Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Rationality

It is a common notion that in spirituality there is no rationality and spirituality is just a set of beliefs. This is one of the reasons, the persons with capability to look deep inwardly and the persons having the capability to question are shying away from spirituality and looking inwardly. Unfortunately the domain of spirituality is occupied by personalities (the majority) who believe spirituality has foundation on beliefs. And it is unfortunate that the crowd follows such personalities to become more dump and blindfold. Naturally the mass with questioning mind rejects such believers or those propagating the belief systems. Then another group with the name of rationalist, for them the meaning of rationality itself is unknown, evolved and attracted the questioning minds. Here also the questioning minds were mesmerized by the so called rationalists, who are again blind believers – in the sense, a total irrational non-belief. Their job is just convincing the questioning mind against the belief system on the name of rationality. Unfortunately, the already shattered questioning mind failed to recognize the irrationality in the argument of so called rationalities as their ego find security with the so called rationalists. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the population falls in to any one of these categories and failed to recognize the rationality in spirituality or irrationality in the argument of so called rationalists.

What is spirituality? Is it some thing like searching a heaven for us? Or is it some thing like getting the grace of some unknown entity? Or is it something like renounce every thing in our lives and search for something which is unknown? Or is it chanting some manthras regularly and performing some rituals on daily basis with extreme belief on something created by their own thoughts? Or is it living the life in hope? Or is it some thing like following certain rules and refuse to see the beauty of existence without any flexibility? Or is it some thing like living in places of worship? Or is it mastering and then just following the religious scriptures?

For me, none of them looks like spirituality. All of them are just entertainment or tools used to forget the severity of life or tools used to escape the challenges of life. Spirituality cannot be all these things. It must be a way of life – way of gracefully living the life. In living, there is no scope for blindness caused by beliefs. In living, each and every thing is based on cause and effect. There cannot be an effect with out a cause and there will not be any cause which is not producing any effect. Hence in spirituality, there is no scope for irrationality. If we are irrational, we cannot be in the path of spirituality. Or if we are irrational, actually we are not living our life. Spirituality is about understanding our life. It is about understanding the existence. It is living our life.

We can live our life only when we understand our life and understand the existence. Then, what we are living now is not a life? It may be a very difficult question to answer. If we are completely happy with our current way of life – whether it is a life with understanding or ignorance, then there is no scope for the above question. We are completely OK with our life and there is not at all a need for looking inwardly or outwardly or anywhere else, other than the current way of life. But in practice we are not OK with our life. We are always complaining for one or the other. If we say, we are perfect and the complaint is due to the problems created by others – It is due to complete ignorance. In such case we are not really living the life gracefully. Here is the need for understanding spirituality and hence understanding our life itself.

If we really live a spiritual life, we have the complete understanding of ourselves and the existence. Once we have that understanding, not belief of any sort, there is any scope for irrationality exists. On the other hand a rational way of living is spiritual living and spiritual living is completely rational.

But the general notion is against what is discussed here. If we go with the conditioning of this general notion we may miss to look into another possible way of living. If we are really rational, we may possibly question this general notion and find our way of living - a better way of living may be possible for us. It is up to us whether we would like to be rational or irrational – Completely gaining freedom from the conditioning by the general notion.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Awareness

Awareness is another jargon used in Indian philosophical and spiritual context. It may be appropriate to discuss it here. Even though the meaning of ‘awareness’ is straight forward, due to the constant use of it in philosophical discussions, it has become a jargon.
Awareness is the perception of ‘what is happening’ and ‘what is there’ from moment to moment. We know that there is nothing constant in this existent, except continuous change. At this moment we are not same as what we were in the last moment and will not be same as what we are now in the next moment – both physically and psychologically. As we do not have much awareness, we recognize this fact only during our birth day celebrations – we realise the change taken place within us only when we know, we have passed one more year and many of us still try to hide this change! The change is unavoidable for anything around us – For both animate and inanimate objects. The planets, stars, galaxies are changing with respect to their physical property as well as their position in the space from moment to moment. Even in the space, the contained energy states may be changing from moment to moment. This is a fundamental realization in the path of inward journey and without this realisation no possibility of looking inward. When we understand this fundamental and realise change as our way of life, the awareness may start blossom within us.

