Faith

The other day someone remarked that I have too much faith in my Guru. Such remarks/comments do keep flying around me all the time. However, this time it set me thinking. Do I have faith in my Guru? And if so and if not, what is 'faith'?

H H Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder of The Art Of Living says "Faith in the divine and faith in one's faith. You know everything is being protected, and everything is being taken care of."

Osho said "Faith is a leap into the unknown".

Both these conceptualizations I could agree with. After all they have been given by spiritual masters ! But conceptualizations are done merely for the benefit of intellect driven humans trying to fathom truth through their cognitive abilities. My agreeing with them or disagreeing with them does not take me any closer or any farther from truth. As truth stands beyond what I agree with or do not agree with. So, do I have faith? Faith in whom, faith in what? Do I have faith in my Guru? Do I have faith in Him? Do I feel that He is with me? I am protected? Or better still do I feel that I am with Him? Both don't seem to be absolutely true. It is neither. Where is He? Who is He? If He is there then He doesn't seem to be with me and it doesn't seem as though I am with Him. He seems so distant. Yet He is!

I stand there shorn of His proximity or distance. I am and He is! He is a part of me, an integral part of me, He is me !! Is it blasphemy to say He is me? I don't know. He is me.

I am also shorn of all protection............ protection from whom, from what. All that is there is a part of me, it is me!

Is this faith ??

Satyam Param Dhimahi

At the Brahmnaad, a performance by 1200 sitarists in Delhi, Sri Sri Ravishankar, a spiritual master and founder of The Art of Living, made the whole congregation chant 'Satyam Param Dhimahi'.

The first verse of Shrimadbhagvatam (Bhagvad Purana) by Maharishi Vyasa states 'Satyam Param Dhimahi' (May we meditate upon the ultimate Truth). A treatise on the glories of Lord Krishna commences with such pious sankalpa - May we meditate upon the ultimate truth ! Such was the vision of our ancient Rishis. Even as he starts to shower accolades on his diety Lord Krishna he wishes all to rest in truth! He does not start this mega document by saying 'Krishnam param dhimahi' (may we meditate upon Lord Krishna) or 'Vishnu param dhimahi' (may we meditate upon Lord Vishnu) or 'Shivam param dhimahi' (may we meditate upon Lord Shiva). He says 'Satyam Param Dhimahi' (May we meditate upon the ultimate truth)!! This is Sanatan Dharama. This is the basis of Hinduism....abiding in the truth! This is the dharama that has been suffering the onslaughts of alternate belief systems that rest not on truth but on concepts like jehad and conversions. Today we need to protect this Sanatan Dharama that has never preached killings of those not adhering to its tenets or has also never preached conversion of others to its tenets. Today we need to stand up for this Dharama, that which blesses all to rest in Truth. As Krishna goaded Arjuna to fight for re establishment of Dharama, today many Arjunas are needed to stand up for the survival of this Sanatan Dharama.

The Call of Dharma

The word Dharma is derived from the root verb ‘Dhr’ which means to ‘uphold’, to ‘nourish’ or to ‘sustain’. Dharma is that which upholds humanity. Dharma is not religion. Religion is a restrictive concept that relates to individual societies laying down the conduct of its members in personal and social context. Thus, while Dharma outlines universal principles of existence, religion limits its canvas by seeking adherence to specified modes of worship and social interactions. As such Dharma unites but religion ends up being restrictive and thus divisive. Dharma is the law or a divine order that recognizes the nature of things in existence and is that all encompassing principle which outlines the humanity’s interaction and response to existence for its own sustenance. In other words Dharma is that which sustains and protects humanity.

The Vedic people in ancient India followed the Sanatan Dharma. Sanatan means eternal. Thus, Sanatan Dharma refers to that which is relevant since eternity and shall be relevant till eternity. It is interesting to note that the eternity of Sanatan Dharma is not just because it is indestructible or it is timeless but because it is capable of making its followers eternal by providing to them the ultimate knowledge of existence. It provides the follower the path of truth leading him to attain union with the soul.

