There is neither in this world nor the world beyond, happiness, for the one who doubts
-- Srimad Bhagavad Gita
The road to self-realization is laced with some of the most effective deterrents, I believe, often playing it hard on the people who choose to traverse it! It is an ongoing process, quite like living life every day anew until the end, and hence should not be confused with a destination one arrives at, after a length of travel.
I had the good fortune to visit The Ramakrishna and Sharada Math, last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the call, trying to understand at first hand the people who were part of these illustrious associations and their austere lives engaged in a perpetual and undeterred quest for self-realization!
Perhaps the most difficult thing, for someone such as me, is to renounce material possessions and worldly comforts in the pursuit of spiritual excellence. Therefore, to see people younger than me, having already done so and embarked on such a fruitful journey was unsettling yet promising!
If anything, it is the mind, which is the chief constituent of any decision making exercise, that needs to be reigned in, in order to make free will differentiable from acts as a result of cause and effect - or so I believe!
Leaving these splendid places and returning to the humdrum of my routinated life, having savoured moments of unequaled comfort and solace, the lesson was certainly not lost on me that the knowledge of the self and its realization are known to the one who thinks of them as the unknowable and not to the one who thinks he knows!
Tag – Tough Elevens!
4 hours ago
37 comments:
change is constant...the basis for evolution
'I'am a collection of memories.same like the memory i have about you.but why am "I "-that specific collection become more important than other memories for me?Is that just because that "I" am in the habit of always dealing with that"I"-collection more than others?
very very good post
sincere&simple
cheers
One who doesn't know the self...wouldn't know the pain of the other.....But then, one who doesn't know the pain of an other can never know the self...
To bring happiness into self and into the other isn't fun...its much deep!
They call me for yoga, bhajans, spiritual gatherings and the like...rather than that...I prefer fun with children! :)
(Not that -- I am not introduced to spiritualism or do not meditate...thats my personal matter...and have met quite a few of this spiritual groups...The only one I could talk with comfort was my cousin- you know Swami Thanmaya....his smile does wonders to me. :)
met him anytime near?
i need to mail him...long since i wrote,
wishes,
devika
nice.
SO true ..
you got a new follower :)
Keep Writing
Rakesh it is important to find a balance among the two. I agree with your point that we need to have a control over our mind, I guess it will only help us in our daily lives too....we need to make an attempt to find that way
I guess we all can be worldly ascetics.. control certain vices and reign the beast of mind.. leaving everything for the spiritual pursuits isn’t something which I would approve.. the Spartan courage is in balancing both lives.. is what I think ..though I am very much a hedonist… so not the right kind of person to comment on such matters…
btw .. great to know you ask yourself these questions .. you seek and visit such awe-inspiring places.. that in itself says a lot about the level conscious you possess.. great..
Good post Rakesh.. You know my thoughts are quite akin to yours..
The world and everything material in it is said to be like a dream and not permanent. Everything goes through a transformation and loses its identity but the process of change is gradual and therefore gives it a feeling of reality..
Today information is mistaken to be knowledge. People who have information and memory are regarded as really wise. But the person who is really wise is the one who knows the difference between what is real and what is unreal.
I am glad to see a thought provoking post in your blogspot which attracts a lot of visitors. Hopefully, you have triggered a thought in the minds of your visitors and readers..
cheers
Good post :) I love Bhagavad Gita.. one of the most amazing ever :)
very thought provoking...
nice...
Materialism is very much a part of our pursuit to the truth - like spiritualism, it also teaches us a lot but only, we need to observe more carefully!
Destination Infinity
Too much for my little brain :D :D :D
Unsettling Was Your Post Too (Per Me)
Interesting post.
It sounds all so true ;)
Have a wonderful day my friend
:)
a very good thought sir...
self realisation is not a destination...
its a process..
an enlightening post..!!
a very good thought sir...
self realisation is not a destination...
its a process..
an enlightening post..!!
a very good thought sir...
self realisation is not a destination...
its a process..
an enlightening post..!!