How far are we aware of these changes? We may be able to understand the changes after the change has been taken place by means of measurements, with the help of science and technology – but that is not awareness. It is just knowledge. The awareness is living. The extent of our living depends on the extent we are aware of the existing and the change of existing from moment to moment. On the other hand, if we are not aware of what is there and what is happening within and around us, we cannot claim ourselves as living entities.

Why are we unable to be aware of our life? For being aware, the brain have to be alert at all times. Our senses capture the change within and around us and send the information to the brain all the time. Whether we are aware or not, this functioning of senses is always happening. But we are living in a life where the brain is unable to process all the information received from senses. It is not that our brain is incapable of processing these information, but we are loading the brain with all psychological factors of fear, belief, pain, suffering, pleasure, desire………… When our brain is occupied with so many such (psychological) challenges, it spends its entire energy to find solution or escape from those challenges. Due to the enormous challenges it faces from time to time, escape from that challenge is the only possible way for survival of brain. On this struggle, the brain may start decaying also.

It is obvious that to be aware of happening in and around us or to be live in the right sense of living, our brain and hence mind has to be freed up from these psychological challenges. The freeing up of mind from the challenges is possible only if it is able to recognize and understands the real challenges. When the challenges are recognized and understood, those challenges will be no more challenges and hence the mind will be free from the thoughts generated by those challenges. Hence the brain is free with respect to space and energy to process the information received from senses. When the brain completely responds to all our senses, it is the ecstasy. Every one of us had had such an ecstasy, at least with lower intensity and momentarily, multiple times in our life. The irony is we are so insensitive that either we fail to recognize it or recognize it only after its completion. Hence it goes as an insignificant event.

One point to be noted with respect to fewer thoughts in mind is that it should not be achieved by controlling or concentration. If we concentrate our mind on certain things and bring it to a thoughtless state, what we are doing is contracting the mind to a single point. In this case, there is no space available within the mind for the awareness to flower. On the other hand, when we achieve thoughtless state by concentration, we will not be aware of anything else other than the point of concentration. Our current way of life is definitely better than such a contractive mind, at least now we are aware of our pain and sufferings.

When we are completely aware of happenings within and around us, in addition to the ecstasy, the intelligence may work at its peak. At this level of intelligence, we may not be having any choices to choose in the life. The intelligence may guide all our actions and we will be doing what is required for us.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Limit of Thoughts

We have a general notion that there is no limit for the thoughts. According to this general notion, thoughts can go anywhere and can see anything. But it is not. Thought has its limitations. It is the limitation of our ego and our knowledge. The thought can go only to the extent that the “me” or “I” or our ego can expand from its center. The knowledge is the contributing factor for expansion of ego.

Before understanding the limit of thoughts, we need to understand the domains of thoughts. As discussed earlier, thoughts can be divided into thoughts belongs to functional domain and thoughts belongs to psychological domain. Our education system just looks into knowledge on functional domain only. Probably the education system for philosophical studies may little bit relevance to the thoughts of psychological domain. Hence in general we give no attention to the psychological domain of thoughts and hence rarely able to distinguish between these two domains of thoughts. Due to this difference, thoughts belongs to psychological domain interfere with the thoughts belong to functional domain, which greatly affect our functioning in general.

In the functional domain, in general, we think to the extent it is required for our day-to-day life and work. In functional domain, hence it is clear that our thoughts are limited to our knowledge on that function. If our thoughts need to go to additional distance, we gain knowledge from different sources and let the thoughts to travel this additional distance. There is no confusion on this. We are the product of gradual evolution. If it is true, it may be possible that the entire knowledge of evolution/creation is embedded in our brain. Probably, only the knowledge invoked by our intelligence can be expressible by thoughts.


For understanding the psychological domain of thoughts, we have to understand what is the knowledge or memory within us, with respect to the psychological domain. Any act or knowledge or memory which sustains our ‘ego’ or ‘me’ or “I” within us is in the psychological domain. The knowledge or memory or thoughts which are totally irrelevant to the ‘ego’ or ‘me’ or ‘I’ is in the functional domain. In general, we are not giving any attention to the psychological domain of thoughts and hence it interferes with thoughts in functional domain. The result is that seldom we distinguish these thoughts within us.

Let us look into the limit of thoughts in the psychological domain. Knowledge or memory is the source of any thoughts. Hence the psychological knowledge is the source of our thoughts in the psychological domain. Any thoughts which sustain our ego are within the psychological domain.