However, Dharma which helped India prosper from time immemorial, which is said to protect humanity from ills and is so all powerful that it can lead individuals themselves to the state of being eternal, where is it today? How come India today is facing upheavals of discord and conflict? There is a remarkable dictum in the eighth chapter of Manu Smriti “Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha". It implies Dharma protects those who protect it. Dharmo rakshati means dharma offers protection i.e if one chooses to live a life guided by the principles of Dharma. The second part of the dictum is rakshitaha i.e the dharma itself requires protection. This means that the concept of Dharma whose protection we seek needs to be protected!

While Dharma itself encompasses values of universalism, acceptance, tolerance, embracing diversity, etc., the second part of the statement “Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha” spurs us into action. When a large section of the society starts to resort to Adharma and causes major upheavals in the society, it becomes necessary to take to action to protect dharma.

Thousands of years ago, Lord Krishna goaded Arjuna to fight, not for selfish purposes, but for higher principles of Sanatan Dharma. Adharma had attained proportions threatening dharmic (righteous) existence of humanity. Thus, the war of Mahabharata became necessary for restoration of dharma. What India is facing today is as alarming. Terrorism all over the world has assumed dimensions that threaten existence itself. Killing and maiming of innocents in the name of beliefs, dogmas and religion is destroying all the principles that Sanatan Dharma propagated. Today once again Dharma is in danger. And the call of Dharma is – action.

Dharma does not imply inaction or non action but indicates all those actions that are necessary for sustaining the health of humanity. Although it propagates the virtue of tolerance, it does not imply tolerance of intolerance. In fact Dharma cannot exist without a confrontation of intolerant ideas. The concept of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam (world is one family) ingrained in Sanatan Dharma propagates acceptance of diversity. But tolerance and acceptance of diversity does not mean acceptance of tyranny.

Adi Shanakara says in Gita Bhashya “Vedas state two fold dharma for the maintenance of the world, one characterised by action and the other by renunciation. Dharma is that which leads directly to liberation and worldly prosperity.” In the Karana Parva of Mahabharata it is stated “Dharma is for the stability of the society, the maintenance of social order and the general wellbeing and progress of humankind. Whatever conduces to the fulfilment of these objectives is Dharma, that is definite.”

Today India is facing onslaughts from dangerous belief systems which are threatening peace and prosperity that the country has been moving towards in the last 60 years since its Independence from the British rule. These belief systems have thrived over the centuries on the dogmas of terror, brutality, murders and crusades against those with alternate ways of life who are termed by them as non believers. They have practiced the doctrine of jihad – a code of murder and rapine disguised under the coating of a religion. Jihadi terrorism in India today aims at establishing this belief system in India by extermination of Hindus, the followers of Sanatan Dharma.

On the other hand, the self righteous anti Hindu intellectuals have joined these enemies from within. In the garb of globalism, tolerance, coexistence, they are competing with these enemies in undermining the Hindu pride and glorious traditions. They are using the pen and particularly the visual media to project distortions in the minds of the people of this country. At a recent meeting in Mangalore Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living said “With the support of intellectuals supporting terrorists, the pen has also become another terror along with gun, threatening the integrity and sovereignity of the nation.”

India today is secular because India is a Hindu majority country. India is a democracy also because India is Hindu. If Hindus, the followers of Sanatan Dharma, do not rise to check these onslaughts, the days of secularism and democracy in this country are numbered. The need has arisen to for Hindus to awaken from their slumber to protect Dharma. In other words, to protect Dharma is our Dharma today.

Life : A rendezvous with Karma

Of late, I have been pondering over the events happening around me, some of which pleasant and some not so pleasant but many of them uncannily making me aware of the play of karma in one’s life.

Karma theory is known to be a play of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap. It is as simple as that and may be even simpler than what one understands. However, the phrases destiny and freewill have often confused the understanding of ‘karma'. It is perceived that destiny is something that has been inflicted upon us against our freewill. But there is nothing actually like destiny and freewill. It is all freewill, only 'karma'. What is taken to be the play of destiny today is a result of freewill exercised in the past whether in this birth or in a previous one. We are the creators of our own world.

Understanding it a little more, it is not actually the actions alone that constitute one's 'karma' but a whole combination of thoughts, feelings and actions. Let us take the oft quoted example of one ripping open someone’s belly with the intention to kill and ripping open someone’s belly by a doctor intending to save the other’s life. Action is the same but the intention and thus the imprints gathered by the two people are different and thus would result in different effects for both of them.

