...and should be
The past two days my mind was tossed about with a Hamletian confusion of a different kind - it was not thankfully a question of 'To be or not to be,' but between 'What is and what should be.'
Though in reality I know that everything is one spiritual essence, there is always a nagging botheration of missing something dear in space and time.
I put it across to my Guru, Swami Akshara, when he happened to make a rare appearance on my chat box as he does to many a disciple. It was one of the most liberating Satsanghs I had when his reply to my expressions of a confusion led me to a confluence in the end.
Those words which I noted down, I have etched them and have his permission to share it with you: "The distance between 'what is' and 'what should be' is the cause for all misery. That's called 'Bondage.' And freedom from that is known as 'Liberation.' What is' = Present. 'What Should be' = Future. 'What should have been' = Past. People get trapped in the last two, mostly.
'What should be' leads to anxieties and fantasies. 'What should have been' leads to regrets. And 'What is' leads to truth, fulfilment. The mind is denying the present and seeking the absent."
Even as I was reading them, I watched how my mind tried to escape into the future of what should be, or in the past of what was once and how it wouldn't sit now in the present moment.
It was a liberating revelation.
19 comments:
Hi Swahilya,
I do not have words to describe the fulfillment and enlightenment I experience from those words.
The greatest and the most universal problem put up in the most simple words.
One also does not expect anything less than this, from Swami Akshara. My pranams.
True Hari.
the only solution - live in the present. Think not of the past, worrry not of the future and stop not till the goal is reached.
yes, trespasser.
Very nice.
Return to now. Now.
Thank you.
Wow swaha! my salutations to your wonderful nature of sharing the words of wisdom. this is the crux of life. if the human is allowed it goes to the past or the future, but when in being it just remains in the present. as a Human being, we are here to master that art by the Grace of the Divine....
indeed few are fortunate to be blessed by a wonderful Master....
beyond journey: Thank You. Indeed true.
@Parvathy: yes, there is actually no past, present or future. There is only the now and only the present. That's why the stress is always on the present.
To deal with the past and the future while being in the 'present' is no problem but to get transported to the past or future -however imaginary it is- can cause fragmentations to a personality....
Parvati,
Our experience of the past or future is only a mental image but our experience of the present can be a perception of or reaction to something real.
Mental image vs reality.
I guess there is no problem with choosing to have mental images about the past or future, but the problem is that we go there so often (almost always) without even knowing about it that we experience very little reality.
We literally day-dream our entire lives away.
gill bates:thank you.
beard: thank you too.
longtime no see
ganesh: yes, same here.
Swahilya,
Hi, long time, no see na?! I am back now! And with a question this time.
Quoting you,"Though in reality I know that everything is one spiritual essence". Have you experienced this? If you have then how come you still are asking the question regarding the gap between what is and what should be?
Adi: thank you for the question. I am able to see you are back and back with a bang too. I know that everything is one spiritual essence, indeed. But knowledge is not experience. And experience has happened too in moments of meditation. But in day to day interaction with the people and the world, the experience does not sustain and the knowledge too fades off momentarily. Simple, there are no questions when I live in the realm of the soul. The moment I enter the regions of the mind, that is when there is a truck with the world, questions and doubts arise. It is during such times that the Guru steps in, in one form or another, to remind me and send me back to my soul consciousness.
I acknowledge that your reply is the ultimate truth we are all struggling to realise. During the struggle it is only natural that such questions arise! Guru is very important to show us when we are deviating and to put us back on track. When we achieve that soul consciousness state at will is when we would have realised the ultimate truth!
Thank you Adi.
Swahilya Ji,
Stopped by after a long time..and picked up a jewel indeed. I have heard this
phrase of "being" as "just be" at the present moment.
(Sri Baghavan Ramana emphasize succintly as "summa iru" - to mean "be", "be still". )
But the words have a great impact when heard from a Guru -
like awakening a student who is slumped in the midst of a class-room lecture.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
- Varadha
Live in future!!!
Everybody say live in present. Some say not live in past, not in present and not in future. Some say if we stop planning for future we get liberation.
But I don't buy all these. Surely, with all due respect to the meaningful words, I think we still need to find the meaning of past present and future.
There was an artist, who wanted to draw a classic picture. He thought about it and worked for it very hard. He started drawing the picture. He is drawing the picture now. He is visualising how that picture should be. He is buying colours for the painting. He is not sleeping to complete the picture. His mind will be only satisfied with the perfection in the picture and he will not get the sayujya from running away from the past, running away from the present and not planning for the future.
The painter will get his satisfaction only when he fulfills his dream. That is more important to him. That is more worthwhile for the world.
The website which we are reading is one person's dream to have a go and spread the message for more. Without achieving that, the person will not be satisfied. If it reach to more people, the person will be satisfied and the purpose will be attained.
So, we should worry about future? No, no worries. But, you plan for future. You attain your goal. You reach your ambition, there is the liberation and not where running away from the goal itself!!!
Look forward to have you people's opinions/comments.
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