The notion that there is no limit for our thoughts is because our thoughts can go anywhere which we have not seen by ourselves or the thoughts can live in prosperity which in reality we are not; the thoughts can perform any actions which in reality we are not capable of doing and so on. Is it that limitlessness of thoughts? It is not. It appears so because, we are not aware of the distinction between functional and psychological thought. If we see the psychological thoughts with respect to our functional limitation, the thought is limitless. But these two are two different domains and hence cannot be equated.

We may be at our home. Our thoughts might have completed a round across the globe and returned back our home. If we closely observe these thoughts, we can clearly understand that it can go to the countries and continents which we have some knowledge about. Our thoughts cannot visit a country about which we have absolutely no idea. Or our thoughts cannot visit any terrains in which we have absolutely no idea. The idea about the terrain which our thoughts are visiting might have gained by means of stories, mental projection of some thing we heard and so on. But there must be some knowledge about anything the mind is thinking. If there is no knowledge, the mind cannot think. On the other hand our knowledge is the limitation of our thoughts – The derived point from here is that if we gain freedom from our knowledge what so ever it be, we will be free from thoughts.

We know that all our problems in this life are due to the thoughts in psychological domain. To make it more clear, all our problems are created by us only – by our thoughts. Nobody else can create problems for us. The major part of the brain’s energy is wasted on this psychological domain, due to the problems created by thoughts. This energy can be preserved if and only if there are no more thoughts generated by the brain in the psychological domain. It is possible only when there is no need to sustain the ego. As long as there is ego, the brain is conditioned to sustain it and hence thoughts in the psychological domain. Hence the only possibility to preserve the energy is, possibly, by completely dissolving the ego. Dissolving the ego involves understanding of its content – the qualities and relationships. Understanding of the content is possible only if we are free from all our beliefs, fear, morality etc. Such a freedom is possible only if we have the willingness to gain freedom. Willingness is possible only if we know the possibilities. It is an endless circle. Somewhere we have to break the circle, if we are concerned with the significance of our lives. If not, just go with the flow as we are going now – No botheration about significance of life and what so ever it. Let us undergo, whatever happiness and pain the life is offering as well as the happiness and pain created by our own thoughts. If we ourselves are not concerned, nobody else, who so ever it may be, will come and save us, even if we call and cry to any extent.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Ego

Ego is another jargon we use very often while expressing our dissatisfaction with the behavior of somebody else and also in philosophical and religious (not ritualistic religion) studies. Hence it may be appropriate to get some insight in to this term “Ego”, which is referred as “I” or “Self”

It may not be very easy to understand the term “I”. If we really get a deep understanding of the term “I” and its real (un)importance in our life, probably all our problems will be solved. Hence it may not be an easy task. However, we may try to get an idea about this “I” and this idea can be translated into understanding. At this point we have to clear about one thing. All our psychological conditionings are due to the fact that we have some idea about everything. On the other hand, ideas are just the conditioning of our mind. Hence, if we are getting into an idea about “I” we must be aware of it purpose and sufficiently be free from this idea itself. Otherwise we may fall into just another conditioning and it will be an additional burden.

In the material sense, “I” refer to our body. It is obvious. When we enter into psychological or philosophical domain, defining the term “I” may not be easy. The Indian philosophies (Advitham, Dvaitham, Vishistadvaitham….) are referring the Atman as “I”. For all of us, if at all we are aware and thought about the term Atman, it is just an idea or belief. We might have built this idea based on the scriptures like Bagavad Githa or form write-up of Indian philosophies like Advaitham, Dvaitham, etc. For sure, none of us are having any experience of Atman if at all the Atman is existing and if any one of us has experience of Atman, for sure, the content of this blog are premature for them. As long as it is just a belief, there is no meaning in pursuing it. It will just block our awareness to reality. The above statements do not reject the idea of Atman, but just refuse to accept it either. The reason is that, if we are open about this idea, it may be possible to find it if it really exists, or go beyond and find the reality if it does not exist.

At this point, I would like to bring into a definition of theist and atheist which I came across recently. Theist make god and believe on him, atheist make god and disbelieve on him. Same is the case, if we happen to believe or disbelieve the concept of Atman. At our current level of knowledge on this thing, keeping it open will help enormously on our progress on such trivial issues.

