Freedom from Helplessness Sep 27, 2009 5:44 am 356 Views Freedom From Helplessness1 Swami Dayananda Saraswati There is a definite line that separates modern society from the ancient. In general, I find, life is always modern. Pataïjali, who wrote the Mahäbhäñya,2 states, in his introduction3, how the modernists do not follow the old style of learning the phonetics. When I read that, I felt that an era we consider as ancient, was modern for Pataïjali. It is no different today. When an old person talks to you, he or she always says, “In my days it was wonderful.” When I was in school, the older people in the village used to say, “Our school days were definitely better, not like they are now.” Today, I see people of my age telling the modern students, “Oh! Everything has degenerated. Today’s students have lost their way.” I think the generation gap is not a new discovery. It was always there because a mother is usually 25 or 26 when the first child is born. There would be no generation gap if the child were born the same age as the mother, which is never going to happen. However, one thing is certain. When we say modern, what we really mean is that, unlike our forefathers, we have to respond to a wide variety of events every day. Definitely our forefathers, a few centuries ago, were better off in one way because they only had a few events to respond to. To the contemporary way of thinking such a situation would be impossible. This is also not true. You live one day at a time. The ‘one-day’ is always a today. You reach 16 or 61 living one day at a time. In the past also it was a new day when a person got up from sleep; it was always a good morning. It is amazing. It is again one day at a time when you sign off for the day, when you go to sleep. Sleep is a great leveller. Your experiences, your problems, your notions of individuality, your identity with religion, the concept of modern and ancient, even your understanding of Vedanta all these are levelled into one blanket experience of ‘not knowing anything’. The world including the concept of time and space 1 Edited excerpt from Freedom from Helplessness, Arsha Vidya Research and Publication Centre, Chennai, 2006. 2 The commentary on Sanskrit grammar sütras of Päëini 3 Purä kalpe etadäsét saàskärottarakälaà brähmaëäù vyäkaraëaà smädhéyate tebhyastattat-sthäna-karaëanädänupradänajïebhyo vaidikäù çabdä upadiçyante. Adyatve na tathä. Vedamadhétya tvaritä vaktäro bhavanti. (mahabhäñya – prayojana-granthopapatti prakaraëam) dissolves in sleep. When you get up in the morning to a new day, it is like a new creation. It can be new or it can be a continuation of the old problems. You can live the day as a continuation of what happened before, the previous day, because the memories are there. The memories, perhaps, are meant to give a certain continuity. You carry forward what was experienced earlier and look at the day from the previous day’s memory. I believe that a modern person looks at the day differently. His or her day needs to be packed to have a sense of achievement. A day packed with events need not move faster. In fact, with fewer events it is amazing how a day speeds by. You find you have no time for anything, even though the day is filled with events that are predictable. There are no surprises. One’s routine is predictable, the food and the eating time is predictable. Everything is well ordered; the whole day is predictable. In spite of the predictability you find a month just flits past. Our forefathers also lived a predictable life but with fewer events. They did not have a television to watch, a newspaper to read or a radio to listen to. Such facilities were not available then. If there was an event of importance, such as a calamity in the nearby village, the news could not reach the person in the neighbouring village instantly. Probably, he would hear of it ten days later, when it was no longer a current event. It would be an old event, an already wept over event, or an event to which people have already responded adequately. Sometimes, the news would not trickle down at all. Whereas, these days, in the crowded front page of a newspaper, you find there are so many events and to each one of them you have to respond: something happens somewhere in the world, Prince Charles has a fever, President Bush sneezes, somewhere an earthquake claims thousands of lives; somewhere a revolt and many die; somewhere an act of terrorism, many are taken hostages; every day you have to respond to the many varied events. The world is the same size as it was then, although if one views it from one of the satellites, one would see the poor earth as a small ball spinning on its own axis. In this small globe we find ourselves beset with so many problems. It looks as though the world has shrunk. Once, I flew from London at 11 A.M. by the British Airways Concorde flight and reached New York at 8 A.M. The people who were waiting at the New York airport asked me, “Swamiji, when did you leave?” I told them, “I have not yet left, for my flight leaves at 11 A.M.” I cannot use the