All your eggs in one basket...

Many people choose to reserve judgement when it comes to the cosmic questions of life. Does God exist? Is life a one-shot game or is there more after death? Different religions, different theories, and different directives – it can all be a bit confusing. There is a notion that it’s dangerous to put ‘all your eggs in one basket’ by making a firm decision to follow a certain spiritual path. “Maybe I should keep all the options open and focus on being a good person” one may think. Spread the bet.

Interestingly we are all ultimately forced to make a choice. You may reserve judgement on God, but you still decide to live in the world in a certain way, and underpinning your lifestyle choices are certain worldviews. Everyone places their faith in something, even if they don’t believe in God. So we may be afraid of the repercussions of making the wrong decision, but we’ll have to make a decision anyway. By making a choice not to do one thing, you necessarily make a decision to do something else.

In my experience, the problem may not be that we have too many differing options, but rather that we are simply too lazy (or disinterested) to investigate the matter. I was recently walking down Oxford Street when I saw a man come out of the travelagents with about 20 holiday brochures. I’m sure he’s not planning 20 holidays, but rather wants to invest his yearly £1000 budget wisely – after all, it’s a lot money and there is a lot at stake! However, it seems that when it comes to questions of the ultimate destination we want the answer to just jump out at us without any kind of personal endeavour. Rather than allowing worldly trends to sweep us into the default path of life, we may do well to make even a passing investigation into classical literatures like the Bhagavad-gita, which give profound insights into the perennial mysteries of our existence. A little research goes a long way.

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Trapped in the web

Mankind has seen incredible progress in science and technology in the last few centuries. From bullock carts to Concorde planes, from pigeon messengers to i-phones, from palm leaves to laptop computers, from herbal medicines to IC Units, and from swords and spears to atom bombs and guided missiles. But has it really liberated us, or have we become even more enmeshed in a web of complexity?

Lose your mobile phone or experience a hard disk failure on your laptop, and life grinds to a standstill. It feels like being disconnected from reality. Day-to-day survival becomes a challenge. The latest standstill in international flights has underlined this phenomenon. Gadgets, inventions and modern technologies have become such an integrated part of daily life that we can’t live without them!They say life was much simpler when apples and blackberries were just fruits.

We may try to conquer nature through technological discovery, feeling a sense of victory as we transcend the boundaries of time and space and make unthinkable things achievable. This often leads to a kind of atheistic outlook where man sees himself as the master of all he surveys. “Acts of God” like the recent volcanic ash, however, remind us that although we may try to become masters of nature, we are not actually in control. We may try to become free of natural laws through technology, but then we become subservient and dependent upon that same technology. Mother Nature is more powerful that any invention. She ultimately reigns supreme, and we are forced to comply with her workings. It’s a humbling experience to realise that there is a higher power beyond our control.

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News of the World

Stepping onto a late-evening central line train I saw a familiar sight – old newspapers lying around everywhere. Nobody wanted a second look. The world is constantly changing, new information surfaces, and what we heard yesterday (or even earlier today) no longer stimulates the mind. We need new revelations to hold our attention. Even bestselling novels can only be read a few times at most. Spiritual literature, on the other hand, seems timeless. I recently met someone who had read the Bhagavad-gita over thirty times... cover-to-cover!

Depth of spirituality may not necessarily come from acquiring masses of information or discovering esoteric truths that the layman may be unaware of. Rather, it’s about realizing and internalizing essential truths deep within our heart and consciousness. Spiritual wisdom can be read again and again, since it speaks to you differently at different times in your life. As we connect our life experiences to the ancient insights of great sages we find that the divine guidance is relevant in all times, places, and circumstances. Those divine words are not repetitive or hackneyed, but are full of eternal significance.

Practically everyone enjoys a juicy mango. Although they cyclically arrive with the seasonal changes, year after year, the sweet and relishable taste neither disappears nor diminishes. Rumour has it that they taste even better with ice-cream! Spiritual knowledge is just like that sweet mango – it is pleasing to the soul no matter how many times you have heard it before. Furthermore, that knowledge becomes even more relishable when not just read, but discussed, debated and imbibed with the input of genuine spiritualists.

