Braving the elements

I was recently driving from Sheffield to Manchester and in the course of a one-hour journey experienced everything from torrential rain to brilliant sunshine, with even some spells of high winds and hail stones. To say it was a mixed bag would be an understatement. I have rarely experienced a week of consistent weather in this country.

While driving I was reflecting how the life of an advancing spiritualist is comparable to the weather. Just like the brilliant sunshine, there are moments of great insight, enthusiasm and inspiration, but unexpectedly the heavens can open up, with times of disappointment and insecurity, and even spells of apathy and disinterest. The spiritualist plays the role of a doctor, offering advice and wisdom to others, but the spiritualist is also a patient experiencing his own struggles and tribulations.

With each downpour of rain, we comfort ourselves knowing that it rarely continues for the entire day. At some point it will stop. Similarly, the spiritualist keeps his struggles in perspective, knowing they are temporary obstacles which will be eradicated with dedicated, focused spiritual practice. With each downpour of rain, we run for cover and find some shelter from the elements. Nobody wants to get wet. Similarly, the aspiring spiritualist finds shelter in the ancient scriptures, the spiritual teachers and fellow practitioners, all helping us keep everything in perspective. Each downpour of rain is often greatly uncomfortable for us, although we can also appreciate the weather is greatly benefitting the vegetation and plant life. Similarly, the spiritualist always reflects how the greatest struggles are also causing the greatest transformation and purification of consciousness. In this way, the struggling spiritualist learns to brave the elements… rain or shine.

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Mind Control & Brainwashing

The Bhagavad-gita contains numerous discussions on controlling the mind. In the context of modernity that terminology may not be so well received. Mind control is synonymous to brainwashing - something used by dangerous cults to manipulate people and prevent them from thinking for themselves. This all stems from the popular notion that we are the mind.

The Bhagavad-gita however, explains that the mind is simply a tool. We are spirit souls inhabiting material bodies, and the mind acts as an interface between the two. It’s almost like the software that allows a person to operate the hardware of a computer. To use another analogy, the bodily senses can be compared to horses, the mind to the reins, and the intelligence to the driver. The safest and most successful journey is one where the well-informed driver confidently controls the horses by expert handling of the reins.

Thus, one who is able to control the mind can experience true freedom, guided by intelligence instead of instinct. The instinct dictates one to do what feels good now, whereas the intelligence guides one to do that which will have a good effect. Thus, the whole thrust of meditation and spiritual practice is to allow the soul to make spiritually enlightened decisions in life, where the mind becomes an instrument in their implementation. In this context, far from de-humanizing and dulling the individual, mind control allows one to break free of materialistic pressures and truly exhibit their personality and individuality.

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The Great Escape

The world today has a long list of pressing problems: the time bomb of environmental issues, struggling economies and the credit crunch, social complications like crime, and the widespread poverty and deprivation of millions, to name but a few. In a recent conversation, somebody proposed spirituality as convenient escape from such realities – a comfortable retreat away from the real problems that plague our existence. As the spiritualist absorbs his thoughts in death and the afterlife, he conveniently avoids the real world surrounding him… the world that he is too lazy (or too scared) to face.

I explained how the Bhagavad-gita is not disconnected from the social context we live in. The teachings are geared toward creating spiritual solutions for the prevailing issues of the day. When someone is admitted to hospital, then help is provided from the nurses and the doctors. The nurses attend to the day-to-day comfort of the patient, while the doctors painstakingly rack their brains to perform an operation that will provide the permanent solution. While we appreciate the comfort that the nurses offer, who would want to be in a hospital full of nurses, but devoid of doctors? The spiritualists can be likened to the doctor – those who have the broader vision and knowledge to find out the root of suffering and address that directly. Those who have the insight to create a permanent change.

As I reflected later, that point of escaping reality struck me as a great irony. Of all the ‘real’ problems in the world today (problems that seem to periodically come and go with the times), the one real problem that everybody faces but nobody wants, is the problem of death. The irony is that the spiritualist, who is trying to address this universal and strikingly ‘real’ problem, is being labelled the escapist. On the contrary, the spiritualist is moving closer to reality – addressing the issues that nobody else can really touch.

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Full Of It

The desire for respect and recognition runs deep. They say that at the age of 20 we are extremely worried about what people think of us, by the time we reach 40 we don't really care anymore, and eventually when we reach 60 we realise nobody was thinking about us anyway! In a discussion at the temple recently a senior monk was explaining how many people who spend thousands of pounds on flash sports cars are not really buying the metal and mechanics - what they are buying is the adoration, respect and stunned looks of others. It takes a lot of energy to get recognised in this world... but is it really worth it?

As we respect and appreciate others around us, we feel a satisfaction and fulfilment that is far beyond any kind of personal aggrandizement. Real happiness lies in a spirit of selflessness where we are sensitive to the needs, interests and concerns of others, and more eager to bring attention and recognition to them. Abraham Lincoln once said “it’s amazing what you can achieve when you don’t care for getting the credit”.

Pride blocks our intelligence and discrimination, and prevents us from uncovering our true spiritual identity. If we are ‘full of it’, there is no room for spiritual happiness to manifest within our heart. Thus, as our tree of spirituality grows, it is essential that the roots of humility go deep, and the weeds of pride are immediately removed. As humble as a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, and ready to offer all respects to others, not desiring any respect for oneself – these are the cardinal principles of spiritual life.