I like traveling more than destination, because it doesn’t have a stop like the learning process never ends. Yes, self realization is must and only then we know what we what and can pass in a safe path. A needy and thoughtful post rakesh!
Just a response to Jeevan and RVP's comments...
self realisation is the realisation that self is one with God and you and me are same and part of One Whole...
Its not a process, its not a dangerous path....But yes, practicing it in this world which often shows up its evil face...it becomes a tiring process...But then, we can have civilised ways to deal that,
just thought of sharing my thoughts Rak...it isn't complete for the vastness of the subject it covers,
wishes,
devika
Magiceye
Right you are! Change is the only constant and the true basis for evolution!
Cheers
Rakesh
MIP
Wonderful thoughts! You sound straight out of the scriptures! Having said that your question makes me ponder, without a ready answer!
Thanks for your comments!
Cheers
Rakesh
Devika Chechi
I quite agree! For one to be cognizant of another, one needs to be sure of the self!
I will be meeting Swami Tanmaya on my visit to Ooty! Its been a long while now!
Cheers
Rakesh
Arnav
Thanks very much! Your encouragement and support makes me feel stronger and purposeful
Cheers
Rakesh
Shahid
Right, it is very imperative to strike a working balance between the two and often choosing the middle path – one that has been embarked upon by statesmen, exponents of philosophy and ambassadors of religious inter-exchange and coexistence!
Cheers
Rakesh
Aria
As you said a choice and its making lies in the mind and finds inspiration and will from within! I too, don’t really subscribe to total renouncement, but maybe that is also because of my deep rooted attachment and the fear of letting go!
Thanks, as always for your wonderful words!
Cheers
Rakesh
Vishwanath Sir
So long as we realize the duality in our existence and further our lives, we run the chance of a smooth passage! But that isn’t often, is it?
Thanks very much for your appreciation! I’m truly elated!
Cheers
Rakesh
Vibu
Thanks very much! Yes – the Gita is among my favorites too! Its hard for it not to be that way, isn’t it?
Cheers
Rakesh
Jeet
I’m glad you found it that way!
Cheers
Rakesh
DI
Indeed – a lot of what we seek is material and thus the deep rooted paradox in our lives, at all times!
Cheers
Rakesh
Vimmuuu
Why so????? Are you being modest???
Cheers
Rakesh
Vee
Why???? What part of it was unsettling????
Cheers
Rakesh
Anya
Thanks very much! I hope you are doing well now!
Cheers
Rakesh
Rahul
Thanks very much Sir! Well, I too would like to believe that self-realization is a process and not a destination until one attains that sense of being that is visited only by those who are accorded the chance – or course through their perseverance that is!
Cheers
Rakesh
Jeevan
Me too – I like traveling since the process itself is fun filled and worth the experience. Sadly after attaining the destination, the fun seems lost and the goal seems attained!
Thanks very much!
Cheers
Rakesh
Devika Chechi
I do agree when you say that “self realization is the realization that self is one with God and you and me are same and part of One Whole...”
But until one truly attains such as state, isn’t it a process of becoming better and expanding ones horizons to further the process for which one has begun the journey?
Cheers
Rakesh
Sure Rak...But the way is not the same for all.....
Budha had his way, Vivekananda had his....Sai, Sri Narayana Guru all had their ways....so does Osho...even Gandhiji -- We never undermine any...though we may have preferences :)
wishes,
devika
Rak, hope uou know why I said of these Gurus...
self realisation is a path which you can't tread in the absence of a Guru....and it should be only one...mixing up different teachings causes confusion...while you may study all, one is to be taken to heart...and followed...then its easy...each day, each moment is as fresh as the morning dew...yet there is continuity :)
wishes,
devika
Devika Chechi
Oh yes - I completely agree to your point of view that for every person, the path is different and that it is often approached with a different perspective - while the objective remains pretty much the same!
And yes, as you said, the need for a Guru is paramount and one cannot, rather should not embark upon a journey of sorts without assistance from someone of a much more enlightened stature!
Cheers
Rakesh
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