Burst Fifty-Six:
Life Divine
We hear much about spirituality and about living a divine life. Countless traditions are found around the world to guide us on the path to a higher plateau of living. There are certain new age philosophies also which claim to break away from all that is old and they prescribe some practices too. What after all is divine life?
The teachings of many religions revolve around God. Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity lead the bandwagon. Some religions are silent on God. Buddhism and Jainism are the foremost examples. New age thinkers like J Krishnamurti also had little to do with God (or gods) of world religions. All the same, the perfume of a divine life comes to us wafting up from all their gardens that are full of noble thoughts. Even as they appear to contradict each other in many respects, all of them apparently have a certain common ground which elevates us.
One way of identifying the divine is to see something of lasting value in a person’s behavior or activity. The world, with all its endless charms, is known to constantly change; its pleasures are fleeting. When we chase wealth, it seems very worthwhile but the happiness it gives diminishes after we acquire it. Without blaming wealth per se, we may say therefore that there is no lasting happiness in wealth. The same applies to youthfulness, physical beauty, name, fame, and strength of body and mind. All of them are a passing show. What is lasting then?
Let us not find fault with woman (man) or gold. Our attachment to them, born of ignorance, is what causes unnecessary dependence upon them. This attachment is purely a psychological phenomenon. No wonder therefore many teachers declare spiritual growth to be a matter of a psychological revolution. A deep change in the content of human consciousness, they say, makes the true difference. Otherwise it is all mere stuffing of information into our head, or playing with symbols, and chasing subtler illusions in place of the well-known gross attractions of the world.
Shri Krishna and The Buddha appeal to us to re-examine our attachment to the transitory glories of this world. “Take them as they come but leave them as they go,” seems to be their message. Not to cling to any pleasure or stay emotionally involved in matters of status but to move freely through life’s situations is the hallmark of wisdom. If we have this broadmindedness, our life will have the stamp of divinity. Whether we believe in God or not then does not matter. Questions like, “Is there re-birth? Is it all right to worship idols?” lose their significance.
Constant vigil over our thoughts, words and deeds can expose our false attachments. Right in the morning, we may try to understand what makes us stay an extra hour in bed. Is it due to real bodily need or are we suffering from mental unrest? Do we go for coffee by mere habit or do we actually feel the need for a stimulating drink? We may examine our human relationships too under the sharp lens of discernment (viveka). Are we possessive of somebody (and envious of another) because of some shallow conclusions? Are we afraid of someone because of repetitive patterns of thoughts arising in us, which again could be based on some questionable beliefs?
We are enslaved and weakened by our own subconscious mind. A hundred religious practices as well as certain direct approaches like mindfulness are all meant to purge our mind of false conditionings. A free mind is truly the forerunner of divine life.
Swami Chidananda
Varanasi, April 20, 2008