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Boiling Point

"One who is composed in a moment of anger can save themselves a hundred days of sorrow" (Chinese proverb). Anger is an emotion that most of us come face-to-face with on multiple occasions every day. A recent survey in America revealed that over 60% of office workers have seriously contemplated physically harming their boss! In our angry moments we think, say, and do things we usually regret later. As they say, anger is one letter short of danger.

Anger comes from unrealistic expectations of reality. The Bhagavad-gita explains how we are all trying to take the position of being the Supreme controller in this world. We try to control situations, control people, and control the objects around us. When we fail, we become frustrated and angry. Everyone boils at different degrees, but one who has unrealistic expectations in life will repeatedly face the problem of anger.

All that is available at our disposal is our best efforts. Living a spiritual life means we try our best and simultaneously understand that there are factors involved beyond our control. An experienced monk once told me, "if you want to make God laugh then just tell him your plans!" Acting free of anger ensures that all actions in life are performed with the clarity of spiritual intelligence, and thus we can avoid all the physiological, emotional and societal ramifications of this destructive emotion.

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The Logic of Reincarnation

The notion of eternal damnation always baffled me. One shot to decide your destiny forever? What if you make a mistake? What if you get influenced by bad company? What if you die early trying to have a good time at university? I guess you could say in each of those situations you did have a choice, but the punishment still seems extremely disproportionate. In this world of unlimited distractions, temptations and allurements, every spiritual practitioner knows it’s a minefield – wouldn’t God be a bit more understanding?

It’s difficult to picture the Perfect Being, subjecting His own dear creation to extreme torture and suffering for eternity. The most incredible thing about this persecution is that it has nothing positive or progressive coming from it – He just tortures you again and again and again. Forever... it doesn’t stop. You can understand why people would be put off. Furthermore, there are so many unanswered questions and loose ends. What happens to a baby who is born and then dies without making any conscious decisions or actions: heaven or hell? What about someone who is mentally ill and cannot make rational choices: heaven or hell? If it’s a one life game, it definitely looks as though God has stacked the deck in favor of some.

The Bhagavad-gita explains that through the process of reincarnation, the spiritual being is given repeated chances to evolve his consciousness to perfection over time. Whatever good or bad the soul experiences in this world is ultimately an educational program aimed at refining his understanding about the self and the real purpose in life. In this way, the concepts of Karma & Reincarnation help one understand the unlimited compassion of the Perfect Being, in the midst of whatever life situations one may be currently experiencing.

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River of Names

A few days ago I unexpectedly bumped into a university friend whom I hadn’t spoken to for nearly ten years. He is getting married in two weeks and has achieved many things in his career since leaving university. In certain ways our respective paths in life turned out quite different, but in other ways I discovered that we share many of the same spiritual principles. It would definitely be interesting to have a university reunion after twenty years and see where everyone ended up. Life has its interesting twists and turns.

The ancient scriptures explain that this world is like a river of names where some strands of straw join for some time, but downstream they all separate and go their own ways. You could say the world is just like an airport transit lounge. We all come from different backgrounds, catching planes to different destinations, and in the meantime we establish relationships amongst each other. Who can deny temporal relationships of this world? Even if two people stay committed to each other for life, the inevitable reality of death will separate them. So does that mean all relationships are meaningless and simply a waste of time?

While we relate to others on a bodily level, the relationships will only endure the length of this body. We may talk of having a connection with someone after they leave, but the strength of that connection is based on how much we have related to them as a spirit soul, part of the Supreme Spirit. So in this river of names, where we take on certain roles, responsibilities, positions and personas, the real challenge is to get beyond all the superficiality and temporary designations and get to the essence of the person. We are not human beings on a spiritual journey – rather we are spiritual beings on a human journey. This human journey affords an amazing opportunity to establish spiritual relationships which last for eternity.

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Boot Camp

As monks we rise very early everyday, wear the standard simple uniform, chant the same prayers, follow a simple diet, maintain very few possessions… I won’t go on too much else you may be completely put off! A neutral observer may find this spiritual path much like an army regime. Where is the room for personal expression? Isn’t spirituality a natural and spontaneous affair of the heart? Surely there must be more to it than a set of mechanical operations. Is the spiritual path supposed to be like boot camp?

Imagine you sat down to write your deepest thoughts in a letter to a friend. If you didn’t go through the basics of grammar and spelling, meticulously memorize the vocabulary of the language and sit through a good number of English classes to learn about sentence formation, you probably wouldn’t be able to naturally express anything in your writing. Music composers often convey their deepest emotions through their instruments. However, the background to that is hours of painstaking and monotonous practice to learn how to actually operate that instrument.

In other words, the regime brings us to the spontinaeity. A premature exhibition of natural expression may not be the deepest and most profound spiritual realization. The consciousness must be purified, and then the self (free of any material misconceptions) can fully exhibit the original spiritual persona. So on one hand, spiritual life cannot be reduced to simply a set of mechanical operations, but on the other hand, they are very powerful processes given by great teachers to help us elevate our consciousness beyond the material.

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