past tense here; even grammar becomes a problem. One does not know which tense to use, and one gets tensed up in the process. Modern technology defies the rules of grammar. Today, events crowd the entire twenty-four hour period. Unrelated to the events, no doubt, my life is very simple. However, I cannot remain a mute witness to what is happening around me, whether I am a simple individual or a Swami. I cannot but be alive to the events. By what is ‘around me’ I do not mean the mountain or the river or the stars above. It is not the few trees and birds. The sky is the limit for the phrase ‘around me’. Even the black hole, whose gravitational influence is so strong that not even light can escape, is all ‘around me’. What is around me is what I know, and what I know is enough to trouble me. One either has to respond to every event or live one’s life holed up in a cave somewhere. I do not think that is a life worth living. Even if I live a simple life, it is better lived amidst the world. When I hear the news that two meteorites in the orbit collided, it creates a small fear in me; the debris may fall upon me. So, I find myself in a position where I have to respond to situations which are too numerous and varied. How should I respond to them? More often than not you find yourself helpless. You read the morning newspaper in the bathroom and you are fuming. You cannot do anything for you are helpless. This helplessness is the modern problem. Not that this is the only problem. Many problems may be there, but this one leads to varieties of other problems. You may have an answer for everything but nobody cares to consult you. That is another problem. You find yourself helpless, for no fault of yours. You can live a very simple, clean life, where you care for people, without trampling upon others’ toes, but at the same time you see yourself helpless. You are helpless because you have to respond to every situation that you come to know. Further, as a member of contemporary society, you cannot avoid knowing. How can we handle this helplessness? If it can be handled, it is no longer a helpless situation. How does one look at situations and yet feel that one is not helpless? Before we deal with that, let us see how each one lives his or her life. We live in our own world. Even though there is a world available for public appreciation, public gaze, still each one lives a subjective life. When you see me, the Swami, I am the only world for you at that time; there is no other world. In fact, what you confront is the world. As I talk to you, if you think of something else, then that something else becomes your world. When you see me, how do you see me? Do you see me as I am? Physically if you are not color blind and your eyes and ears can function well, then you can have some objective idea about the Swami. However, the Swami is not just the physical body, much less the dress that he has; he is more than that. There is someone in this body who is now talking to you and responding to you. How do you know this person? How do you respond to this person? It is always with your scales of judgement. In today’s competitive society, each member seems to be out to get the other. That is how it looks, if the behaviour of people is an indication. You are therefore always wary. You are always ready to defend yourself. You are always ready to fight. You pick up this attitude right from your childhood. We start our life as a helpless but totally trusting baby. We do not know whether we are with the mother or with some one else; we are helpless. We are helpless when we face certain psychological situations that disturb us, that undermine our trust. The distrust later becomes the core of the child’s personality. The distrust is confirmed when we go to school because there are a lot of bullies around who are out to get us. All these influence our response as an adult. When we see people in the society, everybody seems to be out for the kill. Survival itself becomes a challenge. It is not very different in an affluent society. When there is competition, we are braced for any onslaught. We may be taken advantage of, exploited, taken for a ride, and we do not want to be taken for a ride. Therefore, we are wary all the time. It is this cautious person who deals with everybody else, deals with the Swami also. Our distrust and disbelief towards others puts us in a vulnerable situation. Everyone has a need for someone who is not judgmental, with whom one can relax. It is very difficult to meet such a person in the world. This also makes you vulnerable. It makes you ripe for exploitation. With all your fears, your needs, distrust and disbelief, when you see the Swami, well, he is not going to be the Swami that he is. He is the Swami that you think he is. This is true of everything else. It is one of the main reasons why the human mind loves nature. The ocean and the mountains, the sky and the stars become so important to us because these are the only ones we can approach without our prejudices. I ask you, “Are these alone considered nature? Is