God is God

God remains a God whether human being interprets him or not, but interestingly, God is God in spite of and through interpretation. As human being evolves in the world, human understanding of God evolves accordingly. Some may affirm today God as father and tomorrow God as the object in the hand of human being. It is a view that a particular person holds. For example, Feuerbach holds a view that God can be reduced to human being, Nietzsche proclaims the death of God because values which support God are devaluated, for Marx classless society becomes God, for Camus God is an absurd reality, Satre admits human being’s hunger for God as the useless passion and for Merleau-Ponty if God is dismissed, human being is liberated and in the presence of God human being’s liberty is destroyed.

All these are only views that each of them has for God. They are not ultimate answers, but different understandings of God that prove God is viewed, differently from one human being to another. Above all God is an unchangeable change. His essence is not changed with the human interpretation but it is the human understanding of God that has evolved and not God.

Authenticity and Total Authenticity

            Human being exists in the world and quests for authenticity. Authenticity is shown forth in and through human actions. Human actions necessarily help human being in being with the other. According to me authenticity is of two categories: Authenticity and Total Authenticity.

Authenticity: I define Authenticity as a state of being-in-the-world in the process of completion. What I mean by process of completion is that genuiness of human being is not stable rather in fluctuation. He/she tries to be genuine in life but falls short of this expectation and thus it is a journey towards completeness where one becomes completely genuine. Human being makes themselves ongoingly authentic being.

Total Authenticity: I define Total Authenticity as a state of being in completeness. What I mean by process of completeness is that there is nothing more beyond this point to be reached. Being is completely in genuine completeness. Being becomes a finished product. No more process to take place. This point is God and is alone reached by God. Human being’s journey in the world is a journey towards this point. But, Human Being never arrives at this point. 

In Search of God

The life of human being is always a search for something. Thus, he/she can be termed as ‘Searching Being’. The search begins at the moment of birth and continues constantly till the death. Among many other things of search, human being constantly searches for God. The search for God consists in two steps: 1) the Mark of God in the creation or prakrti 2) the mark of God within.

The Mark of God in the Universe: The mark of God in the universe is visible, changing, transient and temporary. In other words, the mark of God is found in everything in the world and is considered sacred and worshipped as a reflection of God. For example worshipping of earth, water, fire, plants and sun etc., this step is very much portrayed in the sacred scriptures of all religions.

The Mark of God Within: The second step in search of God is to find the mark of God within that is invisible, unchanging, undetectable, indistinguishable and ever remaining. In other words, it is looking for God within. It is searching God at the core of the heart of one’s own self. It is worshipping the self as the reflection of God.

Language – A Way to Discover and Unfold

The entire cosmos, designed by God, is overflowing with multiplicity of living beings. Among all the living beings, human being is the sole being to be in the world of perpetual journey of discovering new horizon o f every reality. Every human being, from arrival in life to departure to death, from dawn to dusk, from infancy to old age, has new horizons to discover and to unfold. He/she is in potency to discover and unfold new horizons only when he/she breaks out of the shell of world in language.

Language originated as a process of communication and triggered of the process of socialization and civilization collapsing the borders between cultural and social aspects. Actually speaking, human being is a complete human being through language. Language purifies every thought of human being and it in turn shapes the world of human being. Language, the part of every being, that moves with human being to move and able the human being towards new horizon, new life, new existence, new relationship and new understanding enveloped with authenticity. There is no rung of being in human being in which humans cannot find language.

Human beings are in world precisely of a language. Human being has the world and knows the world in as much as he/she has language. Since the starting of the human origins, language is with human being and guided, molded and shaped the journey of human being in accomplishing the task of authenticity. As a human being in the world, the task is to unfold every reality, he/she encounters into the fullness of its essence in and through language, the only medium between reality and human being, to become Total Authentic Person, which is alone God.

Self-fullness

Among all the living beings in the universe, the capacity and aspiration for self-fullness is found only among human beings. What is self-fullness? Self-fullness varies from individual to individual. For some, the self-fullness comes from the world of things, for some from world of occupation, for some from the world of studies, for still some from the world of friends. Self-fullness, if at all exists, it is not all these.

Self-fullness comes when the individual starts to pour out him/herself without limit, crossing the boundaries. It is putting on God and the other without loosing his/herself. In other words, lessening the self to welcome into the self God and other. It is about saying ‘yes’ always and in all the circumstances. It is good to remember, that it is not the humiliation of the self but humbling the self. 

Live Life Creatively

            Human being is worried about living life and seldom thinks of living life creatively. Living life creatively is as easy as living life. Creative life emerges when human being is unique and good.  Human being becomes unique and good in three ways. Interestingly, for me these three ways of living life are creatively living life but remember they are very ordinary.

