Is it your dream life?
By Ramana Rajgopaul. Filed in Philosophy, Politics |Tags: Philosophy, Religion, vedanta
There is a wonderful blog called A Deaf Mom Shares Her World which I strongly recommend to all.
This blog is full of such amazing stories about a family of deaf people and what they do.
In the latest blog, the blogger asks the question “Are you living your dream life?”
In my comment on her blog I said “I am a Vedantin from India. What you probably know as a Hindu. For Vedantins, life itself is a dream. It is unreal. What you probably know as Maya or inaccurately translated as illusion. In Eastern religions, there is no substance to this life and it is but a dream. This has now been kind of supported by modern physicists like Fritjof Capra. So, to your specific query, Yes, my life is a dream!”
A Zen Master tells his students that he had a dream in which he was flitting around like a butterfly. Since he woke up he has been unable to decide whether he is the master who dreamed about the butterfly or if he was the butterfly dreaming that he was the master with the students.
Eastern traditions, religions and philosophy are full of such amazing insights that one can get completely lost in a life long study. That is what happens to Sanyasis and Monks in the Eastern traditions.
In the Indian tradition, the training in such matters start from the time of the individual’s student days called the Brahmacharya Ashrama, continues during his householder days called the Grahasthashrama Ashrama, takes serious contours during his retirement days called the Vanaprastha Ashrama and culminates in his total withdrawl from society days called the Sanyasa Ashrama. While, from every stage one could jump into the last stage under the express approval of Rishis who satisfy themselves that the individual has no other responsibilities, normally, the individual experienced a full and rich life before the full time pursuit of matters spiritual.
Perhaps my answer to the blogger should have then been “As a Vedantin, my dream is to become a Sanyasi and I am on the path. I am now in the Grahastha Ashrama stage due to circumstances beyond my control, but I have every hope of moving to the other two Ashramas.” In all honesty, I cannot tell her that I am not living the life of a Grahastha as a Brahmachary dreams of.
Would she have understood it? Do you, dear reader?
Wednesday, June 25th 2008 at 20:04 |
Being an Indian, I understood every word you have written. But I am quite sure the comment must have left that lady heading over to Google or Wikipedia to understand what you had written.
Wednesday, June 25th 2008 at 20:08 |
@Sarika:
You may well be right! Actually she was quite zapped with that perceptive!
Wednesday, June 25th 2008 at 21:18 |
Ok! At 65 you dont have to worry about Brahmachari in the Grahsthrashtram mode.
Sathguru Jaggi Vasudev says everything is within you. All that you experience in the world is your own, within you. When you perform all your actions with joy then there is no limit to what you can accomplish. Targets that seem difficult to achieve can be easily left far behind when activities of daily life are performed in a state of joy.
The five senses only give you the maya of experiencing something in the outside world. Actually the experience is within you. So what the world seems outside is Maya. That is what all realised Gurus say.
However you also have to be a realised soul to accept this theory and to take joy and sorrow in the same spirit–then, as my friend asks, what is the difference between myself as a human and a buffalo?
Wednesday, June 25th 2008 at 21:19 |
Here is my view.
Ok! At 65 you dont have to worry about Brahmachari in the Grahsthrashtram mode.
Sathguru Jaggi Vasudev says everything is within you. All that you experience in the world is your own, within you. When you perform all your actions with joy then there is no limit to what you can accomplish. Targets that seem difficult to achieve can be easily left far behind when activities of daily life are performed in a state of joy.
The five senses only give you the maya of experiencing something in the outside world. Actually the experience is within you. So what the world seems outside is Maya. That is what all realised Gurus say.
However you also have to be a realised soul to accept this theory and to take joy and sorrow in the same spirit–then, as my friend asks, what is the difference between myself as a human and a buffalo?
Wednesday, June 25th 2008 at 21:24 |
@Padmini Natarajan:
Absolutely in agreement.
Thursday, June 26th 2008 at 05:22 |
Ok, resisting the urge to run over to Google or call my friends, Sarita, Anil, Raja, Poorna or Ramesh…
Here’s what I’m taking from this, Ashrama are stages in life to be experienced. One does not know if what we’re experiencing is real. Life is both outside of us and within us. One must take all the experiences of every stage and accept them as they unfold, for sorrow and joy are within us and are to be embraced.
Do I still need to run off to Google?
Karen Putz / DeafMoms last blog post..Are You Living Your Dream Life?
Thursday, June 26th 2008 at 10:38 |
@Karen Putz / DeafMom: Karen, I could not have put it any better. It is brilliant. No you need not run off to google or any of your Indian friends. Nice to know that you have so many! Padmini is my sister, a much spoiled and indulged youngest of four siblings, the other three being males!
Thursday, June 26th 2008 at 16:46 |
Hi Karen
I really don’t see where the connection of my being a spoilerd younger sister comes into the discussion!
Anyway that too is Maya. Ramana’s Maya:)
I think one way that I would put Maya is like an Impressionist Painting.
There are layers and layers that are colours, shapes and moods. It is all in the experience of the viewer. What the painter put in is his cognizance.
What I see, you see or somebody else may see is conditioned by their own experience.
When I see the sun blazing away, I feel that heat within me.
When I see the cool moon, its beauty flowers in my heart.
When I taste good food it is because of an individual reaction of my salivary glands, my body’s make up.
When I hear music it resonates to some memory within me and makes it pleasant or unpleasant.
So that is why I said that all experriences are within me–my senses are but antennas to the world.
The Ashramas are stages in life from the joyful but ignorant child to the student (Brahmachari) and then the Grahastashtram (Householder) and the Vanaprastha (Hermit or somebody who withdraws from material life and gets back in touch with nature) and finally total renunciation (Sanyas) where all bonds between family, friends, material possessions, longings, desires are subjugated in the search for oneness with the divine or creation.
I hope that you are convinced. Please do holler for more explanations though I am not really a philosopher. I am but a wordsmith!
Regards
Padmini
Wednesday, October 1st 2008 at 06:21 |
Me …. I’m totally lost
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Wednesday, October 1st 2008 at 17:12 |
I had even forgotten that I had written this post! Sure sign of creeping senility!
I am not surprised that you are totally lost. The terminology is Sanskrit and needs to be translated. Would you like me to elaborate?
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