the human being outside nature? Who said that a human being is not nature?” If animals, trees and mountains are part of nature, how is it that such an eloquent species as a human being is not part of nature? My nose, my breathing, my hunger, are they not nature? My thinking, my anger, my love, are these not nature? They are all prakåti, nature. Who says they are outside nature? When human beings also form nature, why do I run away from them to see a mountain? Why should I be under such pressure, that I should seek mountains, valleys, trees and flowers? It is because, other members of my species have hurt me and I can no longer trust them or relax in their presence. It is because mountains and forests are the only ones left for us, which we can look at without prejudice. There again, if you are an environmentalist you have a problem. You would see the mountains and say, “My god! What have they done to this mountain? This is outrageous. They have made it completely bald.” Destruction of nature is another problem because of a lack of environmental awareness in people. Thus, even the mountains can drive you crazy these days. Then, you have to choose some special mountains. You can see how the safe world is getting smaller and smaller for oneself. However, just as we see nature without prejudices, we can also see the world that is available for public perception without subjectivity. When you look at a mountain, it does not demand or threaten you. You can be as you are, at home with yourself. You accept yourself in the appreciation of the beauty of the mountain. You do not want the mountain to be different, the animals to be different, the location to be different, or the mountain peak to be different. You take the mountain as it is. It seems to resolve all the demands of the demanding person in you for the time being. You come to appreciate yourself, which you had not done earlier. You say that the mountain is beautiful and visit the mountain again and again. However, it is not the mountain that you love, but rather, it is yourself you love when you see the mountain. In the experience of the mountain you see yourself, relatively at least, a pleased person whose demands are silenced and whose self-judgement is resolved for the time being. The beauty is so captivating that there is no room for you to be judgemental; the mountain does not let you have your smallness for the time being. It is able to capture your imagination and you find yourself letting go of all your notions; you see yourself as beautiful. When you see yourself beautiful, you say that the mountain is beautiful. When you say that the mountain is beautiful it is non-Vedanta. Vedanta says, “When you say that the mountain is beautiful, it means that you are beautiful.” That is Vedanta. When you express that the mountain is beautiful, then you become a poet. You can write a poem about the mountain. Vedanta is not poetry. In poetry there are some facts, but you need Vedanta to understand those facts. In any captivating situation you see yourself as a non-judgmental person. It means that you are capable of being non judgmental. You neither judge the object of captivation nor yourself. If you judge the object, you also judge yourself. Every judgement leads to self-judgment. When you are not judging the mountain, when you let the mountain be as it is, then you are not judging yourself also, at least for the moment. When you see yourself as a non-judgmental person, you are in harmony with what you face. It is something that is experientially known to you, but not recognized immediately. When you can relate to the mountain like this, you can also relate in the same way to any other person or situation. If it is possible in one situation, it is also possible in any other situation. We have a basis now to understand ourselves. When you see yourself as a non-demanding person in spite of yourself, in spite of your prejudices, your likes and dislikes, your demands, then you have made it. This is what you seek in life, after all. What else are you trying to accomplish in life? If you do not need to prove yourself to be somebody, if you do not need to be always cautious and wary in different situations, then you have grown. As long as you have distrust and demands, you are yet to grow. People say ‘I walk on eggshells.’ You are not walking on eggshells, you are in an eggshell, and you have to come out of the eggshell. Your own prejudices confine you, imprison you—they are the fetters. Your life should be such that you understand facts and see what is in front of you as it is. You need not know the person you face, but you need not look at the person with your prejudices. Even if you come to know something about the person, why should you interpret anything? A person is what he or she is because of his or her background. Understanding and accepting a person as he or she is, helps you get out of the shell of your private world and into the public world. The public world is very bright and beautiful; it is what is, whereas the private world is not. Our struggles in life are mainly to get out of our own private world and its prejudices. We think like Indians, we think like Americans, Europeans, but we do not think like thinkers. This is our problem. One can dress like sädhus, like Indians. It is welcome; it is cultural. Every culture should be preserved as it is; we need not disturb it at all. Each culture has its own beauty, language, dialect, music and it should be preserved; it is the wealth of humanity. You may not understand it, but it does not matter; it must be preserved as it is. Culture implies language, dress, food, the way of eating food, the way of cooking, the manner of talking, the way of greeting, the way of living in a family and so on. Even ornaments and hairstyle are culture, so they can be as they are. Therefore, everything is cultural. However, there is no Indian thinking, unless there is an Indian truth. There is no American thinking unless there is an American truth. If we are dealing with public truth, then, we should think like thinkers. We need insight to understand our own prejudices, to know which are prejudices and which are not. To have that insight one needs to objectively look at oneself and the world. Having looked at yourself, look at the world and bring that knowledge to bear on situations that call for responses from you. There can be millions of situations. They need not make you feel helpless. What is required is understanding and knowledge that is distinct from any kind of action. 0 Comments

LIFE IS ROLE PLAYING TALK -2 Sep 19, 2009 2:57 am 516 Views LIFE IS ROLE PLAYING TALK BY SWAMI DAYANANDA we can say that of the two factors involved in relating, one is variable and the other, the one who confronts, is invariable. You are the same person whether you relate to father or son, uncle or husband, friends or foe, employer or employee. You are the same whether you see or hear, walk or talk, sing or smell. This is true even from the standpoint of mental activities: the one who doubts is the one who decides; the one who loves is the one who hates; the one who is kind is the onewho is cruel. The person is invariable and that is you. THE INVARIABLE FACTOR We need to look into the ‘you’ that is invariable. Is it totally invariable? We cannot say so because there seems to be a variable status even for the subject, the person who relates, in keeping with what or whom he or she relates. When you relate to your father either mentally or perceptually; you are a son. Again, when you relate to your son, you are no longer the previous person, the son; you are now a father. You undergo a change. The subject ‘I’ that was a son while relating to the father has changed to become a father while relating to the son. The person ‘I’ is there but he or she has a different status now. To a sister, the ‘I’ is a brother; to a wife, the ‘I’ is a husband; to a student ‘I’ is a teacher and to a teacher the ‘I’ is a student. Thus, because of a relationship, the ‘I’ also undergoes change. The change in the ‘I’, however, is not total as is the case with the objects with which the ‘I’ relates. The object can be a form perceived earlier, that is totally replaced by a sound heard now. The object can be a friend that is totally replaced by another, a stranger, the exact opposite. There is something I like and something I do not like. Thus the change in the object is total. The subject ‘I’, however, is not totally replaced. If it is, there will be no continuity at all. The father-I is replaced by the son-I, but the ‘I’ is not totally replaced. If it is totally replaced, there will be neither father nor son because the one who related to the son has vanished, while a new one who has appeared in his place cannot have a relationship with the father. If an invariable factor is not there in the subject, there will no thread to connect the experiences. Hence, the subject does undergo a change in relation to the object but the change is not total; it is incidental and partial. The partial change in the subject ‘I’ does not seem to leave any trace upon the ‘I’.Imagine that while you are talking to your sister, your wife comes along and you start talking to her. In relation to your wife, the brother goes away completely and the husband has taken his place. You are very much there, remember, because the one who was a brother is the same who is now the husband. At the same time, the previous role does not leave a trace upon you, the subject. Therefore, you are able to assume a new role altogether without suffering a change on your part. It reveals a great fact about life. It is an amazing capacity to undergo change when you relate to something,without intrinsically undergoing change. It is this capacity that makes your life imbued with freshness and freedom. If you do not recognise this fact fully, it is indeed a great tragedy and life becomes a misery. The invariable factor ‘I’ undergoes a seeming change with reference to a particular situation. When I come in contact with an object that I like I become a liker. The next moment, if I come in contact with an object that I dislike I immediately become a disliker. In both these situations the ‘I’ is very much present. This ‘I’ is invariable and is therefore neither a liker nor a disliker. Is it not true? If you know this to be true, you have made your life. 0 Comments