1^st Way- Make Space for God: Human being is a dependent human being and can never claim to live life without depending on God. Our humility consists in the fact of realizing the works of God in each ones life. It is spending qualitative time with God amidst the busy life.  Human being makes space for God when he/she is able to accept the challenges and suffering of life.

2^nd Way- Make Space for People: As a human being, he/she should make space for the other human being without whom life becomes meaningless. Each human being should make space for God in the simplicity by respecting everyone’s freedom, by being ‘physically present’, by standing with them in the time of need.

3^rd Way- Make Space for Oneself: Human being should not get caught up with God and Other, but these must lead him/her to make space for his/her own self. Each human being creates space by way of relaxation, going for a walk, watching television, listening to music, spending time with God. The space for individual self varies but very important for the effectiveness of the work.

Thinking + Feeling = Bringing

Life of human being is full of action. Thus, human being is an action creator. The actions of human being, according to me, are at three levels, namely thinking, feeling and bringing.

Thinking: It is the first level of action. It may be called imagination. Any action does not happen just like that but undergoes a lot of thinking process. Action does not take place first without having been born in the mind.

 Feeling: It is the second level of action. It may be called experience. The fact of thinking alone is not sufficient but experiencing the very action as happening is indispensable in the happening of an action.

Bringing: It is the third level of action. In other words, bringing is the perfection of action. The thinking and feeling lead human being to bring an action in its physical appearance.

            We may not be aware of this process, but certainly the action undergoes all the process. 

Water and God – Food and Saints

            Water is essential to human beings, plants, animals and for all the living beings. None of the living beings can claim to live life without water and neither it is possible to think of a world without water. Everyday of life, human being thirsts for water and quenches the thirst by drinking water. As human being cannot live without water, so to the human being cannot live with out God. For example, a Christian must say ‘I cannot live without thirsting for Jesus’, a Hindu must say, ‘I cannot live without thirsting for Rama or Krsna’, a Muslim must say ‘I cannot live without thirsting for Muhammad.’ Human beings thirst for water everyday and so to the human being must thirst for God every day. As the thirst for water ceases at the death, the thirst for God also must cease at the death.

            Food is important but not essential. There are instances where life is lived without food for great number of days. It is no doubt that food enriches human life and helps in the growth of the individual person. It is necessary that I have water when I eat food but not at all necessary to have food when I drink water. So to, praying and talking to saintly people enriches life and helps in the growth of the individual person. More importantly, the food must help human being to think of God always.

            In the end, water and food, both are important for life. 

Motivation

            Motivation is an act of instilling or creating a healthy and positive feeling, reason and a desire to do something valuable and acceptable in the society. Motivation is important and essential for human being. It pushes the human life to live with a purpose. Motivation can be of two types: Exterior and interior motivation.

Exterior Motivation: It is the motivation that people give from outside to raise the consciousness of the individual to do something good for the society. It can be said that the motivation that people give from outside remains at the head level. In other words, people from outside force the individual to do intended good in the society. It is important in as much as it is instrumental in flaming the inner motivation.

Inner Motivation: It is the motivation that individual creates in him/herself. The individual creates an environment where by doing something becomes a value in the individual. It is at the heart level in as much as the individual forces him/herself to do the intended good. Inner motivation is higher than exterior motivation but does not birth without it. Nothing great happens without inner motivation. 

Meaning of Philosophy

Philosophy (love of wisdom), is  generally regarded as perhaps the most abstruse and abstract of all subjects, far removed from the affairs of ordinary life. More so, philosophers are considered as people living in cloud, as they squander time in useless argument that has no significance to everyday life. Philosophy, for most people, sounds as abstract discipline, but if it exists, it is not away from everyday life. It asks the fundamental questions which make life meaningful, rich and qualitatively challenging. The purpose of philosophical enquiry is to pursue and understand life and life situations. As such, it stems from the experience with/in the world. The attempt of philosophy is to understand the fundamental and most significant human activities by inquiring into their very nature and essence. Thus, philosophy is an activity that attempts, to understand the principles that lie behind various aspects of life. Philosophy then, is a human task and responsibility.

            Philosophy in each age develops ideas and values, based on the preceding age, sometimes by way of rejection and change, and sometimes by conformity and development.  The philosophy and philosophers of every age consider the problems that are important and relevant to human being directly or indirectly by taking a critical approach towards reality. It is in this framework, every age has produced a philosophy and a philosopher that is relevant to the age: Ancient philosophers started their quest for discovering the cause for the origin of the universe, medieval philosophers turned their attention to God, the modern philosopher focused on reason and human person and contemporary philosophers paid attention to the Self.

