SPEAKING TREE NEWSPAPER 13.11.2011
In recent times pursuit of spirituality has become a ‘cool’ thing to do. Young and not so old are seen taking various paths in the hope of ‘instant’ nirvana! We even have a large number of dedicated channels on spiritual development in the visual media. Self-help books disappear off the shelves before they can be replaced! Everything right in this, so long as the seeker seeks the right teacher, the right path and generates the right motivation.
At the initial stages there is great enthusiasm with the pupil putting in dedicated practice. He/she derives happiness in contemplating the mind. A feeling of encouragement set in when small gains are visible. This is when the danger period sets in and great caution needs to be exercised in identifying and overcoming what are termed as the Six Stains. Here they are, caution the Masters:
Pride is displayed by believing oneself to be superior to the teacher. This is to be shunned. This is not to say that the teacher cannot be questioned. Ofcourse one can do so and if the teacher is compassionate, he/she will dispel with your queries in the manner most patient and comforting. However, as there is a great deal of unlearning to be done at this stage, to take the nurtured mind back to its root nature, the stain of pride needs to be overcome quickly by accepting the explanation put forth by the trained teacher.
Lack of faith arises when the seeker falls short of total trust he/she ought to have in the teacher and his teachings and transmissions. Absence of faith blocks the door to freedom from suffering. Remember, ones faith in the teachings and path is the basis of what we will achieve. If the extent of our faith is high, medium or low the corresponding results will be high, medium or low. If there is no faith, there will be no result.
Lack of effort shows up a few months into the practice when our worldly tasks begin to become overwhelming. We are able to devote less and less time, energy and mind space to our daily practices. Eg: our late night parties prevent us from waking up early for meditation, or even if we do, our mind is dull, stagnated and dark with lack of sleep and results are often mediocre, or maybe our office work, physical workout schedules keeps us from evening practices and so on.
External distractions are perhaps the most difficult to stave off. This samsara is full of distractions and attractions. Remember to an un-trained mind, external stimuli can be sensational, disturbing, arousing & seductive. The mind is gullible and thoughts can deceive easily. If we don’t catch hold of the situation soon, we are sure to suffer in our gains. This does not mean that we do nothing for our entertainment, rather limit them.
Internal upheavals are caused when we focus too much of our attention inwards by pandering to the whims, wants and needs of our five senses. Their needs are limitless and the mind is constantly tormented by them for satiation and gratification. They are like hungry beasts that are never satisfied. Constantly satisfying them becomes an endless ordeal for us. This is no good for consolidating our position on enslaving the truant mind.
Discouragement sets in endangering the entire process. Sometimes lessons or teachings can be long and tiresome. The teacher makes every effort for you to get the exact meaning and words correctly. This tends to discourage the evil mind which wants to wander away chasing something more attractive!
“The Way of Awakening is not easy nor is it unachievable. It is his who endeavours most”, spoke the Buddha.
Labour on, dear seekers! Omniscient Buddhahood to you!
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Union of Spirituality and Politics
Times of India (National), Pg 16, Editorial, 28.10.2011
Noble Cause And Effect
There’s no separating spirituality and politics when the aim is to serve the people
Girish Deshpande
During a stay at the Kharchhu monastery in Bhutan recently, i had the good fortune of getting a private audience with a revered master of Tibetan Buddhism, HH Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche. I posed to him a query, through an interpreter, about how he looked at politics as a way of serving people so as to improve their lives.
One was awestruck by the simplicity of his response. Any chosen path that alleviates the suffering of sentient beings, if taken up with an ethical motivation, is a noble path. Even if you were to bring true benefit to just one person other than yourself, that would be good enough. It is important to never give up, no matter the hardships on the chosen path.