LIFE IS ROLE PLAYING 1 - TALKS Sep 19, 2009 2:39 am 526 Views Talk by Swami Dayananda Saraswati Action and reaction, as we know from physics, are both equal and opposite. You cannot rub against something, without yourself getting rubbed in the process.However, I am looking at these two words with reference to one’s response tothe world. LIFE INVOLVES RELATIONSHIP You cannot avoid relating as well as responding to the world, whether you likeit. You must necessarily relate to the world in order to live your life; you neednot relate to the world just to be alive. When you are in deep sleep, you are alivebut you do not relate to the world; there is no world, in fact, for you. There is norelationship, no memories, no situational problems to cause any concern. You arejust alive; you merely exist. You can exist even in a state of coma, without in anyway relating to the world. It is possible to keep a person alive in coma for years on life support systems. However, that is not living. In order to live your life, youneed to relate to the world.Any relationship implies two factors: one is you, the person, who relates and the other is what or whom you relate to. Of these two, one is a changing factor – thatwhich you are related to. The situation to which you are related keeps onchanging all the time and the change can be total. Now you see fire and now you see a stream of water; two things entirely different in nature. You meet your father and the next moment you meet your son. The object has completely changed, the son replacing the father. In terms of sensory perception, the objects constantly change. You perceive a form or smell or sound or touch or taste. Thus,the world you confront keeps changing whereas you, the one who confronts the world, is invariable. A person who sees a form is the same who hears a sound.The one who saw and heard is the one who is talking to someone now. The person, ‘you’ remains the same, whereas the objects keep changing. Therefore, 1 Excerpt from Action and Reaction, Arsha Vidya Research and Publications, Chennai, 2007. 0 Comments

What is Wrong in that ?! Sep 16, 2009 12:24 am 542 Views Recently, There has been a lot of talk in India about the rude treatment meted out to the Indian Movie personalities like Shah Rukh Khan, Mammutty, Kamalhassan, and the ExPreseident Dr.Abdul Kalam. Personally, I do not find any fault with the extra cautious approach of the concerned American security authorities at the Airports and elsewhere. After 9/11 only, We find these things happening, any nation with self respect and dignity for the citizen has left with no option other than being very strict with the safety.(Indian ex foreign secretary felt these sort of American measures would not be suitable for India to tackle the terrorists !?) Someone with a Muslim name or with a similar looks etc., were treated like that. NOTHING WRONG. Hey, mild Indian!, you don't care for the innocent civilian lives in India even after the barbaric attack of the COWARDISTS ( Called as terrorists by most )in India several times.Learn from the Bold American who treats the President of America and a lay citizen of America alike. We can handle all kind of people with extra caution - Swami Dayananda 1 comment

The Only One !! Sep 14, 2009 3:58 am 480 Views MG .Ramachandran known as MGR was the only one highly successful Actor-turned politician. 1.MGR stopped acting in the year 1977, the last one was a super hit. Compared to the next best Sivaji Ganesan whose last 12 movies were failures?!. Sivaji simply lost market! Even NTR inspite of his goodwill lost the rule to his Son-in-law only to die later in disgrace. Rajkumar of Karnataka never entered politics but he was abducted and kept as a hostage by the forest out-law Veerappan. A Hero, only in movies ! 2.MGR consequetively won 3 elections in 1977, 79, 84!!. This is a record even now for any south Indian political party! MGR died as the Chief Minister of the Tamilnadu state. Sivaji Ganesan's political career was pathetic !. When he floated a party after the demise of MGR and contested the state elections, he lost deposit!! later, he disbanded the party and died without significant achievement in his later ilfe either as an Actor and as a politician! 3.MGR's rule did not achieve anything significantly but It was a courruption less rule !!. None raised any charges against his Government! Compared to the trend prevailing now, it is quite amazing how the cabinet of MGR and the party men simply kept an order for their one and only leader !! MGR's flamboyant style of acting is still liked by a section of people which is evident from his old movies running in class 2 theatres in the state. 2 Comments

