Break The Mould Of Narrow Perceptions
We seek happiness like a thirsty man in a desert chases a mirage of an oasis. The Sanskrit word for ‘happiness’ is ‘sukha’. Etymologically, ‘Su’ is good and ‘kha’ is space. Sukha suggests happiness that is generated by cultivating a harmonious space in one’s mind, which is not dependent on acquiring success, or somebody’s love.
The ‘worthy man’ of Nichiren’s Buddhism and the ‘sthitapragya’ of the Bhagwad Gita is a person who does not get tossed about by the vagaries of life. A person whose wisdom is firmly rooted in his intellect is a sthitapragya.
Stoicism proposes the value of ethics for living a worthwhile life, relegating material happiness to a subservient position. The Veds expound the ultimate reality of existence as ‘advaita’. Brahmn is God, the non-dual consciousness that transcends opposites such as sukha and dukha; birth and death. Brahmn is derived from the root ‘Brihad’, meaning ‘to expand’; it emanates to weave out an endless, ever-changing web from its own substance.
Brahmn -- Aum, the pulsation of bliss -- is not only transcendental but also immanent in every particle of the hierarchically layered cosmos. The Ishavasya Upanishad prescribes abiding in the transcendental, while enjoying the material, taking care not to grasp or covet what belongs to another. Prosperity, harmony, and unconditional love have to be appreciated and shared without asserting any ownership.
Carlos Castaneda, a twentieth century spiritual author, writes about the teachings of his Mexican Yaqui guru, Don Juan: A human being at best perceives only a thousandth of the physical domain. We are multidimensional beings and citizens of many worlds simultaneously, which we need to cognise, enter and gain power from.
Dukha is not born out of desiring material happiness. Sage Patanjali defines klesha, suffering, as the torment generated by the mistaken identification with your body, personality, and desires.
The Gayatri Mantra of Sage Vishvamitra, which is the quintessence of the Veds, encompasses experiences of other seers like Castaneda. It says:
‘Aum tat savitur varenyam’ – Aum is the divine creative source, the only one worth wooing and choosing; ‘bhargo devasya dhimahi’ – we meditate on the self-effulgence of the supreme divine being, which scorches narrow and fixed moulds of perception; ‘dhiyo yo na prachodyat’ -- may the Brahmn inspire us to the ever-expanding frontiers of perception and noble actions.
‘Aum aapo jyoti raso amrutam Brahm bhur bhuvah suvah Aum’ -- is the extended Gayatri Mantra, which gives finishing touches to the poet’s vision of the acme of human aspiration. Aum is God. It flows like aapah, waters of consciousness; is the jyoti, self-effulgent; is the rasa, essence of all experiences; is amritam, immortal. The infinite frequencies of Aum constitute bhur, the visible universe of forms; bhuvah, the astral plane; and suvah, the celestial plane.
A rishi is one who perceives the universe as the energy essence and expands his perception to its maximum potential, in order to consciously gain entry and mastery of subtler dimensions of existence.
Mukti, liberation, from suffering cannot be realised by acquiring power, affluence, or even virtues. Salvation lies in breaking the narrow perceptions and ascending one’s awareness to progressively subtler bandwidths of perception, inspired noble actions and bliss.
READ ON APP