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Yoga is Balance

Think of yoga and it conjures up images uncomfortable breathing patterns and awkward postures which test your balance. With a 6ft 5 body, balance has always been a problem! Of course, most people understand that yoga is more than a health regime. It is actually the process by which we spiritualize our entire being and harmonize it with God. However, this type of internal transformation via yoga also requires a certain kind of balance – a balanced attitude and character. A good attitude and approach to spirituality can help overcome all obstacles that worldly life may pose.

This ideal attitude must incorporate many different elements. One must be incredibly enthusiastic and greedy to advance in ones spiritual realization, but at the same time one must exhibit great patience. One must exude confidence and determination, but simultaneously remain meek and humble. One must open the heart in ones spiritual relationships, but also be thick-skinned in challenging times and embody steadiness. The spiritualist must selflessly engage with the world and its people, yet at the same time remain safe within his own sacred space of consciousness.

Often, it is the unbalanced approach which either stagnates one’s growth or renders one’s growth unsustainable. We may add many floors to a skyscraper building and many will marvel at its magnificence. However, if the foundations do not simultaneously grow deeper, then the building will simply become more and more susceptible to falling down. We must keep the balance.

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Home Game

I never understood home advantage. You’re playing against the same players, using the same ball, running on the same grass, and trying to score in the same-sized goalposts. What’s the difference? Well, the familiar environment and encouraging crowd have a huge effect. Every football pundit will tell you – when you play at home, even before you step onto the pitch it’s as if your one goal up. No doubt, any team will grab the opportunity to play at home.

Spirituality is also easier when you have home advantage. ‘Home’ consists of the right habits, the right diet, the right atmosphere and the right company. To become fully selfless, humble, tolerant and completely dedicated to pleasing God is a difficult task. However, that huge internal transformation can come about when we diligently (and seemingly mechanically) make all the small external changes. Sometimes we brush off these small details of spirituality as insignificant and unimportant in the bigger picture. However, these details are there for a reason. They are the small steps that help lead to the big change of heart we are all searching for.

How clean is our environment? How regulated are we in habits of eating and sleeping? How careful are we about the tone and content of our speech? Pure action leads to pure mind which leads to pure consciousness. Gradually the spiritualist readjusts his life little-by-little. In this way, he rests in a sacred space of consciousness, a temple of peace... the spiritual ‘home ground’ where it’s easier to remember who you are and what your purpose really is.

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Conservative or Liberal?

From a layman’s point of view, the Vedic culture may seem to delineate quite conservative social boundaries for women. Some may call this restriction, oppression, even subjugation, but one could also see it as a symbol of respect. The woman plays one of the most important roles in society. They are giving birth to and nurturing the future generation. These children will be tomorrow’s leaders, and the wellbeing and prosperity of society rests upon them. It’s no small task – for the woman or the child.

When the president attends a social function he is surrounded by numerous security staff and bodyguards. This is not because he is regarded as incapable, irresponsible or weak. It is in fact, quite the opposite. The protection is a sign of the reverence and appreciation that society holds for his position and responsibility. The president readily accepts such arrangements, knowing them to be for his personal protection and simultaneously favourable for the execution of his duties. The Vedic culture unhesitatingly gave the same status to women.

Whenever any culture is analyzed it is imperative that we understand the goal behind it. If you see a shopper at Tesco's dressed in a spacesuit it may well raise a few eyebrows. However, if you go to a NASA space station and see a similarly dressed person stepping into a shuttle you won’t blink an eyelid. Why? In the second scenario, the culture, the goal and how they link together is extremely clear. Life’s ultimate goal is to understand we are all spirit souls – man or woman, black or white, it’s all inconsequential. The culture of the Vedas aims to create a peaceful, progressive and supportive environment within which everyone can fully utilise their opportunity to achieve life’s ultimate goal. Although the psycho-physical traits of our bodies are undoubtedly temporary, to acknowledge and address them is extremely important in everyone's spiritual journey.

