Find a Purpose and the Means will follow
The struggle of life is to always discover the true Self, the one universal consciousness which is permanent, infinite, all pervasive. In simple terms it is the isness which describes all the experiences at the level of body, mind and intellect. This seems a tall order but in reality is so simple. If we realise that there is a Sat or Truth which is the substratum of all the manifestations of the world which we think are real, then freedom and everlasting Bliss is guaranteed. For this to happen we need to work constantly and heed the teachings of the mystics and the saints who have managed to realise this Truth.
So let us start somewhere from a state of ignorance in which almost all of us are in today. Creation is a miracle of nature and we see it happening all the time. But the story starts with a seed and against all odds favourable and unfavourable a two cell union ends up into a marvel of creation a human body. To cut a long story short the human birth into a family, caste, religion, geographical location and parents is not under our control, yet the influence all these accidents of birth have are disproportionately greater than one's expectations. Has this been the state of affairs since time immemorial or the result of the times we live in? In my view, there is a huge problem of lack of knowledge in the form of discrimination. This in my view is on account of a delusional existence where we strongly identify with our body and constantly crave for gratification of the senses. The loud music, flashy lights and the constant bombardment of the senses with advertisements and exhortations to pursue material wealth and instant enjoyment are indeed the hallmark of our present lives. No sooner we are born our parents are preparing us for the race of life, planning school education careers and bank balances. Acquire and enjoy, do whatever you like and avoid what you dislike as if there is no tomorrow. Education is a means to this end and has a utilitarian purpose to gain intelligence in the field of knowledge one needs to work in for material wealth. This wealth perpetuates the never ending cycle satisfying one’s desires choosing to do what gives instant gratification and avoiding what one dislikes. The aim is to merely fulfil one's desires only to make it a never ending cycle of struggle and eventually a doomed mundane existence.
The true nature of a human being is beyond these levels of consciousness that allow us to experience the world, namely waking state, dream state and the deep sleep state. Each of this state is different from the other and all of us ignorant fools swear by the state in which one finds oneself as the real state. So in a dream state we feel as real as in a waking state and the same is true of the deep sleep state. This cannot be logically true as something temporary and changing cannot be the real Self.Underlying all these is the 4th stage of consciousness which is the “Isness” which is permanent consciousness and which is permanent and all pervasive. This is the essence of the teachings of Vedanta and non Abrahamic religions.
The thought experiment of visualisation of the end that is imagining one’s funeral and trying to guess what the family, friends, acquaintances and enemies are saying as of today. So if we want to hear genuine good things about us we must lead a purposeful life aimed to achieve the goal of Self Realisation.
The scriptures talk of the terms Svadharma and Paradharma and to achieve Self Realisation the paths of Sherya and Preya. So while we think we are super intelligent and we are actually ignorant. I will quote words from the Kathaupanishad passage where Yama in dialogue with seeker Nachiketa says the following words about the kind of persons most of are.
Ignorant of their ignorance yet wise in their own esteem, deluded people
proud of their vain learning go round and round like the blind led by the blind. Far beyond their eyes, hypnotized by the world of sense objects, opens the way to immortality.
“I am my body; when my body dies, I die.” Living in this superstition they fall,
Life after life, under my sway.
But like children playing with toys and adolescents infatuated with superficial relationships, adults caring for name fame and wealth and old guys worrying about the past and anxious about future with respect to impending death we can live in this manner and die. Visualising the end as in the thought experiment helps one to reflect and find one's Svadharma. This term is defined doing one duty and performing the task based on our inherent tendencies and our true nature. For me personally the medical profession and the job I do as a hospital administrator has evolved as my svadharma. In this I do not claim that I can always perform svadharma perfectly without distraction or deviation from the right but I believe that when I visualize the end I recalibrate myself and get back to svadharma. Many of us choose careers based on considerations other what we believe is our true vocation because it makes good business sense and our parents want us to inherit their business or profession. This story was more common when career choices were limited but even today it is the same story. In the medical profession I remember that for persons with a relatively high emotional quotient careers in which there is limited human interaction like pathology, radiology etc. had little attraction for me but today the fact that these careers pay you well and give you a better family life with no emergencies becomes a reason for choosing them. When you love and enjoy your it stops becoming work.
Today, I have been given a nudge from my superiors to rediscover my purpose and I have done that. I have chosen a task which is tougher than what I have done for the last 8 years. However, the imposter syndrome is affecting me more than ever before. I am having self doubts in my abilities and some trepidation that the task I am undertaking will take a lot of time which I don’t have especially as the hospital I am working in is going through a very difficult and stressful time and the expectations of my friends and well wishers are huge. In 2016 I was younger braver and because I had a free hand I could drive change faster. However, I will have to be patient careful and work around the system and in the true spirit of purposeful existence enjoy the journey without bothering about the destination.
As it is I am reminded of the saying in Hindi
Today I feel I am alone but as the above saying is translated. I was walking alone towards the final destination but people joined me and a soon a large congregation became participants in my journey.
Vispi Jokhi
Comments