SPEAKING TREE, TOI, PICK OF THE WEEK!
Recently i was watching a popular cinema star anchoring a show wherein the suffering and humiliation of night soil carriers and sewage cleaners were depicted. It was really heart rending to see that. Surely, the nation cringed at the visuals they saw of those workers doing that wretched kind of work; of having to clear up the mess other people have left behind. Some may have also directed their disappointment and anger at the government for not being able to bring an end to such miserable work after sixty years of attaining sovereign status. We thought: Why should others do the dirty job of clearing the mess we leave behind?
It got me thinking.
Although the body is important to us, acting as the support for our mind, it is the lowest form of our being if we were to consider the body, intellect and mind combination of existence. This can be understood by considering this fact. The world has so many different kinds of cuisines. Almost each one of them has its own charm in terms of aromatic flavours, visual appeal, touch and ofcourse taste. But when the food gets digested, it is expelled out in such an impure, foul smelling and repulsive looking form. Even the insides of our body, when we see it under an X-ray is full of blood, bones and flesh in one mass of something that is not really appealing. And we cannot improve this condition whatever we may try to do. On the other hand, we can develop our intelligence and train our minds to the best possible level we want. We expel impurities from our body day after day. We tend to accept this condition and situation and seem to get on with life, considering it to be a matter of fact situation.
But what about the purgings of our mind?
Quite ironical, i thought. On one hand we dont want others to clear the ‘visible’ mess we have created, yet we have no shame, no remorse when we it came to more intense sort of things we easily inflict upon people day in and out! For the latter, however, we urge our buddha or god to clear the mess. This seemed so hypocritical. Every day, almost all the time we are generating all kinds of garbage from our mind in the form of negative emotions, impure thoughts, destructive habits and non-virtuous actions. Unmindfully we expel these negativities and heap them upon others in the form of body, speech and mind actions. And most of the times we donot seem to have any remorse for these actions. We also try and justify them! I have even witnessed on many occasions people who are publicly corrupt, most uncivilized and insensitive going to a place of worship an beseeching their gods to rid them of their negativities! If it were to end here, it would be fine. But the same person would step out of the place of worship and the very next moment indulge in all his/her old ways.
While in the case of the night soil carriers, atleast an external mechanism like a government or laws and regulations that can be put in place to end the practice. But who can we turn to to rid ourselves of the horrendous things we excrete through our mind? Things which are far more harmful to the wellness of society. Things which are far more dangerous to our own selves than to others for the baggage of karma they create for us. Things which will certainly come back to haunt us in this or next lives, depending on the ripening of causes and conditions.
We can at best only take support of the teachings of our faith and our diligent practice to rid ourselves of these negativities. We can only wish for the blessings of our guru and god to rid us of these delusions. However, all the work for actually getting rid of the poisons such as anger, greed, envy, wrong views, desire and ego - the very basis of our wandering in samsara for many lifetimes - we have to work upon them ourselves. No buddha or god is going to do it for us. We have to endeavour hard at overcoming them ourselves. In effect, we have to clear up our own mess. We have to lift our own load.
So, one one had it is really very fine to feel sorry for the headload carriers and work for their benefit too, but it would do us and all those around us more good if we began by feeling sorry for ourselves and aimed at improving our own condition. As HH Dalai Lama says “Let us be wisely selfish."
Recently i was watching a popular cinema star anchoring a show wherein the suffering and humiliation of night soil carriers and sewage cleaners were depicted. It was really heart rending to see that. Surely, the nation cringed at the visuals they saw of those workers doing that wretched kind of work; of having to clear up the mess other people have left behind. Some may have also directed their disappointment and anger at the government for not being able to bring an end to such miserable work after sixty years of attaining sovereign status. We thought: Why should others do the dirty job of clearing the mess we leave behind?
It got me thinking.
Although the body is important to us, acting as the support for our mind, it is the lowest form of our being if we were to consider the body, intellect and mind combination of existence. This can be understood by considering this fact. The world has so many different kinds of cuisines. Almost each one of them has its own charm in terms of aromatic flavours, visual appeal, touch and ofcourse taste. But when the food gets digested, it is expelled out in such an impure, foul smelling and repulsive looking form. Even the insides of our body, when we see it under an X-ray is full of blood, bones and flesh in one mass of something that is not really appealing. And we cannot improve this condition whatever we may try to do. On the other hand, we can develop our intelligence and train our minds to the best possible level we want. We expel impurities from our body day after day. We tend to accept this condition and situation and seem to get on with life, considering it to be a matter of fact situation.
But what about the purgings of our mind?
Quite ironical, i thought. On one hand we dont want others to clear the ‘visible’ mess we have created, yet we have no shame, no remorse when we it came to more intense sort of things we easily inflict upon people day in and out! For the latter, however, we urge our buddha or god to clear the mess. This seemed so hypocritical. Every day, almost all the time we are generating all kinds of garbage from our mind in the form of negative emotions, impure thoughts, destructive habits and non-virtuous actions. Unmindfully we expel these negativities and heap them upon others in the form of body, speech and mind actions. And most of the times we donot seem to have any remorse for these actions. We also try and justify them! I have even witnessed on many occasions people who are publicly corrupt, most uncivilized and insensitive going to a place of worship an beseeching their gods to rid them of their negativities! If it were to end here, it would be fine. But the same person would step out of the place of worship and the very next moment indulge in all his/her old ways.
While in the case of the night soil carriers, atleast an external mechanism like a government or laws and regulations that can be put in place to end the practice. But who can we turn to to rid ourselves of the horrendous things we excrete through our mind? Things which are far more harmful to the wellness of society. Things which are far more dangerous to our own selves than to others for the baggage of karma they create for us. Things which will certainly come back to haunt us in this or next lives, depending on the ripening of causes and conditions.
We can at best only take support of the teachings of our faith and our diligent practice to rid ourselves of these negativities. We can only wish for the blessings of our guru and god to rid us of these delusions. However, all the work for actually getting rid of the poisons such as anger, greed, envy, wrong views, desire and ego - the very basis of our wandering in samsara for many lifetimes - we have to work upon them ourselves. No buddha or god is going to do it for us. We have to endeavour hard at overcoming them ourselves. In effect, we have to clear up our own mess. We have to lift our own load.
So, one one had it is really very fine to feel sorry for the headload carriers and work for their benefit too, but it would do us and all those around us more good if we began by feeling sorry for ourselves and aimed at improving our own condition. As HH Dalai Lama says “Let us be wisely selfish."
1 comment:
Very touching post I hope that every people has this sense only few people react to the situation. I hope after reading this article people will understand the sitaution.
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