Learning....

...an eternal process

I have always loved to learn new things. But now my latest fad is to learn many things, only to discover the unity between all subjects of learning. Whether it is singing, instrumental music, bharatanatyam, kung fu, karate and other martial arts, painting, writing, speaking or doing anything for that matter - I discovered that they are all actions, sounds and images that leave an imprint in the consciousness wherever we go.

This consciousness in my understanding is like a white, or rather colourless film screen. Film screens are rectangular and confined by dimensions. But this screen of consciousness is present everywhere. If I speak, the words remain there for eternity. If I paint, the picture is there. If I move my body in a dance or jump, punch and kick in Karate, these exist as particular vibrations for ever. It is the same for every bit of work we do or thoughts we think. Consciousness is an eternal slate on which we can go on writing without any need to erase and it always offers space to write beyond time and place.

For instance, if I lock my fingers in a particular manner to represent Shakti in Bharatanatyam - I find energy surging through me. It is not finding any surging energy, but movement of the body in a particular posture makes me experience the presence of energy. Same way with Kung Fu or Karate - when I stretch out my hand in a punch with a bellowing shout of a "Kiaaye,' I realise the power existing within. While I sing a song that takes my mind to the blissful presence of the divine, till the time I am singing or listening to a song, I am in That Presence, one with it. Photography - when my mind takes pictures of any scenery or situation, from its inner state of quietitude - the picture radiates the presence of the energy.

Painting - of late I've been having an urge to try it out and I have now also set my eyes on sculpting. Beautiful pictures or idols again take the mind to that state of Yoga with what has been painted or sculpted.

When the learning happens out of love, I see it has a chain reaction with one faculty pointing its finger to another. The nuances of each might change. But they all have their origin and lead to the same essence of existence.

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