Revolution to End Oppression

            I begin with a poem that I learnt in Telugu years back written by a Dalit Poet:

In the name of Freedom they (privileged)

Fight with the Government,

Demand Independence, but

(Privileged) don’t give us freedom

(Privileged) don’t allow us into their temples

Prevent us from drawing water from wells,

They say no right to people (Dalits),

If our rights are denied

How will you achieve freedom?

            Marx’s admonition in his 11^th Thesis on Feuerbach, that “philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways whilst the point is to change it.”  It has often been taken as a command to abandon philosophy or rather theory. Reading in between the lines, I found out that Marx is throwing a daring challenge to all those who desire to be practicers of theory, thinking alone is not sufficient to change the world. The society needs a revolution to change, as revolutions are made not in the heads of people but in the real world.

            The Society needs a Revolution. It indeed needs a revolution, that will stand and support the underprivileged, a revolution that will say no to oppression of violence, a revolution that will end dehumanization, a revolution that cancels out education authoritarianism,  a revolution that deletes scapegoatism, a revolution that dismantles the dominant class, the revolution that erases poverty, a revolution that will cross out hegemony, a revolution that will wipe out the unnecessary myths, and a revolution that  will promise hope, that will stand with poor, that will give new heart for humanization and finally  a revolution that will change and promise a new life.

            In the end, revolution should not only just happen but should give birth to new way of life, new way of being, and new way of emergence of human being. Revolution stands authentic in as much as it is fed and nourished by critical education, participation, and dialogue. It is with this software kit that person emerges as authentic revolutionary fighting for the empowerment of underprivileged.

BHAGVADGITA: USE OF SIMILES IN THE SELECTED TEXT TO TEACH TRUTHS

2.46       Yavan artha udapane sarvatah samplut’ odake/

            Tavan sarvesu vedesu Brahamanasya vijanatah//

            The Vedas deal with the material ends, and are full of worldly desires. They describe the means for the attainment of pleasure and power in the world. In this case, wisdom can never be attained. Every human being aspires to become something great in the life. He/she works always to reach the greater heights. Once the greater heights are reached, he/she does not find the use of the ladder used to climb the top anymore. It is a call to throw away the ladder and also equally same with pond. There is no use of a pond, when there is flood. Similarly for the person who has attained wisdom, the Vedas are no more useful. They become outdated.

2.58     Yada samharate cayam kurmo ngani’va sarvasah/

            Indriyani ndriyarthebhyas tasya pranja pratistita//

            A Jnanin who withdraws all his sense organs, from sense objects without effort, from all sides, like the tortoise, which withdraws its limbs into its shell naturally, said to be established in wisdom finally. Wisdom characterizes human person and is attained through controlling senses. Human being can choose to become aware of his/her self and where as a dog cannot choose. Human beings know what to do and when to do.

            To control the senses is not an easy task. It requires that Aspirant continuously strives and has to put in special efforts to withdraw his senses from the objects of sense enjoyment but a jnain can do it with ease as naturally as tortoise can withdraw its limbs with its shell. The tortoise at any moment can wind up his senses and use them any time when needed. So, a self realized soul is able to control his sense strategically. The challenge for human being is to control the mind and the senses not for one minute or hour but every moment.

3.16     Evam pravartitam cakaram n’ anuvartati’ha yah/

            aghayur indriy aramo mogham Partha sa jivati//

The cycle of the world has set in motion by Brahma. It has to be kept going and everyone must turn this wheel by performing his karma. To fulfill ones duty is to fulfill one’s vocation in life. It is difficult and human life is not worth living if a human being tries to run away from the vocation. According to the temperament, human being chooses to his duty and accordingly the world has doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc,. If one does not perform ones duty, the life of such person becomes meaningless. Human being must contribute his share in the growth of the society by doing his/her duty according to the temperament. This is sacrificing the self. It also stresses the fact that human life is mutual dependence. Each human being is not an island but depends on the other people as he/she is not capable of accomplishing all the tasks of life. The contribution of each person contributes for the peace and harmony in the society.

5.10     Brahmany adhaya karmani Sangam tyaktva karoti yah/

            Lipyate na sa papena padma-patram invulnerable’ambhasa//

It is doing everything for the glory of God. It is also coming to the awareness that I am not the doer but I am only an instrument in the hands of God. Sin becomes sin when human being does something for personal glory and personal satisfaction. This attitude takes us away from God. The movement human being moves away from God, he begins to misuse freedom. The world becomes bad, when the freedom is misused. He, who works, giving up attachment to fruits offering them to God with the belief that God gets these works performed by him for his own welfare, is not touched by sin, like the lotus leaf which is not touched by water.