This made me ponder over the emphasis laid by spiritualists and religions on ethics and values in our daily lives. Sri Sri Ravishankar, Founder of the Art of Living has talked many times on the role of ethics in businesses and corporates. I have started to get a glimpse of the enormous truth of existence that he has been propounding by laying emphasis on ethics. As a very gross example let us take a transaction of an individual selling a product or providing a service. Let’s observe the intention in the transaction. First case scenario: the seller wishes to sell it at the best price for maximising his profits and second case scenario: the seller sells his product or service to provide to the need and comfort of the customer though against a price.

In the first case the intention being maximisation of profits, the individual may have extracted an undue price from a gullible customer or may have adopted unethical practices or may have sold a substandard product for maximising his own profit. In these cases he would have caused discomfort or distress and a feeling of being cheated, to the customer. Yes the cash flows in but what did the seller earn? Discomfort, distress and a feeling of being cheated. In the second case the seller was careful to see that the customer gets comfort and convenience from his product and at a fair price leaving the customer satisfied with his purchase. What did the seller earn? Comfort, convenience and satisfaction! Now, cash is only a means for attaining comfort, convenience and satisfaction. But driven by a desire for maximising profits while compromising on quality and customer satisfaction, what does the seller attain?

Can we observe every transaction, thought that we go through? Each thought, each feeling, each emotion, each action goes into creating our world. This implies that all the wrongs that we feel were done to us, all the insults that were heaped on us originated from within us!

The difference between the enlightened masters who walk on this planet and the ordinary folks is precisely this, they are aware of this truth of existence and are able to overcome it whereas ordinary mortals not being able to live this truth, toss around in life in the hands of their own karma and creating more and more spirals of web around themselves.

Living in a heightened state of awareness of this truth, can one choose one’s karma? Yes, it is possible if one were to go by what the enlightened one’s indicate. Being in awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings and actions. This is possible only when one is living entirely in the present moment responding to each situation with awareness. But is it really possible to respond to situations in their present context only without being driven by the past experience, anger, hurt or even patterns of behaviour cultivated, consciously or unconsciously and relied upon till now? Even if one were to have the intention of choosing one’s future behaviour, is the future not emanating from one’s past? For example the choices made in the past, the environments created around one self, etc, etc. What about the impressions carried over from the past? What about the imprints one may be carrying in the deep recesses of one’s subconscious that may compel certain types of behaviour or situations even without one willing them now?

This is where the relevance and need is, for a ‘Guru’, a spiritual master. In olden days, in India, people understood the nature of a Guru, an enlightened one at that. That is the reason they would travel for miles at end and for months to have a ‘darshan’ of an enlightened one. They experienced peace and freedom from problems by just being in the presence and within the sight of an enlightened one. The wiser ones among them understood cleansing they were undergoing at the subtler levels of mind and spirit, a cleansing of the unwanted karma! Such visits were akin to intense pilgrimages.

In the present times, in the presence of Sri Sri Ravishankar, millions all over the world have experienced the same inner peace, the silence of mind. At a personal level, I have experienced the silence of greatest of inner turmoil by just one ‘drishti’ (glance) from Him. And the inner transformation I have witnessed within me since I first met him is beyond my own comprehension. Such is the power of ‘darshan’ of an enlightened one.

What is the physiology and chemistry of ‘darshan’ and what happens during this phenomenon of ‘darshan’ is something worth trying to understand. May be another time I will deliberate upon it with my views and experience.

Vasudaiva Kutumbakam vs Globalization

Long ago the rishis (Hindu ascetics) of ancient India proclaimed “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” i.e ‘the world is one family’. Another verse which was in the form of a prayer reflected the same globalism enshrined in the Vedic thought thousands of years ago, “Loka samastha sukhinau bavanthu” – May the world live in peace. The people did not just pray for the happiness of humans alone. They prayed for every living creature in the world. “Sarve sukina santhu, sarve santhu niramayaha” – May every living being be free from ills and miseries and attain peace. Such was the vision held by the people of the Vedic culture.

