The cosmos, the earth, nature, birds, trees, animals, atoms — all are in the state of bliss. Dancing joyfully. Except man. Man has been in a deep state of suffering (dukha). Unable to be joyful of his being. But his appetite is expanding beyond food into greed, sadism, brutality, deceit, supremacy, all-powerful and reincarnation. He has used and exploited the earth’s natural resources. Poisoned air water and denuded forests and pushed animals towards near extinction, sunk lakes, melted glaciers. The earth runs the risk of replacing water vapour clouds into methane clouds. That will replace earth’s climate into hotter planet. A return gift from humans to life.
Some 2,500 years ago, Buddha said, “There is dukha (suffering) — and there is a way to end it.” Buddha began his journey in search of truth with an antithesis to theism. After he was gone, his disciples founded religion out of Buddha. Built temples for prayers. Today the largest number of statues in the world is that of the Buddha (the awakened). Prayers and rituals are offered to the awakened one who once said the path to the awakening is by going alone without beliefs.
In the name of civilisation, man has fought 5,000 wars. In the name of religion, man has bled million acres of fields in violence and terror. In the name of prosperity, man has bred extreme poverty. In the name of progress, man has ruined the earth. In the name of happiness, man has crafted immense suffering. Man is in a deep state of suffering. Across the globe, man is loaded by immense dukha (suffering).
Man is civilised. He runs civil societies. Education. Universities. Judiciary. Law & Order. Administration. Millennia of knowledge of Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, scriptures, Smritis (remembered), Shrutis(heard) — all fell into his hands to pass it on to next generations. Man has devised an education system. The knowledge of our sages was interpreted by priests, priests to scholars, scholars to philosophers and teachers. But man continues to be brutal, greedy, treacherous, violent, neurotic and egoist. Something is inherently wrong.
Is civil society breeding a neurotic society? You send children to school. You want them to read, write and learn education. You want them to be happy and civil, and full of compassion, humility, care, affection, sensitivity, love, prayer and attention. A school is essentially a place — a temple of learning. A temple where all the common knowledge of mankind is shared collectively to shape up humanity, to make one into a normal being. Every morning, a school begins prayers of love, affection, peace, happiness. Educators share knowledge. Every student learns by one’s unique aptitude, an understanding endowed by nature. But the educator promotes the one on certain parameters like the one who he thinks understands faster. Division is created. In comparison, psychological condemnation begins. Child feels psychologically injured. Comparison breeds psychological pain.
Poor is condemned, rich is extolled. Superior is accepted. Inferior is rejected. Learning takes a back seat. We create a new normal. A rat race. We learn it in schools. To score more marks at the cost of learning. Innocence is inbuilt in nature. Nature never discriminates. Man discriminates. Education creates an image of you. A smokescreen image which becomes image, belief, conditioning that prevents one from the learning, understanding the reality.
End result of this sort of education lands us in a market where we want reward for everything and give punishment for everything else. We exchange rewards and punishments. We don’t understand gifts. All in the name of learning we cultivate barter in our life. We barter friends, relationships, colleagues. Sort of commerce. We barter with gods in temples. We have mastered in measuring appropriateness of relationships valuing them in terms of future use. Our education system has taught us capitalism and consumerism. Education has created us into phony beings. This type of education has entranced our brain to function mechanically like robots.
Human beings are immeasurably sick and are in deep psychological pain because of constant comparisons with others. Religions hurt. Cultures hurt. Civilisations hurt. Countries hurt. Torture is what they learn from education that builds a neurotic society around them. Relationships and friendships are comparisons of smoke-screen images. They hurt. Insanity is touted as sanity. We try to escape suffering by believing in karma that one has to pass through them any way, or if not then think of reincarnating into the next life. Fact of the matter is that if one learns to look at the suffering totally, suffering vanishes.
Man breeds pain that is greed, fear, suffering, possession. Mind cultivates hope. Hope cultivates greed. Greed cultivates fear. Fear is a natural reaction to accumulation. Hope will breed fear. Like what you call it your reputation. You borrow the eyes of others as a sanction of your right to exist. Fear of public opinion. Fear of a neighbour’s opinion. Fear of dependence. Dependence on priests, fear of dependence on religion. We fear death, we fear loneliness, not being famous, not having money that one feels enough, not having security, emotional insecurity, fear of losing, not being able to sustain life, fear of thousands of possessions breeding insecurities, losing position, losing money and not being able to fulfil desire instantly.
Brain is mechanical. Brain needs security. First, it creates psychological security. Fear of losing security comes from the other side of the coin. Why do we fear? Time creates fear. In fact, our mind is fond of pleasure and it constantly wants pleasure repetitively. A life lived and enjoyed is not a pleasure. That is the joy of being. But pleasure is a memory or a thought of pleasure that is not lived but observed later and treasured as memory of pleasure for future use for conducting the act repetitively. So losing pleasure becomes fear. Pleasure is a thought and fear is a thought too. Both are two sides of the same coin. Contrarily, pleasure becomes joy when it is released from thought.
In fact, man has lost in touch with nature. Man has lost touch with himself. You are nature. You are the most primitive book of nature. You are the most exquisite piece of nature. You have millions of years of history engraved on you. Not just that you live in this world, the whole world lives in you. You have to read your own book. The artificiality and superficiality of the modern man has bred suffering. It is time to understand this. Read the book of the self. Compassion, sensitivity, humility, affection, understanding, knowledge all are needed. You will meet you beyond suffering, fear, sorrow and hope.
Your sufferings are hidden in your hope for happiness. You think your happiness is in future and you are reeling under suffering today. And you suffer today because of future happiness not being fulfilled now. Life is all around you. You are the life. Your happiness is here, not in future.
Now a small exercise. Live in the present moment. Learning happens in the present. Just be total. Drop your ideas. Relax in your being. Respect your being. Accept your being. Just be here. This moment is so blissful, beautiful. Relax and enjoy in your being. Drop your ideals, your ideas. Let the birds sing. Let the traffic go on. Just sit and wait for clouds to dissipate. Wait for it daily for half an hour, just sitting in your own being. Doing nothing. With no future projects or ideas. You will begin to learn.
The author is a spiritual coach and an independent advisor on policy, governance and leadership. He can be reached at arunavlokitta@gmail.com.
