Friday, June 22, 2012

What is the right understanding about the world?

I always had this question: How should I view this phenomenal world?

Our scriptures reveal the following views:
  1. World is an illusion: It is not real. We are not the body, mind and intellect. We are the Self.
  2. World is a play of Chiti (consciousness): World is real and is filled with Chiti. World is inside GOD and GOD at the same time is inside everything, everywhere and everyone.
Whenever I practiced the first view, it helped in getting a little bit of Vairagya but at the same time I was negating everything in life and often a negative mood used to set in, which again seemed counter productive to leading a blissful life. It created lot of friction and confusion when I am leading my life in the centre of a cut throat competitive world. With this view, there is a tendency of neglecting and torturing the body and mind. If I AM not the body and mind, why should I care about their well being? One can recollect the initial days of Lord Buddha's sadhana. There is a tendency to neglect one's duties and responsibilities.

The second view says that everything and everyone is permeated with Chiti (consciousness). When everything is GOD, everything is holy. So one need not negate and belittle ones life. This gave great comfort and helped in fulfilling the responsibilities. With this view, one can view the body as the temple of the Lord and take care of it well. But with this view, once in a while I used to end up in spiritual laziness and getting enmeshed too much in worldly things.

Both the above views looked contradictory. So, are the scriptures revealing contradictory views of the world and life? So what is the right understanding of the world?

Since Sri Gurudev used to discourage intellectual gymnastics, I thought may be I am indulging in intellectual gymnastics, which is not good. But I always felt that at least the right understanding of the life and world is essential in leading a good life and facing all circumstances in our lives.

So, recently I have put forth these questions to Parama Poojya Sri Gurudev. HIS reply gave great comfort and right understanding to me. I will be sharing that in the next post. Perfection comes from a perfect BEING.

I pray to Sri Gurudev's lotus feet to bestow the treasure of Viveka (right discrimination), Vairagya (dispassion and detachment) and Gnana (right knowledge).