Krishna in 3.30 has said “Mayi sarwani, karmai, Sanyasi. Resign all works unto me. Renouncing the self senses that I am the doer, offer all your karmas to me. Krishna thus wishes to remind Arjuna that he is not merely Arjuna’s Charioter, but the Lord God himself. Hence, you should offer your works and their fruits to me. It is living in the world, but never affected by the world.

6.19     Yatha dipo nivata-stho n’engate s’ opama smrta/

            yogino yata-cittasya yunjato yogam atmanah//

            When the lamp, disturbed by the wind flickers, it does not show the objects properly. In the same way, a disturbed self does not light up the vision of God. The objects are clearly revealed when the lamp burns bright and is sheltered from the wind. So too, when the mind is steady in meditation, undisturbed by any obstructions, there to what so ever, and is thus established in God. It has the direct vision of God. A person, immersed in devotion to the supreme Lord by constant steady meditation, surries steady as a lamp in a windless place. It is a call to disciplining the mind through yoga. It is the mind which acts as mediator of thoughts and actions. Mind blends the theory and praxis.  Nothing can disturb the mind. The mind should be free from longing for all objects of desire. The call is to protect the mind from all the dangers of life. Mind is the safe shelter when the senses are controlled and when the mind is detached from attachments. It is about setting the mind firmly on the self killing the ‘I’.

2.70     Apuryamanam acala-pratistham samudram apah pravisanti yadvat/

            tadvat kama yam pravisanti sarve sa’santim apnotina kama-kami//

Life and desires go hand in hand. Desires cannot be divided into good and bad desires. Whatever exists in the world is good. It is a call to acceptance of the fact that there are desires. It is natural to have desires but human life should not get lost in the world of desires. As human being detaches from desires, he/she attains peace. The perfect example would be even though waters from various rivers keep on pouring into the sea, it remains the same, constant and motionless. It does not overflow by the river waters. It does not dry if the rivers stop flowing into it. It does not make special efforts to get the rivers to flow into it. In the same way, even though the objects of senses pour into the wise person, neither he gets delighted nor does he feel sorry if they do not enter into him nor does he make any efforts to get the sense objects for his enjoyment. But objects go into him, and yet the jannin remains unaffected by them, he attains peace or moksa. Such a person enjoys whatever comes to him as per God’s wish. The enjoyment of objects for which there is desire, in which there is interest, for which there is craving, is the impediment. Only a wise person knows that human life is much more than desires.

6.34     Cancalam hi manah Krsna pramathi balavad drdham/

            tasy’ aham nigraham manye vayor iva suduskaram//

            Human mind is the highest faculty and the powerful monster. Ordinarily, the human being does what the mind forces him/her to do. It is rare that mind does what the self forces human being to do. In the realizing of the self, the Self should not be allowed to go in the direction of the mind rather the mind should be pulled back to the direction of the Self. When this happens, there is a realization in which world ceases to appear as objective reality and in which the subjective Self shines as illuminating light. Arjuna repeatedly refers to the fickleness of the mind, there by suggesting that it is very fickle. Not merely it is impetuous, it is rebellious. It is strong and is difficult to be controlled even by viveka or right thinking. Over and over again, it goes out of control and the man gets exhausted of bringing it back in his control, and holding it firmly. As long as the light is sheltered from wind, it does not go off, but once exposed to the wind, it goes off. Similarly as long as mind is controlled through whatever the means especially the yoga, the mind is under the control.

7.7       Mattah parataram n’ anyat kincid asti Dhananjaya/

            mayi sarvam idam protam sutre mani-gana iva//

God is alone the cause of everything.  God is the most supreme of all the beings. There is none supreme than God. Everything in the world is dependent on God and controlled by Him. God is the creator, sustainer and the destroyer of this world. Human being can do nothing apart from God. It is in him that human being moves, lives and has his/her being. The whole world is completely dependent on God. All things are held together by God as gems by a string. Nothing in this world is greater than God. So, the principle, the part is not and cannot be greater than whole. The greatest realization is to become aware of the self and realize that I am the handmaid of the Lord. So, trust in God and surrender to him fearlessly.

10.39   Yac c’api sarva-bhutanam bijam tad aham Arjuna/

            na tad asti vina yat syan maya bhutam car’acaram//

            God is the Father. He is the cause for the existence of all beings. The question that struck me was, Can universe exist with out God? None of us can claim that whatever exists is dropped from heaven. Every child has a parent. No child comes automatically but comes of the union of love between husband and wife. The love of God becomes manifest in the universe and in all that he created. I am the cause of the origin or generating seed of all beings. I am omnipotent. The superior status of the human being is due to the presence of God in them and they are aware of it. Without God’s support, there is no being mobile or immobile which can exist or endure.