With civil society’s agitation unfolding over the past few months and an unwilling government periodically playing hardball with a representation of a section of civil society on the issue of a strong anti-corruption law, one aspect has been baffling. It is the near-absence of people seeing the political content of this movement. Worse, though religious colours are being smeared on the movement, its spiritual aspect is unfortunately being clouded. And even if a few popular gurus are bringing in the spiritual content, they are apprehensive about giving the movement political status!
All kinds of names have been coined for the anti-corruption movement. People’s movement, social movement, second freedom struggle these are just some of them. To my mind, however, it is nothing but a political movement driven by the indefatigable spirit of the people. So, in effect, it becomes a politico-spiritual movement. This needs an explanation.
Whenever a reformer or group of reformers uses education to reform a thought process among a section of people, it is termed a social movement or social reform. Such leaders are called social reformers. Consider the brilliant examples of Raja Rammohun Roy’s abolition of child marriage and sati, women’s emancipation through education driven by Maharshi Karve, or any number of other successful social reformers with worthy initiatives to match.
However, when a section of the citizenry makes its government answerable, whether local or national, it is a political movement. Take the example of our very own movement for sovereign status, led by Mahatma Gandhi, where Indians demanded that the colonial powers answer their fundamental question: Why cant we be allowed to govern ourselves. Or, for that matter, consider Nelson Mandela’s antiapartheid movement in South Africa, Lech Walesa’s call for democracy in Poland, the Dalai Lama’s decades of engagement with China (until he recently gave up his role as the political head of the Tibetans to usher in democracy), Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle in Myanmar and, more recently, the Middle East’s Jasmine revolution.
All these movements were and are fundamentally peoples’ movements. But specifically, as they have made or are making their governments answerable, they have a distinct political flavour that cannot be ignored. This argument should establish the essentially political content of many movements. It applies as well to the one India is currently witnessing: the government is being questioned by citizens on its lack of urgency in framing a strong anti-corruption Bill.
Now, any task that is undertaken with an ethically directed motivation and an intention singularly focussed on rendering service to others where the seeker chooses to pay or not pay for services so rendered, but willingly and happily seeks such service is also spiritual in content. All real dharma gurus, for example, who strive for the well-being of their followers, are engaged in enhancing and elevating the spiritual content in them.
We are well aware that religion has nothing to do with spirituality. It is at best a vehicle, if one chooses to mount it, available as an option. Religion, per se, can be safely parked aside. Teachings, though, are of importance. A spiritual person may not be religious and a religious person need not be spiritual.
In an anti-corruption movement, the spirit and energies of the people are directed towards a common cause: that of improving their own living conditions and of others through reduced corruption, which can lead to an improved quality of life for all. Such a movement has great spiritual merit and content.
One can infer that any activity or profession which bases true service on the pillars of ethics, truth and non-violence and aims at improving the quality of life of a larger section of people has spiritual content. Consequently, if politics were to be based on this principle of well-meaning service directed towards improving quality of life, it would have pure spiritual content as well. Therefore, in their pure conception, spirituality and politics are integrated in each other. Indeed, they are mutually inseparable.
There is compelling reason for any person true to his chosen spiritual path to not shy away from politics, but indeed to actively and positively engage with the political process on a continual basis. As a corollary, anyone in political service ought to be connected spiritually with himself to render such service. A great disservice would be done if each were to stay clear of the other.
The Mahatma, whom we all revere, said, “My brand of politics is based on truth, ethics and non-violence. It (politics) is an inextricable part of me”. This recalls Aristotle who in his wisdom told us: ‘A truly ethical life can only be lived by someone who participates in politics.’
The writer is a social activist
Noble Cause And Effect
There’s no separating spirituality and politics when the aim is to serve the people
Girish Deshpande
During a stay at the Kharchhu monastery in Bhutan recently, i had the good fortune of getting a private audience with a revered master of Tibetan Buddhism, HH Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche. I posed to him a query, through an interpreter, about how he looked at politics as a way of serving people so as to improve their lives.
