. The Art of Letting-go: Relish Life to the Fullest

. The Art of Letting-go: Relish Life to the Fullest There once lived a cerebral physicist who taught at an estimable university. He had unravelled several mysteries and riddles pertaining to the origins of universe through sedulous and almost pertinacious investigation and exploration. The professor was decorated with awards and worldwide recognition followed. As he became a celebratory figure, he soon developed a swollen head. His affectation was to become his hubris. Once the sovereign of his field, he lost his equilibrium and was charged with salacious behaviour towards students and some colleagues. As his public image became tarnished and could no longer be ignored, troubles came shooting at the professor like meteors from the skies. Troubles come in threes The government and administration stripped him off all the awards bestowed, and his prepossessing wife deserted him. The esteemed professor was unable to grapple with these misadventures in life. Quite ironically the physicist who had been on the verge of decoding the mysteries of the universe was soon enveloped by tenebrosity. At his tethers end, his edifice of wisdom collapsed, he began dabbling with drugs and alcohol. He became addicted to alcohol and drug abuse and dependence, which had a pernicious impact on his body and interpersonal relationships. Sakhya Muni, Lord Buddha had said, “Be strong, but not rude. Be kind, but not weak. Be humble not shy, be proud but not arrogant.” These aureate words were apparently lost on the once-upon-a-time dynamo mind of the physicist. Baby steps to recovery Some well wishers from his fraternity commiserated with him and were filled with compassion for their once effulgent colleague. The physicist was wheeled into a rehabilitation centre and under a detoxification regimen was slowly weaned off alcohol and drugs. As alternative therapies, the professor underwent meditation and yoga sessions. He also underwent the Happiness Programme of the Art of Living and learnt the unique rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya which provided the ballast for his recovery. The course helped him to eschew dependency on alcohol and drugs. Over a period of time the physicist regained sobriety. Second Innings: Seeking spiritual solace The once extolled and accomplished professor who was condemned by society for his avarice, pomposity and hedonistic lifestyle slowly regained equilibrium, equipoise and equanimity through the twin approaches of medication and meditation. Upon recovery he rediscovered his mojo and attempted to regain his lost sovereignty by unearthing the quintessential truth of the origin of universe. The process of letting go begins “Indeed the sage who’s fully quenched rests at ease in every way, no sense, desires, adheres to him whose fires have evolved, deprived of fuel. All attachments have been severed, the hearts been led away from pain, tranquil, he rests with utmost ease. The mind has found its way to peace,” said the Sakhya Muni, Lord Buddha. The professor though sober now and purged of his hedonistic tendencies was still feeling saturated from within. His soul was yet to feel satiated. He developed a profound interest in the spiritual dimension of life and the universe. After sustained deliberation the professor embarked upon a spiritual sojourn. There was something burning and arid in his self which made him set-off upon this quest. The spiritual peregrination took him halfway around the world till he arrived at a remote village, high in the Himalayas, at the feet of an accomplished master. This suzerain of the sacred texts of different religions had gained remarkable adroitness and virtuosity in Zen Buddhism. The enlightened, holy person dressed in ochre robes and exuding jollity welcomed the professor with a warm embrace. His searching and lustrous eyes scanned the professor. The physicist narrated his story. He concluded by adding that he was now trying to fathom the mysteries hidden in the womb of the universe from the spiritual and scientific points of view. “But this is what you were doing at the university and in your laboratory, is it not professor?” enquired the seer. He felt that the Zen Master could ignite the missing spark from his life and help him expatriate antipathetic thoughts from his mind so that he could upend the pyramid. He had successfully extricated himself from the whirlpool of gloom once and he could see light at the end of the tunnel. Yet there was something amiss in his life…! It was dry like the autumn leaf that drops from the branches of the tree. Time you let loose “So, what new are you attempting to unravel? Ok, let us have a cup of tea,” said the venerated soul. The professor appeared at ease as the perspicacious and sagacious soul poured the tea. Soon the cup began to overflow. Seeing this, the professor exclaimed, “Holy Sir, the cup is overflowing!” “Precisely, and I was examining your reaction,” remarked the Holy One. “Unless you just let go of your haughtiness and self-conceit the way the tea overflowed from the cup, you will never learn anything afresh. This is the secret,” stated the Zen Master in an absolutely matter of fact manner. “Drop all your desires when you approach a Master. Let go of your baggage,” he added. The Zen Master was to further add, “Buddha advocated four concepts- Observe the body (Kayana Paschana) Observe the sensations (Vedananu Paschana) Observe the flow of mind (Chittana Paschana) Observe your true nature (Dhammanu Paschana).” The professor realised that he had forayed into unchartered territories but without understanding his mind. His mind was brimful of demonic and arrogant thoughts and ossified. He was neither simple nor humble or aware. These were the keys for him to let go and be absolutely pristine and lucid. 