13.33   Yatha prakasayaty ekah krtsnam lokam imam ravih/

            ksetram ksetri tatha krstnam prakasayati Bharata//

In each human being, there is an indwelling spirit in the form of consciousness. It is the consciousness that illumines the entire self and the person. The indwelling spirit is the cause of outer joy. Similarly, the whole world is illumined by one sun. It is also true that there is one principle (self-consciousness) that directs, guides, moulds, and manufactures all that is in the world. This self-consciousness is God. He illumines everything that exists in the world. The world shines through God. He is present in all bodies, by their imperfections.

Akasa comes into contact with fragrance, odour, rains, water, fire, dust, mud and dirt: still it is not tainted by them. In the same way, God who is subtler than the subtlest is not tainted by the imperfection of the bodies.

Space for God

Every living being in the universe and more so human being longs to be always happy. Although life is mixture of both sadness and happiness, all the beings choose happiness. The happiness according to me is from two points of view: Material happiness and immaterial happiness. Material happiness is a happiness that people derive from the things of the material world as for example, by eating good food, by possessing golden ornaments. The material happiness can be endless but it is only transitory. It is like thunder come and gone and does not give inner satisfaction. Immaterial happiness is a happiness that people derive from spiritual world. It is so to say an inner happiness. Human beings irrespective of what religion he/she may be, finds satisfaction and contentment when he/she makes space for God.

            What does it mean to make space for God? According to me, it implies four characteristics: 1) Make it a habit to give everyday your quality time to God no matter what you do and how busy you are. 2) Make Space for your neighbour. (It may be in the form of spending your time, energy, talent for the good of the other; doing charitable works; and son on. 3) Doing what you are supposed to do with whole heart and mind 4) the habit of cultivating right motives for every action you do. Apart from God, you and I can do nothing. 

Generous Human Being

A generous human being is the one who gives up will, ego, and desires for the good of the other.

Poverty of Mind: It means giving up one’s own will and fulfilling the greater will. It is surrendering oneself totally placing complete trust in God. In other words, it is finding greater satisfaction by being with God.  

Poverty of Heart: It means not so much giving up of material things. It calls for giving up one’s own ego and clothing the heart with generosity, love, mercy, compassion, kindness and sensitivity.

Poverty of Body: It means giving up attachment and love for single person and embracing all the people irrespective of who and what they are, and committing yourself with your body sheltered with love for their welfare and development. It is losing the love of one person for the Love of many people.

In this write up, poverty simply means giving up. 

The Road of Sensitivity

            What do I mean by sensitivity? Sensitivity is an art of being attentive, alert and quick in responding to the needs of the other. In simple words, I take the first step to be at the service of my fellow human being irrespective of whom and what he is. Sensitivity does not become really sensitivity when you are alert to the needs of your friends or family members. Sensitivity becomes sensitivity only when you respond to the needs of all the human being. An example would clear the way to sensitivity; an old man is not able to cross the road because of the traffic, a sensitive person would help that old person to cross the road. After reading the note on sensitivity, it becomes a difficult task to choose the way of sensitivity. Remember, what is difficult is always challenging.

            Yes, to travel on the path of sensitivity is a daily challenge. So, to travel on the road of sensitivity, a person needs three basic requirements; 1) The quality of Observation 2) A heart, head and hand that will immediately act on the observation 3) An impartial will. With these three requirements, human beings become worthy to travel on the road of sensitivity. 

Responsibility and Right

            Battle, war, fight, hostility and encounter are very common and take place between countries, cultures, communities and individuals for the possession of rights to have ascendency and supremacy. In the history of the world, it has never occurred a war or fight for the fulfillment of Responsibilities. In simple words, people always fight for their rights and not for their responsibilities. Rights are the property of a person who fulfils his responsibilities with diligence for the smooth running of the society, country, culture, and community. He/she has no right to claim for his/her rights when one fails to fulfill the responsibility.

            On this regard, there are four types of people; 1) Selfish: The selfish people always with the self fighting for their rights without fulfilling their responsibilities. They don’t contribute anything to the society in which they live. 2) Generous: The generous people always move out of themselves and fulfill their responsibilities accurately 3) Selfish-generous: The Selfish-generous people fulfill their responsibilities only when their rights are assured. 4) Generous-selfish: The Generous-selfish people fulfill their responsibilities and at the same time they don’t give up their rights. A genuine person fulfills his responsibility always and at any cost.