We sit in silence: with our lips we pray to God, but our minds, alas, stray; things and thoughts, to which we pay the least attention during waking hours, rise out of nowhere, and, like swarms of mosquitoes, disturb our peace. The more we try to brush them aside, the more formidable they become.
What shall I do? Do nothing. Let me but sit still, as a silent spectator viewing the shifting scenes of a fickle mind. Let me keep looking on at the thoughts that rush out of the unknown deep in a seemingly endless procession. They are not my thoughts. I have naught to do with them. They come: let them come. They will soon pass out, leaving the chamber of my mind cleaner and brighter than before.
They are the dirt and filth that have accumulated within the cells of my mind during a lifetime, or, maybe, during many long ages. If the dirt and filth are washed off, I have every reason to rejoice. In due course, the mind will become calm and clear as the surface of a lake on a windless day. Such a mind will become a source of indescribable joy and peace. To sit in silence, I must learn to be still – to do nothing. To be still, I must learn the art of separating myself from the changing moods of the mind, from its flights, which are faster by far than the fastest supersonic jets.
Man’s life is so crowded with mundane activities that he rarely has time for self-study and introspection. He seldom finds himself in that expansive, tranquil mood of silence and reflection, where he can listen to God, and chant the Name Divine in the heart within.
In ancient Indian scriptures, we are told the story of an old woman, bent double with age, walking along the road with only a stick to support her. Some men who met her on the way, asked her out of kindness and curiosity, ‘Mother, where are you going, all alone, on this long and lonely road?’ The old woman smiled at them — and her eyes smiled too — as she replied, ‘I am going to where I came from!’ Rare is it for any creature to achieve birth as a human being; even rarer is it to be blessed with good health and strength; and yet, what do we do with these gifts?
Alas, we chase after shadow shapes of power, pleasure and possessions. Born in this world to seek our true Home, we are lost in worldly activities and are chained in bonds of worldliness. By all means, do your work sincerely. Work is essential for a human being. It disciplines his mind and exercises his body. Work is a great boon. But we must remember, work is a means, it is not an end. Livelihood must never be confused with life.
Do not make your work the objective of your life on this earth. The purpose of your life is to cultivate the soul. Hence, even while you are attending to your work, stay connected to the Source of all Life; stay in constant touch with God.
The XIV Dalai Lama
All of us, including animals, insects and microbes, are the same in wanting happiness and in wishing not to suffer. As human beings, we have sharp intelligence, which is one of the principal factors for bringing us peace of mind and joy. However, just as it can bring us hope, our intelligence can also bring us fear. Therefore, what we ultimately need to do is find peace of mind. Inner peace is something we achieve within the mind, by cultivating the mind. If we have that, we can even withstand physical pain without being overly disturbed by it.
Those who cultivate the altruistic awakening mind of bodhichitta, by engaging in the practice of equalising and exchanging self and others, are prepared to take on the suffering of others. Their experience of peace and joy can help them transform adverse circumstances into favourable conditions for wholesome practice. So, we should employ our human intelligence and emotional hygiene to develop happiness and peace of mind.
These days, we are faced with the coronavirus pandemic, which is very sad. People working in the health system — doctors, nurses and others — as well as scientists doing research are doing their best to help. I really appreciate their effort and dedication. As a monk following in the footsteps of the Buddha, I cultivate the altruistic awakening mind of bodhichitta and I rejoice in the way you are selflessly serving those who are sick and in need. Every morning, I recite mantras and pray that this pandemic will come to an end as soon as possible. I dedicate these practices for the good of the world, especially India.
By THICH NHAT HANH
According to Buddhism, ‘to be or not to be’ is not a real question. Meditation takes us beyond fearlessness. We’re too busy, so we become victims of anger and fear. If we have really touched our nature of no birth or death, we know that to die is one of the root conditions to realise oneself. We have to learn how to ‘die’ in every moment in order to be fully alive.
We should be able to release our tensions. We are the karma we produce every day. Treasure the time you are left with, for it is more for you to practice. Generate energy of love, compassion and understanding so you can continue beautifully. Buddha’s disciple Sariputra Ananda and other friends went to see Anathapindika, a lay disciple, who was a businessman and dying.
