A lovely message for one and all on this holy day!
Focus on the Present!
It is all illusion of the Mind!
The peculiarity of the universe is ‘it is an illusion created by the mind like the mirage in the desert”. But, none will accept this theory since all rely on their sensory inputs and believe it as real. One thing about this phenomenal universe is “it is changing every moment in all possible ways and directions. Not only the planets are moving at great speed, the weather system never remains stable at any point of time. Seemingly calm at a moment, depression forms somewhere in the surface of the sea which has a cascading effect on the entire weather system! The weatherman says, ‘low trough has formed which may develop into cyclonic storm assisted by wind pattern. The entire oceans are connected in many ways and the land portions are those above the sea levels. During earthquakes of high magnitude which may trigger a Tsunami, even several low level areas are submerged. Thus cyclonic storms will alter the lives of people and cattle in moments. None can claim, ‘this is mine that is yours! We have seen terrific floods destroy multistory buildings in few minutes. How much toil one might have undergone to build such buildings brick by brick spending enormous wealth? In front of the fury of nature, man is powerless like a straw of grass. Even without such natural fury, many empires crumbled due to devastating wars and famine. What is left in the history is few ornamental pillars and walls from the great Roman and Greek empire. The Pyramids are the only monuments which glorify the culture of Egypt and the great river Nile!
Observing the momentary nature of everything, great philosophers have asserted that the created universe is farce! There is only one definition about Truth. What changes cannot be called Truth. Truth is always the same irrespective of time, space or causation! We can assign only one word for Truth and that is God. Yes, all scriptures assert “God is Truth” Let us ponder over certain points. Truth is not related to time. Truth is ancient. Truth is before creation. In fact, all things originated only from Truth, sustained by Truth and absorbed in Truth. Truth is ever prevailing! There was no moment when Truth is not. This is the fundamental philosophy of what we perceive as creator and creation. Creation is related to time and space whereas Truth is beyond time and space. It is like the empty space which contains everything! These are all ‘imponderables’ for the ordinary human mind. Mind thrives in past and future and the present moment is ‘anathema’ to the mind. All the thoughts hover around either the past events or future plans. None is focused on the present moment. If he is able to fix his mind only on the “Present moment”, he will be enjoying perennial Bliss. Yes, this is the secret of happiness which won’t be affected by any other thought.
Realize deeply!
Focus on the Present Moment!
“The Power of Now” written by Eckhart Tolle deals with the subject of present moment in great length! It is a practical guide to perennial wisdom! He also had his share of sufferings and depression. But a chance immersion in the powers of soul made him to dwell on the philosophical value of “Now”. The book is a great eye opener to all the suffering humanity. The fly will never go near the fireplace. In fact, the focus of the present moment is akin to the fireplace to the fly! If we observe our thoughts in an impatient manner, we will observe that all thoughts center on the body and its well being. The mind always focuses on thoughts to keep the body in comforts. The mind falsely believes that happiness lie in comforts, luxury and wealth. But the mind is not aware of one fact that all the pleasures enjoyed by the senses are fickle and momentary! Hence the mind should not be allowed to wander as per its fancies. The intellect should rule over the mind and the mind must be made to obey the intellect. This is the right process. But when we try to control the mind, it will resist in all ways. The best way to control the mind is to witness the thoughts without getting involved! It is simple observation from outside the mind. Yes, stand apart from the thought process. With practice one can start observing the mind from outside!
Dale Carnegie has written a beautiful book, “How to stop worrying and start living? In one of the chapter, he advises the readers to live n air tight compartment! What he wants to convey is simple. “Focus on one work at a time, without worrying about dealing with other tasks. After finishing a task, we may focus on the next job. We cannot ride on two horses at a time. These are all simple practical lessons for everyone. One may be a menial labor and the other may be a Chief Executive of a fortune 500 company. The above advice is applicable to both! Whether it is a simple task or complicated one requiring meticulous planning, one needs to focus only at the task at hand at a given time! Whether one treads the mundane life or spiritual path, one need to focus only on one task at a time!
Be Present!
Everyone wants Happiness here!
Everyone wants to reap happiness through his toil and that is the reason everyone engages himself in some task or other. The only problem is ‘most of us are not aware where happiness lies or how it can be obtained. Material life can never lead to perennial happiness! It is ever changing, momentary. Only in the realm of spirit, man can hope to reap unadulterated bliss. All else is illusion! How long one will gather wealth and properties? When one becomes old and cripple, he will resent the wastage of time spent in earning and hoarding. The birds never gather anything for the morrow. Hence the birds are enjoying the freedom of existence. Man alone is bogged down by the load of cares and concerns in maintaining his family and planning for the future. If he rely on god’s will and providence, doing his duties for duties sake, his needs will be supplied by the almighty. What is lacking is ‘faith in god”. Many wise people surrender their little will and look at god as the sole protector of the entire cosmos. They have nothing to worry for here or hereafter! Develop absolute Faith in God and abide his will without any care or anxiety! This is the way to Bliss which will release us from this mundane existence!