One was awestruck by the simplicity of his response. Any chosen path that alleviates the suffering of sentient beings, if taken up with an ethical motivation, is a noble path. Even if you were to bring true benefit to just one person other than yourself, that would be good enough. It is important to never give up, no matter the hardships on the chosen path.
With civil society’s agitation unfolding over the past few months and an unwilling government periodically playing hardball with a representation of a section of civil society on the issue of a strong anti-corruption law, one aspect has been baffling. It is the near-absence of people seeing the political content of this movement. Worse, though religious colours are being smeared on the movement, its spiritual aspect is unfortunately being clouded. And even if a few popular gurus are bringing in the spiritual content, they are apprehensive about giving the movement political status!
All kinds of names have been coined for the anti-corruption movement. People’s movement, social movement, second freedom struggle these are just some of them. To my mind, however, it is nothing but a political movement driven by the indefatigable spirit of the people. So, in effect, it becomes a politico-spiritual movement. This needs an explanation.
Whenever a reformer or group of reformers uses education to reform a thought process among a section of people, it is termed a social movement or social reform. Such leaders are called social reformers. Consider the brilliant examples of Raja Rammohun Roy’s abolition of child marriage and sati, women’s emancipation through education driven by Maharshi Karve, or any number of other successful social reformers with worthy initiatives to match.
However, when a section of the citizenry makes its government answerable, whether local or national, it is a political movement. Take the example of our very own movement for sovereign status, led by Mahatma Gandhi, where Indians demanded that the colonial powers answer their fundamental question: Why cant we be allowed to govern ourselves. Or, for that matter, consider Nelson Mandela’s antiapartheid movement in South Africa, Lech Walesa’s call for democracy in Poland, the Dalai Lama’s decades of engagement with China (until he recently gave up his role as the political head of the Tibetans to usher in democracy), Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle in Myanmar and, more recently, the Middle East’s Jasmine revolution.
All these movements were and are fundamentally peoples’ movements. But specifically, as they have made or are making their governments answerable, they have a distinct political flavour that cannot be ignored. This argument should establish the essentially political content of many movements. It applies as well to the one India is currently witnessing: the government is being questioned by citizens on its lack of urgency in framing a strong anti-corruption Bill.
Now, any task that is undertaken with an ethically directed motivation and an intention singularly focussed on rendering service to others where the seeker chooses to pay or not pay for services so rendered, but willingly and happily seeks such service is also spiritual in content. All real dharma gurus, for example, who strive for the well-being of their followers, are engaged in enhancing and elevating the spiritual content in them.
We are well aware that religion has nothing to do with spirituality. It is at best a vehicle, if one chooses to mount it, available as an option. Religion, per se, can be safely parked aside. Teachings, though, are of importance. A spiritual person may not be religious and a religious person need not be spiritual.
In an anti-corruption movement, the spirit and energies of the people are directed towards a common cause: that of improving their own living conditions and of others through reduced corruption, which can lead to an improved quality of life for all. Such a movement has great spiritual merit and content.
One can infer that any activity or profession which bases true service on the pillars of ethics, truth and non-violence and aims at improving the quality of life of a larger section of people has spiritual content. Consequently, if politics were to be based on this principle of well-meaning service directed towards improving quality of life, it would have pure spiritual content as well. Therefore, in their pure conception, spirituality and politics are integrated in each other. Indeed, they are mutually inseparable.
There is compelling reason for any person true to his chosen spiritual path to not shy away from politics, but indeed to actively and positively engage with the political process on a continual basis. As a corollary, anyone in political service ought to be connected spiritually with himself to render such service. A great disservice would be done if each were to stay clear of the other.
The Mahatma, whom we all revere, said, “My brand of politics is based on truth, ethics and non-violence. It (politics) is an inextricable part of me”. This recalls Aristotle who in his wisdom told us: ‘A truly ethical life can only be lived by someone who participates in politics.’
The writer is a social activist
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