Today the world is talking of ‘global village’ and ‘globalization’. Globalization by definition is ‘the process of transformation of local phenomena into global ones, a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and function together’. While globalization started as an economic phenomenon driven by business interests, it is today perceived as a unification of economic, technological, social, cultural and political forces. However, although globalisation aims at diluting and dissolving the political boundaries of nations, nationalities, cultures and diversities, the world today is witnessing strife, wars, conflicts at all fronts and on all accounts i.e economic, political, social and cultural !

The Vedic people who proclaimed 4,000 years ago that ‘world is one family’ were not seen to be in such conflict. Although the underlying objective of the two concepts appears to be the same, there obviously is a difference between the process of ‘globalization’ being attempted today and the principle of 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam' that was ingrained in the culture and way of life of the people on the Indian subcontinent.

Globalization was motivated by economic interests and not out of a concern for ‘universal welfare’ – economic interests of those searching for new markets and better resource mobilization. Its advocacy for free trade was adopted by different countries as it did lead to cash flows in otherwise deficient economies. However, the whole process being motivated primarily by economic interests of a few powerful nations and corporations, the emphasis was on pursuit of financial gains. It did lead to satisfaction of economic needs of many people in less developed countries, though not all, thus nations’ policies and actions have started to get structured around greatest financial gains to benefit their societies. Progress and success has started to be measured in material terms, and other concerns such as environmental issues, or human perspectives of emotional richness or social well being, are not necessarily cared for. Moreover, the survival in the new global business markets is dependent on improved productivity and increased competition and in such highly competitive environments, human actions are getting centered on self interest and greed.

In this pursuit of material progress - production, distribution and consumption of an increasing number of goods and conveniences is the creed and each competes with the other to produce more with less. More skills, better technology, better access to cheaper resources even if through the exploitation of natural resources of the earth or through better, bigger bombs to maim and destroy opponents, all in pursuit of more financial gains! Although many of the wars being waged in the world appear to have religious and ethnic basis, the underlying motives are now being perceived to be economic – competition for dwindling resources of the world. Troops and weapons are being deployed where local people threaten corporate investments and returns!

On the contrary, ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ was ingrained in the way of life of Vedic people as an integral part of their culture. Their vision encompassed the whole humanity as one’s own part. There was no place for exploitation of natural resources, in fact animals and plants and even rivers and mountains were venerated. Their actions were seeped in a concern for ‘universal welfare’. Their interactions with alternate beliefs, faiths and even civilizations reflected tolerance and pluralism. When sects like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism emerged as reformist movements, even though as rebellion to what their propagandists considered wrong in the society, the Hindus did not suppress these reformers but gave them the freedom and space to grow. After the spread of Budhism in India, Sri Adi Shankaracharya brought many back to the Hindu fold not through force, coercion, incentives or threat but by preaching in the form of debates.

Where did this vision of and concern for ‘universal welfare’ come from?

The Vedic people had the knowledge of the eternal truth, the truth of the wholeness of universe. They knew it was a oneness and a perceived separateness from this oneness as an individual identity was a matter of awareness. Thus any action at any point in this oneness would affect the whole. The whole is aware what happens at any point in the universe and a response is triggered to every action. Scientific researches of modern day confirm this Vedic knowledge of oneness of universe. Here is what I read about it some time back. The starkest revelation is through the theory of non-locality in Quantum mechanics.

‘Non locality is if you take two quantum particles that were twins and separate them billions of miles apart, and then do something to one particle here, the other particle billions of light years away will “immediately” come to know about what you did to that one particle here!! This quantum property has been confirmed by experiments. In fact, “all” particles in this universe are twins, in the sense they all can be traced back to a common ancestral origin. In other words, what happens to every particle should become known to every other particle in this universe! So the whole universe is “interconnected”?!’

It was this knowledge thousands of years ago that made the Vedic people proclaim ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ – ‘the world is one family’. Present day drivers of globalization can take cue from this knowledge.

Later day philosophers and thinkers in India have been propounding this concept again and again. Lately, Sri Sri Ravishankar, a spiritual master has made it a mission to make it a reality in the present day chaos. The Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Art of Living in 2006 witnessed a congregation of 2.5 million people from over 150 countries belonging to different cultures, nationalities and religions. All came to celebrate this truth, this reality of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam – the world is one family !

