize oneself and make oneself free;
great doubt is the deep and penetrating doubt that asks:

Who am I?
What is life?
What is truth?
What is God?
What is reality?

Great faith and great doubt are in dynamic tension with each other;
they work to provide the real cutting edge of koan practice.

When great faith and great doubt are also accompanied by great determination --
the determination of “seven times knocked down, eight times up” --
we have at our disposal the power necessary
to break through our delusive way of thinking
and realize the full potential of our lives.

-- John Daido Loori

Shanti Mantram

शान्ति मन्त्रं
ॐ
स ह नाववातु स ह नौभुनक्तु
सहवीर्यम करवावहै
तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु
मा विद्विषावहै
ॐ शांतिः शांतिः शांतिः
Swami Dayananda's commentary: http://www.arshavidya.org/literature_sample.html#shanti
May He (the Lord) protect both of us. May He nourish both of us (with knowledge)May both of us make effort for the capacity (for knowledge to take place)May what is studied by us be brilliantly clearLet us not have any misunderstandingPeace! Peace! Peace!
sa ha nAvavatu (saH ha nau avatu)
saH means Ishvara, the meaning of the word tat in the statement: "You are that." tat ivam asi. The meaning of the word tat is the Lord. May that Lord definitely, indeed (ha) protect, bless (avatu) both of us (nau). The word om is also from the same root as for avatu, the root av. ; av is used in the sense of protecting, the one who protects being the source of blessing. Thus, the Lord's name is Om. You can also say he is the one who sustains everything. May that Lord bless both of us, teacher and student.
sa ha nau bhunaktu
May that Lord (saH) definitely, indeed (ha) nourish (bhunaktu) both of us (nau) - that is also in the sense of protection. There is no meaning of eating here; (for in that case, the verb would have to have different endings - Atmane-pada). The sense here is only of nourishing. May he nourish both of us with knowledge. May the Lord indeed, or may the Lord certainly, condoning all my omissions and commissions, being blind to them, bless us and nourish us both. Both student and teacher seek bhagavAn's blessing:
saha vIryam karavAvahai
May both of us together exert, make effort (karavAvahai). What kind of effort? With (saha) vIrya; vIryam here is the capacity required to gain knowledge (vidya-sampAdane sAmarthyam). Whatever is required to gain this knowledge, may we make an effort for that. In gaining this knowledge a certain capacity, certain conditions are required. May we both cultivate those conditions, abilities. There are two types of conditions that have to be fulfilled here. As the teaching takes place, the student is supposed to see the meaning (grahaNa-sAmarthyam). That is a capacity, and it consists of lot of things. In giving the knowledge also, the teacher needs a certain capacity (sAmarthya). Your (teacher’s) memory should help you and you should also be able to see the condition of the listener, and decide what exactly will drive home the idea. There are a lot of things in the shAstra. If we tell all of them in the beginning it will be confusing. Also, you cannot make a statement which will have to be withdrawn later. You have to say the same thing in a form that is understood by the student at the stage that he is at. At one stage one thing is relevant, at another stage, a little more. It all depends on what you have already taught—and what the student has understood. This giving of knowledge (yidyA-dAnam) is not easy, especially if the vidyA has a certain intrinsic difficulty. You have to use words where words have no access, and cannot have access. But only through words you have to communicate. Therefore, you have to make sure you negate what is to be negated and take the student to a corner from where that student cannot but see. This is what they call the analogy of [seeing] the moon [through] a branch - shAkha-chandra-nyAya. nyaaya is a conclusion, a particular fact revealed through an analogy, like an adage or proverb.
This shAkha-chandra-nyAya is a very interesting nyAya. A person wants to communicate his experience of the crescent: moon, the third day moon, let us say. They say it is auspicious to see the third day moon and this person wants to share his experience of seeing it with his friend who is by his side. He says. "Look at the moon." His friend looks at the sky and is not able to see the moon. Here is a problem of communication. He can tell his friend to look up and scan the sky, but the sky is too vast to scan. So he follows a very simple method. He sees a tree and asks his friend to look at the tree and find the branch that is projecting towards the left side of the trunk. The friend says. "Yes. I see it."

Law of the Reversed Effort

'Yield and you need not break:'

Bent you can straighten,
Emptied you can hold,
Torn you can mend;
And as want can reward you
So wealth can bewilder.

Aware of this, a wise man has the simple return
Which other men seek:

Without inflaming himself
He is kindled,
Without explaining himself
Is explained,
Without taking credit
Is accredited,
Laying no claim
Is acclaimed
And, because he does not compete,
Finds peaceful competence.

How true is the old saying,
'Yield and you need not break'!
How completely it comes home!
-Lao Tsu

This statement follows his famous
Law of the Reversed Effort
The Law which sees to it that
When you try to stay afloat, you sink;
When you try to sink, you float;
When you hold your breath, you lose it.
Those who justify themselves, do not convince.

It is in the letting go,
that we are enabled to receive;
In the stillness, that we can participate;
In the silence, hear;
and, out of the dark night, see.

To know the Truth, one must get rid of knowledge.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Upadesa Saram, Sloka 27, Ramana Maharishi states:
jñana-varjitâ'jñâna-hîna-cit,
jñânam-asti kim jñâtum-antaram.

chith (Awareness) is jñanam which is unqualified knowledge.
When we are free from objective knowledge (jñana-varjitâ)
and when we also get rid of the notion "I am ignorant" (â'jñâna-hîna)
through Self-enquiry, thereby gaining Self-knowledge,
there is no difference between the knower and the known.
There is one Awareness and that is yourself.
There is, then, nothing else to know. (asti kim jñâtum-antaram)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further statements illustrating the Law of the Reversed Effort:
from Kahlil Gibran:
Only when you drink from the river of silence
shall you indeed sing;
And when you have reached the mountain top,
then you shall begin to climb;
And when the earth shall claim your limbs,
then shall you truly dance.
-----------------------------------------------------------
from Alan Watts
Unless a grain of corn fall into the ground and die,
it remains alone.
But if it dies,
it brings forth much fruit"...
What religion calls the vision of God
is found in giving up
any (pre-conceived) belief in the idea of God.

By the same law of reversed effort,
we discover the "infinite" and the "absolute,"
not by straining to escape from the finite and relative world,
but by the most complete acceptance of its limitations.

Paradoxical as it may seem,
we likewise find life meaningful only
when we have seen that it is without purpose,
and know the "mystery of the universe"
only when we are convinced that we know nothing about it at all.