By setting aside the term Atman, let us try to find the meaning of “I” or “Self”. In general, we use the term “I” to refer our qualities which we believe that we are possessing or refer the ownership of (material and social) relations we believe of having possession. What are these qualities and relationships? Qualities are the result of comparison. We constantly compare ourselves with others with respect to certain aspects and find a result. Then identify ourselves with that finding. This identification becomes the “I”. The comparison starts at very early stages of our life, induced by our parents. They start rewarding and punishing as for our actions at early stages of our life and the notion of good and bad starts from there. Once we starts identify good and bad, we starts identifying ourselves with those good/bad. Now the “I” or self has given birth. We start calling ourselves as good or bad. After this each of our activities and thoughts add additional layer of this “I” and now it has become a very thick junk

What is “I” with respect to relationships? The psychological relationships are due to our qualities of attachment and possessiveness. These two qualities were discussed earlier in this blog under the title Bondage & Freedom – 1 and Bondage & Freedom – 2.

All our actions and thoughts are forming additional layers of this “I”, it becomes our psychological center, and now we have the urge to grow this “I”. Hence endlessly attaching qualities over quality and strengthening the feeling of “I”. It has gone to the extent, now we cannot do anything without considering the center – the “I”. In most of the cases, we compare ourselves with others who are having less than what we are having, thus the “I” can be strengthened. But in some cases, the mind sees a danger for the “I” in this superior comparison, in such cases it looks for inferior comparison and secures the feeling of “I”.

If we are not comparing our wealth with anybody else, do we ever get the notion that we are rich or poor? In that case there is no identification that we are rich or poor. We earn money or spend money according to the need – there is no psychological barrier with respect to money at all. There will not be any urge to limitlessly earn or spend money at any cost and at any method. Hence, all thoughts associated with earning/spending money cease to exist. If we are not comparing our kindness towards other beings with that of others, do we ever get the notion that we are kind or non-kind towards others? In that case, there is no identification that I am kind or unkind person. We look into other beings as per the demand of situation. There will not be any urge due to the feeling of kindness/unkindness. In this case, all thoughts within us with respect to the quality of kindness cease to exist.

If we analyse our thoughts and actions, each and every one of them are around the “I” or “me”. All our thoughts strengthen the feeling of “I” and “me”. If we state this in terms of Karma, all our Karmas are due to the “I” or “me” and each Karma strengthen the existence of “I” and “me”. When the philosophies say understanding “Self” is the highest purpose of life, it must be in this context – meaning, understanding our qualities which wrap the “I”. When we deeply understand the qualities which we identify ourselves and clearly see the unworthiness of being attached with this quality, the mind drops the identification of ourselves with that quality without any effort. There is unlimited number of such qualities we are being attached with both in the outer layer of mind where we are aware and in the inner layer of mind where we are not aware, in the way we are living now. The understanding conscious level of identification brings in awareness within us and this awareness reveals the qualities in the unconscious level of mind. If we are free from all these identifications, there will be no more thoughts in our mind. The mind is free and enormous amount of space available within it, in which the awareness flowers by itself.

Here we must be clear that we have to have things like “My Money”, “My bank Account”, “My House” etc. These things belong to the functional domain. For our day-to-day life, we have to have these things. Renouncing in spiritual sense really means renouncing the identification we have and not renouncing the family, wealth, home and getting into saffron dress or moving into some ashram.

The sense of psychological “I” or “me” is the ego. When we lose the sense of “I” it is not unconsciousness – It is the state of extreme awareness. The awareness is not because of any superficies thing. It is just because when we do not have the sense of “I”, there will not be any thoughts in our mind – we will not be living in the past or future. There will be infinite space within our mind and we live in that moment – live at the current moment. The meaning is our brain may be having enormous amount of energy so that it responds to all the senses instantaneously. At this level of living, we will be able to perceive each and every thing happening within us and around us, as our mind is extremely free for being aware of all our senses. It is ecstasy of life!

Every one of us must have had such feeling of extreme awareness (of at least our senses) momentarily at many occasions. The moment of extreme Joy and the moment of sex are few such occasions. We are capable of having such moments at all times. The only thing we have to do is completely forgo our ego! It is not a dream – Possible for every one of us, in this life itself, if we are willing.