Brahmnaad

'Kavya shastra vinodakalok gacchate dhimata .........It is a sign of intelligent person that he devotes his time to music, art, scriptures, poetry, wit and meditation.' So spake Sri Sri Ravishankar, a spiritual master and humanitarian from India, at Brahmnaad, a grand symphony of 1200 sitarists held on 21st November, 2008 in Delhi. It was perhaps the first time that so many sitarists played the instrument together and the event is expected to find a place in the Guinness book of records.

Music has been known to be an integral part of all traditions over the world. One reason for this is that our musical roots run deep: even before our ancestors could speak, they probably sang to one another. Now neuroscientists are working on a theory that music has been central to the evolution of the modern mind. If they are right, it will strengthen the hands of those who want music to be more central in fields from education to therapy.

'Both, music and spirituality bring harmony in life. Meditation brings silence within and brings music from the soul. Whereas, good music brings calmness to the mind, and gives rest and strength to the body,' said Sri Sri Ravishankar at whose inspiration the grand symphony was organised by the Art of Living Foundation. His emphasis on 'good' music is worth noting. It has been known that music shapes the brain just as the brain shapes what it recognizes as music. It implies that musical preferences may determine many of the human traits and even our values !

Brahmnaad apparantly was an attempt to revive the tradional sitar a plucked stringed musical instrument, originating from the lute family. The music of the sitar has charmed audiences for hundreds of years. As the leading stringed instrument of pre-Islamic India, the sitar was a common element of religious festivals in India. Sitar’s origin lies with other stringed instruments, one of them being the Veena, a fretted stringed instrument popular in ancient India. The Veena was said to have been played by Saraswati, the Indian Goddess of Music and Learning. The sitar may also be an off-shoot of another stringed instrument, the “tanbur.” This long-necked lute played a crucial role in Medieval Muslim cultures.

Listening to the 1200 sitars playing together was no less than a spiritual treat. It was an experience that will remain with me for a long time to come.

'When so many sitars play at the same time, it is not just sound ( naad ), it is divine melody - Brahmnaad,' said Sri Sri Ravishankar.

Parallel Universes

Scientists have started to believe that there could be infinite number of parallel universes existing. These universes could contain the 3 dimensions of space, 1 of time and many other dimensions as well which could be difficult to fathom at this point in time. They have even gone ahead and suggested that these universes could very well contain you, though in different forms!

While reading about such postulations I went through the various theories that indicate such existence. Among them were the String Theory, Super String Theory and the M-Theory. What I could gather as one with limited knowledge of physics was as under:

The fundamental building blocks of this universe are not particles (points) but strings (strands of energy). These strings are one-dimensional and in oscillation which is induced by inherent tension and kinetic energy carried by them. The frequency at which each string vibrates determines the nature/characteristics of the particle i.e electron, photon, etc. and thereby the characteristics of the objects.

Thereafter emerged the M-Theory. String theory assumed the string to be the fundamental constituent of the universe. M theory added another fundamental constituent - membrane or brane which is multidimensional object and is also known as p-brane. The variable p refers to the number of dimensions of the brane e.g 0-dimension is a point, 1-dimension is a string, 2-dimension onwards. M theory postulates the existence of an 11th dimension beyond the 10 dimensions postulated by the string theory. The theory also states that strings coexist with membranes of various dimensions. The 11th dimension is said to be from where the strings originate!

These membranes could grow into larger membranes or branes upto even the size of the universe. They could be existing parallel to each other as also could be intersecting each other. Some of these universes which are parallel could be far from our universe or could be pretty close or intersecting also but we may not be aware of them. We may not be there on many universes but it may be possible that we may be there on other universes as well simultaneously though in different forms and in other dimensions!

A couple of years back, I had picked up a copy of the Yogavashisht from the International centre of the Art of Living, founded by Sri Sri Ravishankar. Yogavashisht is a spiritual dialogue between Sage Vashisht and Lord Rama whereby the sage gives the subtle knowledge of manifest creation. Though a very ancient scripture, it talks of the experiences of multiple universes. It suggests that through yogic practices one can attain to a subtle state and in that subtle state other universes can be experienced/visualised! Ofcourse the scripture gives more subtle knowledge on the creation, experience and annhilation of universe than scientific theories are yet to indicate.

It makes me wonder whether science with all the tools and technology at its disposal will ever be able to decipher the subtlety of existence, which the sages thousands of years ago were able to experience through yogic/spiritual practices.