OPINIONS

OPINIONS

 Opinion is a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on facts or knowledge. And invariably humans construe “that, in my opinion, this is factually correct and what others opine is not something to rely upon. We stick to our standpoint and perspective and do not yield a quarter of an inch.

Thus we tend to draw artificial boundaries amongst ourselves and in our minds thereby the interface among humans gets clogged and chocked.  This results in frictions and tumultuous relationships. Cacophony replaces symphony and harmony in propinquity.

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”, wrote Oscar Wilde. And how true he was.

Buddha several centuries ago made a prescient observation that, ‘We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.’

The import of this Sutra is to establish happy and efficacious thoughts in our minds. If we develop this trait we would continue to remain happy throughout the day. It is always profitable to harbour and nurture positive thoughts instead of antipathetic thoughts. It should be the endeavour of humans to view life as a glass half-full rather than as half-empty. Fullness in our minds emanate positive triggers.  And consequently a positive trigger release worthwhile endorphins in the mind.

By clinging on to negative coattails and by being attached to incorrect opinions and thought processes, we end up committing gargantuan mistakes in our lives and virtually committing perdition.

Once upon a time there was a highly qualified and an estimable Zen Master who had a considerable following and an untarnished reputation.  He was held in high esteem and considered to be extremely chaste.

Among his disciples was an alluring and prepossessing young girl. The vivacious girl served the teacher with all devotion. After the passage of some time, the unwed girl was discovered to be pregnant.

 Her distraught parents harassed the girl so that she would reveal the name of the individual who impregnated her. She remained unyielding for a considerable period of time and eventually confessed that it was none other than the Zen Master who was the father of the child to be born.

The angered parents based on the revelation of their daughter confronted the Zen Master about this perfidious act. The Master in his typical Zen like manner merely uttered, ‘Is that so’.

With the turn of events the Zen Master lost his stature and standing among his colleagues and followers alike. He was excommunicated for this act of infidelity.  The former Master despite the adversity continued with his spiritual practices, Sadhana and meditations. And also took up the onerous responsibility of rearing up the child.

The entire township was convinced and believed in their opinion that the former Zen Master was guilty and deserved the punishment.

 A year later the young girl was subsumed  with emotion and grief and  confessed to her parents and the society that the actual father of the child was a strapping youngster who lived in the fish market.

The parents and the creamy members of the society were now once again forced to again change their opinion about the purported father and begged for forgiveness. In all his magnanimity the Master merely remarked, ‘Is that so’.

 Life is not a cake walk and always hunky dory. It is full of vicissitudes. Humans confront several muddled up situations and disappointments. But those with malleable minds and not a fixed mind -set are able to confront and combat problematic situations. But the holy grail in this entire venture should be that we operate from a state of positive consciousness and not get trapped by self-opinionated ideas and fixations.  Our opinions more than often are based on heresy and rumours.

An enlightened person is one who pauses, responds to situations after garnering all the  facts and information available at his disposal  and does not form incorrect opinions resulting in wrong action.

Meanwhile the Zen Master was once again asked to administer the monastery. He mused, ‘ Is that so?”