Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the
words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.
On Wings and Wheels is the publication we are delving into currently. It
takes the form of a series of Q&As from devotees to HH Pujya Gurudev Swami
Chinmayananda. There are many sections and subsections to this book - not all
will be given, but it is hoped that the general thought-flow will not be broken
for those omissions. To obtain the full picture and essence of the discussions,
do consider attempting to purchase the text from the link above; it is
currently only available from India.
Continuing the summary of Gurudev's points on various values…
Contentment; Greed is due to
the erosion of one's mental strength and inner peace when desires are more and
more satiated. Satisfying a desire leaves a thirst for it to be repeated and
thus the endless appetite ruins our mental strength. Greed is a sense of
dissatisfaction, a constant pursuit of 'more'. If our desires are not met,
disappointment brings danger, sorrow and all other such wretchedness.
Contentment with whatever has come to one as one's just share is the
motto of all serious seekers. The policy of contentment is the only intelligent
attitude to be taken up in order to achieve the true purpose of life.
Self-integration is the reward of the contented.
Equipoise; this is a state of
mental equilibrium that comes when one has unshakeable intellectual foundations
and the mental capacity to soar to the highest pinnacles of greater visions.
When a person raises themselves to the high spiritual vision, the mind will no
longer entertain any agitations at the ordinary level of likes and dislikes.
Detachment; this should not be
understood as running away from situations of life. This we can never do; an
escapist is never a champion of the spiritual path. Ignorant of this, many who
have misunderstood have run to the hills and the forests only to find that their
lives remain wrecked on the rocks of desire, anger, worry and so forth.
Detachment is a mental attitude, intelligently maintained toward the outward
world and can be practiced even in the thronging crowds of the biggest cities.
In fact, vairaagya is only truly a worthy quality when
it is practiced in daily life among the throngs. How else to measure our
progress of leaving the world to itself and still getting on with life? It is
that case of being in the world but not of it.
Meditation; to be able to
meditate, first of all you must expose yourself to 'alone-ness' - solitude. It
is when we are alone that we start to truly think about the matters of life,
death, soul, God and so on; that is, if we are not cluttering our mind with all
the worldly nonsense. Man must strive to seek the absolute good, which is a
state of being, apprehended within oneself.
The absolute good is not perceived by the senses, but this does not mean
that it does not exist. The earth is round and moves - we do not need to see
this or even know it in our daily life, but the truth of it is fact, a true
thing. Conversely, that which we see, for example the 'blue sky' or the 'golden
sunset' are actually false - they are illusions. Explainable, but illusions
none the less and we are enamoured of them. The world of things, we see but is
not true, the globe (Truth) we do not see, but this makes it no less true. We
can come to know the truth if we draw ourselves away from the object and see it
from afar, as it were. We know the truth of the globe because of the pictures
from space and the wonder of scientific research.
Meditation is for the seekers of the absolute good to draw back and
take the long view. It is the highest spiritual discipline and enables the
practitioner to see what is important and what is not, what is nonsense and
illusory and what holds value and is worthy… focused concentration can be
likened to the concentration of the suns rays through a lens. When one is
adept, has the angle correct, the fire which can emerge is beyond words. We
have unlimited powers which we have not learned to tap and utilise. It is a
question of rediscovering ourselves.
Be regular in meditation. Be sincere. Be pure. Meditation can never
fail - 'failures' in meditation bring greater gains than success in life.
Meditate, meditate, meditate…and meditate! Sincerity and regularity are the
secrets to its success.
SUMMING UP
Divine ordinance is a valid source of knowledge of Reality because
such a knowledge is experiential and outside the capability of the intellect.
Ethics, however, comes within the purview of rational reflection and therefore
morality has to be constructed individually depending on various factors and
values. If one's dedication is to a higher ideal, one will demonstrate positive
and right values in life. Individual development takes place by cultivating the
higher values according to one's capacity.