He had made time to come to dharma talks and weekly practice. They asked him whether the pain had diminished. He replied that it was increasing. The monks led him on a meditation on the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. After a few minutes, there was no more suffering and he smiled.’ Help the dying person not to cling to his body. If there is regret, help them to see those are not his feelings. When conditions are manifested, this body manifests, and when not, it goes. The nature of this body is not birth, death, coming or going — not hurt by notion of being or non-being. I am free from birth or death. That practice helps me.
By Narayani Ganesh
Carl Jung, psychiatrist, and Wolfgang Pauli, quantum physicist, would often sound each other out on the nature of reality and of meaningful coincidences, writes Paul Halpern in his book, Synchronicity: The Epic Quest to Understand the Quantum Nature of Cause and Effect. Do things happen due to cause and effect — or are they simply random occurrences and coincidences?
These questions have engaged not only physicists and psychologists, but philosophers as well. Are we living in a reality that allows for free will or is everything in the universe predetermined? Do things happen according to plan or is there a prefixed matrix in place? Do we live in a predictable or unpredictable universe?
In an interconnected world, that Buddhists relate with Pratityasamutpada, the theory of dependent origination, all phenomena arise in relation to other phenomena. In quantum mechanics, any particle is hypothesised to have its mirror particle somewhere, giving rise to the possibility of the existence of mirror universe, or parallel reality.
Whether in the classical theory of general relativity or modern quantum theories, physicists are still figuring out stuff to explain the true nature of reality. Nor have neuroscientists, who study the brain, and psychologists, who analyse the mind and human behaviour, been able to explain succinctly why one man’s reality is so different from another’s. Indic sages allude to Maya, Illusion; that the universe is nothing but a grand illusion, a play. And Jain Arihants have talked of Anekantavada, that there is no single, all-encompassing truth but many, many truths.
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Scriptures tell us that we are born into this world with a limited number of breaths. Breaths are like capital, a bank account given to us by God. Every moment, we make a choice about how to spend our breaths. We can choose to spend our capital wisely or foolishly.
When we wisely invest our capital — the time that we have been given in this world — in God, we are making a true investment, one whose rewards are tremendous. This investment brings with it a sweetness that cannot be found in any objects of this world, and it is one that lasts. We focus our attention in the right direction and use our time to fulfil the sole purpose for which we have come into this world: to realise ourselves and the Power. We do so through meditation.
As we focus, we commune with the Power that brought all creation into being. Our soul gets consumed with unimaginable love, joy and happiness. If we wish to uncover the luminosity and riches of our soul, spending some time daily in meditation can help. By sitting in meditation for some time each day, we would be using our time for lasting spiritual gains.
This spiritual awakening leads to a transformation from within. We become imbued with divine love, shedding the layers of mind, matter and illusion that cover our soul. Our attention shifts from the world outside and we begin to utilise the mechanism of meditation. So, with the help and guidance of a spiritual adept, we unravel the mysteries of life and death and help our soul find its way back to its Source.
BY SWAMI CHIDANAND SARASWATI
Mantras and japa help us to concentrate. We live in a world that is overflowing with sensory pleasures and stimulation.
Our lives are so busy with work, errands, chores and other things. Therefore, it is very difficult to simply still the mind. (The mind is always in a state of agitation.)
Mantras and japa serve as a bridge between this world and the divine realm. They offer us a way to transverse the water that may seem impassable.
In dharana, that is, concentration, there is a subject and an object. You, the subject, are concentrating on a mantra. This is the object of your concentration.
In meditation, the object disappears. The subject disappears. All become one. Rather than focusing on a mantra, you and the mantra become one.
In meditation, all borders, boundaries and separation between us and the universe begin to disappear. Once we develop that close, intimate bond with God, mantras and japa become less necessary.
Imagine that you love someone with all your heart. You don’t need to take a mala and recite her name over and over again with the beads of the mala in order to remember her.
Your heart automatically remembers. Similarly, once we have that deep love for God, we don’t need to continue doing japa to bring us into contact with Him. We will be in contact all the time. Our lives will become our japa.
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