“Philosophy implies two aspects – Theory of knowledge and Art of life. The theory of knowledge is the science of life, while the art of life is the application of that theoretical understanding in everyday life. When right understanding and right effort go hand in hand, one sets a value vision in all his actions.” says Gita Gayatri
My Way, your Way, our Way, no Way, which Way, that Way
The gate was open even though it seemed locked with a big lock. One side of the gate was higher than the other and so it can never be locked. This is what greeted me as I stepped into an ashram.
The path was welcoming and warm with plant life, butterflies fluttering about and ant colonies at work. The coldness of a past era whiffed past me as I approached a beautiful building that was isolated and cold. That was the main building. No people in sight. Only the warm smiles of the cosmos, the Astra Maria, the lush green leaves and the tall pine trees. I continued on the path.
A cat was sleeping curled on the verandah of the next building beside an empty bowl. The small but cozy building was built with care and aesthetic it seemed. It stood out in the midst of a lush garden. I longed to meet the person who was living there.
The door was closed; empty slippers and shoes lay neatly arranged outside the door. Nobody was in. I continued to follow the path. Arriving at the next building beside a pond I met him who like the gate was there, yet not there. He was a scholar living amidst piles of books stacked all around.
We have the choice to live life according to our own beliefs, ideas and understanding. We have a background, a fully wired circuit of inherent nature, circumstances that chisel out our thinking pattern. We are unique yet different. In the midst of all voices our voice goes unheard. How can we sing in harmony and yet be heard?
He was addicted to knowledge like a smoker was to cigarettes. He was quoting the sayings and teachings of others. He dabbled in science and art. The sun had set and it was getting dark and cold. I was starting to feel hungry. So I bid goodbye and walked up to the gate, stepping out closing the gate behind me, that could not be locked.
Anything of beauty becomes beautiful when it is vibrant, warm and alive with life. Life becomes heavy, cold and dead when it stagnates into frozen ideas.
We have the choice to live life according to our own beliefs, ideas and understanding. We have a background, a fully wired circuit of inherent nature, circumstances that chisel out our thinking pattern. We are unique yet different. In the midst of all voices our voice goes unheard. How can we sing in harmony and yet be heard?
We fall out of balance when we are thrown into extremities of any kind for the better or the worse. As we face this journey of life treading over day by day. The challenges we face in our own unique way reveals our own strengths and limitations. When we see a set pattern in our habitual functioning and the challenges we face, we start to become aware of ourselves and the world around us. We become sensitive to how we see the world.
Many questions begin to arise from within ourselves and we start questioning almost everything that we perceive. That is the beginning of connecting with a value vision. We start to see and recognize disorder. We try to revalue and bring some order. We feel spirited and nourished by that.
Our own life takes us through things that touch us, inspire us, bring in a sense of wonder and even make us cry, or stand by something that we strongly support. We stumble over our own feet or pain suffering and disease brings a shift to our concept and percept of life. What is it that reveals to us how we see the world? What is our personal philosophy? Each of us is unique and different. In that difference we are who we are. What is our own unique philosophy and what is it that we are touched by?
Philosophy implies two aspects – Theory of knowledge and Art of life. The theory of knowledge is the science of life, while the art of life is the application of that theoretical understanding in everyday life. When right understanding and right effort go hand in hand, one sets a value vision in all his actions. That creativity that is generated from his being naturally mirrors the creativity in the other. When your passion meets my passion there is compassion.
From the day we are born, something keeps our vital energy alive. Not just food, not love, not riches, not power, not money, not fame or name, not even the fresh air that we breathe. What is it that keeps our spirit alive?
May the Symphony of Values that we share in common, keep us linked and creatively engaged as we find our balance in the art of living. Be it art, music, theater, architecture, carpentry, science, engineering, gardening, cooking, suffering, disease, loss, searching or simply sitting, we find our balance as we journey through life. We are bubbling with creativity whether we know it or not. Life’s expressions are many; paint your own picture in the vast canvas of life.
“Just like the Jasmine bud which opens and offers the fragrance of the Jasmine flower, and the Rose bud which opens and offers the fragrance of the Rose, I am also a flower in the garden of God. I open and offer whatever fragrance I have, whatever beauty I have. This is my only mission. Then – facing death. It is inevitable, so I have no qualms about it. What about the future? It’s an open book”
– Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati
“Everything is always falling out of balance against a back ground of perfect harmony”
– Shyunru Suzuki Roshi
Through the endless journey of life, what has unveiled and touched you? Wait, please pause for a while and answer these questions, just for the sake of it, just for yourself, just for sharing, just for saying it out there in the universe:
Who or what has inspired you?
Which scripture or Master speaks to your heart?
When do you forget yourself?
What do you find yourself skilled at?
What can you share with others?
What has evolved out of your own life?
What’s your take on religion?
What makes tomorrow meaningful?
What’s happening for you right now?