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Decisions... Decisions...

Ever been in a dilemma? Making decisions can be a painstaking process. In the first chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna makes the decision not to fight the battle. His line of thinking is as follows. He fears that if he kills elders, the family tradition will be vanquished. This will cause a rise in irreligion and in particular a neglectful attitude towards the protection of women. The subsequent promiscuity will result in ‘unplanned’ children being born into unstable family situations without proper care and support. These children will unfortunately create disturbances in society, which will perpetuate the situation and gradually lead to social degredation and mayhem. When I read that I thought ‘wow!’ I don’t think I've ever considered the ramifications of any life-decision that deeply and thoroughly!

Arjuna doesn’t simply think about what will happen in his time, but what will happen for thousands of years after he is gone. He doesn’t simply think abut how it will affect the happiness of his own family, but considers the ramifications for the entire society. He doesn’t simply think about the economic and social ramifications of his decision, but considers the spiritual ramifications on himself and others. Arjuna was definitely a deep thinker.

This is the incredible consideration that goes into the decisions of a spiritualist. They don’t act in a whimsical and self-centred way. Decisions are taken with great consideration and reflection. As the poet Dunn once said – no man is a social island. All of our actions and decisions affect others. The spiritualist knows the art of making the right life decisions so as to have the most positive impact on the world, as well as his own progressive spiritual journey. Decision-making requires great clarity, and such clarity comes from discussion and contemplation. As the French moralist Joubert remarked, “It’s better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it”

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Absolute Knowledge

Life is hectic. I like to read spiritual literature on a daily basis but quite often it’s just not possible. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna uses a number of metaphors to describe the power of transcendental knowledge (jnana).

Jnana-agni – “The fire of knowledge”. The Vedic literatures explain how we enter this world with a karmic ‘bank balance’. Day-to-day experiences are not just random occurrences or token challenges disposed by an insensitive God who wants His subjects to suffer. Rather, the purpose of karma is educational. You could call it cosmic sensitivity training. Experiences and events are meant to teach us a better way to live and interact with the world. If one accrues such understanding by reading books, and imbibes such knowledge within themselves, then such karma is not required. Thus, knowledge is described as the fire which can burn up all of one's karmic reactions.

Jnana-plava – “The boat of knowledge.” The world we live in is compared to an ocean. We may occasionally go for a dip, but eventually we need to return to our natural habitat. Salt water and dangerous creatures make things a little uncomfortable. Similarly, although there is undoubtedly some pleasure in this world, nobody can escape the harsh realities. There are distresses caused by one’s own body and mind, distresses caused by other living beings and distresses caused by nature. Spiritual knowledge is the boat which protects one from the sufferings of this oceanic world and simultaneously carries one across to the spiritual realm where unending and ever-increasing happiness is found.

Jnana-dipena – “The lamp of knowledge.” Walking in the dark is quite dangerous. You struggle to reach your desired destination and in the process you get a few painful knocks. The lamp of knowledge acts to warn us of the possible obstacles and impediments that we may come across in our spiritual endeavours. Amidst so many worldly demands, the lamp of knowledge also keeps our consciousness awake to the ultimate goal of life, ensuring we reach the correct destination at the end of our sojourn in this world.

Jnana-asina – “The sword of knowledge.” Leave your garden unattended for a year and many weeds will manifest. The longer you neglect them, the harder they are to uproot. After a while you may just give up. Similarly, the garden of spirituality will have its fair share of weeds in the form of doubts. Am I missing out on something? Have I made the right decisions? Will I be able to continue on this path for the rest of my life? Leave those doubts unattended and they become quite deep-rooted. Thus, knowledge is compared to a sword which cuts the doubts, and helps one remain determined and fixed on the spiritual journey.

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