28. Amazing Power of the Human Mind Realisation and awareness are two unique qualities that shine the light on the amazing power of the human mind. Aeons ago lived, lived an ambitious king named Suddhodhana, chieftain of Sakyan republics. He was captivated by the thought of perpetuating the dynasty. However, his battle-fatigued son Siddhartha was not ensnared by the Mara of trappings and adornment of power, carnal pleasures or family life. Siddhartha eschewed violence, cast away royal clothing and donned ochre robes in the search of quintessential truth. And over a period of seven years of intense and gut-wrenching tapas which transfigured his mind, he metamorphosed from Siddhartha to Gautama and then into the Buddha. It was at Sarnath that he delivered his first sermon on the Four Noble Truths, which was soon followed by the Eight-Fold Path for citizens to pursue. Upon attaining enlightenment, the Compassionate One dissected the bewildering characteristics of the human mind. He was soon to decree in an unostentatious and plain sailing manner that, “We are what we think and our thoughts shape our lives.” A person may be a stock individual, a seeker or a savant; all are governed by this cardinal principle of how the mind operates. In case the mind is bestowed with efficacious thoughts, humans are endowed with the enriching aura of positivity. This eclipses Sisyphean and nugatory thoughts and the persona is encompassed with the stamp of alluring, shimmering jollity. However, if the human mind is cannonaded by antipathetic thoughts, there is depletion in the prana level. The mind is then not resplendent or robust nor suffused with ennobling thoughts. On the contrary it is brim-full of gloom-ridden patterns which are distressing and obstructive. Individuals become mere retainers of negativity. Over a period of time, the mind does not get propelled to become empowered. It will not be able to unyoke itself from its negativity, rendering it unable to take up adultness or responsibility. Ironically, the moment an individual realises the magnetic potential and prowess of the human mind the Universe suddenly becomes magical in its desire to support all efforts. The mind remains an enigma. Our resoluteness and positivity are the lodestars to harness its embryonic ability. This is the key to scale the summit of triumph and glory. Once there was a Good Samaritan, Sudhakar (name changed). He happened to read the maiden effort of a civil servant called ‘Enormous Vistas of Human Mind’ and a few other articles that he had written. This gentleman, with some trepidation became a ‘Facebook friend’ of the mandarin and began persuading him to be interviewed by a few T.V. channels. However, the thought process of the public functionary –a recovered alcoholic- kept misdoubting the sincerity of the ‘Facebook friend’. In disgust, he ‘blocked’ and then again ‘unblocked’ the gentleman, more perhaps to quell the pangs of his own conscience. Finally, in a dawdling manner and in sheer vexation he gave in to the entreaties of the ‘Facebook friend’. Soon an amazing pattern emerged and the government administrator was invited by several media houses and estimable institutions to deliver lectures as to how he combatted and conquered the battle against the bottle. Only much later did he realise that Sudhakar had lost some close relatives to alcoholism and he found succour in espousing the cause of conquest over the disease. The autarchic mind of the bureaucrat was ossified, looking life through the prism of tunnel vision. One day, after a series of interviews, the functionary received a distress call from a lady, who had listened to one of his interviews and was also reading the book penned by him, which captured his triumph over alcoholism. On receiving the call, he could empathise with the woman’s husband who was fighting a grim battle against alcoholism. He silently thanked Sudhakar, who had provided the much-needed platform to address the grievous misadventure of millions of unfortunate souls. There was a sudden transmutation in the mind of the public servant. As tears of gratitude flowed from his eyes, he embarked upon the odyssey to combat this life-threatening disease in all sincerity. Several centuries ago, Gautama Buddha was travelling with a group of disciples. The compassionate one felt thirsty and desired some water to quench his thirst. He asked a disciple to fetch some water from a nearby lake. The enthusiastic disciple rushed to the lake but was horrified to find the water turgid as a farmer had just crossed the lake on his bullock cart. He returned back remorsefully as he could not fulfil the wish of the Holy Master. Buddha was to send the disciple a couple of times to fetch water to quench his thirst. But to the dismay of the tutee on each occasion the water remained dirty and turgid. While the devotees were fidgety and distraught, Buddha remained patient. Eventually, the devotee animatedly brought fresh water from the lake and offered it to the Compassionate One. Buddha smiled and drank the water. He was to say, “You did nothing. The mud settled down and the water was purged of the impurities. Let your mind also settle all the dust accumulated over a period of time.” Make no effort, let the mind settle. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar succinctly says, “Effort is a state of the body and effortlessness is a state of the mind.” This can be achieved through regular and unflinching sadhana of yoga, pranayama, meditation and the unique rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya. Thus, effortlessness is the trailblazing quality of mind. This is the state of total surrender, where the grace of the Guru flows and miracles unfold. Bibliography 1. Knowledge Sheets of H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 2. Patanjali Yoga Sutras (Vol-1) – A Commentary by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 3. Celebrating Silence by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 4. Celebrating Love by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 5. The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali by David Gordon White 6. What Are You Doing With Your Life by J. Krishnamurti 7. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr Joseph Murphy 8. Psychology, Textbook for Classes XI and XII, NCERT 9. Peace of Mind by Thich Nhat Hanh 10. Quotations of inspirational personalities from the internet 11. Zen stories from the internet 12. Land of the Seven Rivers by Sanjeev Sanyal 13. The Ocean of Churn by Sanjeev Sanyal 14. Temples of South India by Ambujam Anantharaman 15. History, Textbook for Classes XI and XII, NCERT BACK BLURB “Not all those who wander are lost.”- J.R.R. Tolkien India is a never ending saga and story. This ancient civilization has amazing stories to narrate. Each tale is steeped in rich culture, history and a tapestry which resonates with those delving to discover India. The country is a cradle of several cultures, religions, art, architecture, spirituality and sciences. Several dynasties and kingdom have attempted to be suzerains of this fabled land. But the free-willed, enterprising people have braved several storms and woven extraordinary tales. This book is segmented into four parts, Wanderlust - Discovering India by Train, Wondrous India -Discovering the lesser-known trails, Well-known Personalities, Lesser-known People and lastly Wavering Mind, Wandering Thoughts. Indian history has been fashioned and shaped by both known and lesser-known people all blessed with a robust mindset. Eminent philosophers like Adi Shankara and Buddha in search of peace and the Indian ethos were on a voyage. May readers too discover the ethos of India through this book. Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah - Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions. - Rig Veda