IT WORKS !! Sep 12, 2009 5:09 am 491 Views "When I accept something, what do I do? Is it just a sentence, "I accept"? a mere sentence does not imply acceptance. Sometimes I accept something without saying so. Acceptance implies a certain attitude on my part. When I accept something, I give it the freedom to what it is. I do not want the thing to be different from what it is. Acceptance implies granting freedom to the object of acceptance to be what it is. In giving that freedom I do not demand that the object be differnt from what it is. The mere word, acceptance without understanding its implications does not help. I accept the child as the child is. I accept a tree. I accept the sun, the moon. I accept a bird its color, its behavior.I accept chemical as it is.I accept sugar as it is. I accept poison as it is. Acceptance does not imply that I have to use it. In acceptance, there is objectivity. I let things be as they are. With reference to my past, however I do not let it be as it is. I do not accept it because it has caused me pain. Due to my helplessness I subjected myself to pain, to hurt. Therefore, the painful past is not acceptable to me. Can I bring myself to expect the past ? When I bring myself to bear upon the past, can I be the same person that I am when I accept the sky ? How do I accept the sky ? What frame of mind do I have when I accept the sky? That same frame of mind I bring to bear upon my mother and father - whether they are alive are not. In the same way, I accept my friends, my relatives, employers, my grandparents, my children, my partner in life. Individually, I accept every one of them because I give them the freedom to be what they are. I do not blame the sky because it is or is not blue. I bring this same person to bear upon those with whom my life has been cast. They are all different characters in the drama of my life. I free myself from blaming any one of them. I blame no one, nor do I blame myself. O Lord, please give me the serenity, the clarity, to accept gracefully what I cannot change and change what I can. I cannot change the past for it has already happened. But I change my attitudes, my understanding. I can bring about a change in my attitude towards myself, towards the world by widening my understanding. Let me change what I can, and grant me the wisdom to know the difference between what I can and cannot change." In so many words, I pray Om Tat Sat Talks by Swami Dayananda 1 comment

Y O G A T H E R A P Y Sep 12, 2009 2:18 am 475 Views People who suffered from various psychosomatic (diseases affecting the body and mind simultaneously)diseases found YOGA to be an excellent form of therapy. Yoga takes control of the whole body and the mind hence that part which suffers from a particular ailment also starts to function properly. CASE STUDY In our Yoga therapy centre in Tamil nadu,South India, I treated a 51-year-old man who had 1.fat,2.diabetes 3.hypertension 4. swollen leg for few years. I taught only 7 simple Yoga Asanas and a particular form of tradition Indian breathing to that man. He was a regular practitioner for 6 months , amazingly his blood sugar level became normal for the first time after many, many years.Obviouly, he was jubilant. The important point that should be noted, I feel, is the confidence level of the person and the faith that he had in yoga. He can take care of his body and mind ! then what ?! He can manage himself life long. Managing oneself by oneself is the only way !! It seems !! A Diabetic like him can discontinue all medications if he practices regular yoga asanas and breathing. 0 Comments

Y O G A Sep 12, 2009 2:12 am 491 Views Yoga as many know is a step by step process which instantly offer anyone with Best health; Continuous peace; sharp intellect; an ideal daily life !! Yoga is not only Yoga asanas ( Postures , it is a Physical part of Yoga only. Yoga works upon the emotional,psychological and Intellectual planes of a person. One may have good health but what about peace of mind? Are there any food which gives peace? or any drink that gives peace ? no, they offer only temporary manipulation of the mind. They have side effects causing illness and psychological impact !! Yoga can be taken up as a therapy also with one who knows about it ! Yoga offers wonderful Memory, Power of concentration,and grasping power to the students and anyone who practices it ! Students and teachers also can benefit from it immensely. It is said that in future man may take up Yoga for world wide research like science to find answers to many of the Individual, social, national, international issues YOGA FOR STUDENTS IS AN IDEAL AND ASSET LIFELONG ! YOGA IS THE FRIEND THAT OFFERS PEACE WHEN IN DISTRESS AND GRIEF! YOGA IS THE PHYSICIAN WHO BESTOWS EXCELLENT HEALTH TO THOSE WITH DISEASES! YOGA IS THE TEACHER WHO SHARPENS YOUR INTELLECT WITH PRESENCE OF MIND ! Y = YOUR O = ONLY G = GUARDIAN A = ANGEL 1 comment

Who is a failure ?! Sep 4, 2009 9:58 am 547 Views Reading Room - Talks of Swami Dayananda Pearls of Wisdom : Self-Judgement Suppose I say, I am a failure, it is a judgement. A lot of people have this problem. Everybody has a judgement somewhere in a corner. I am a failure, I am worthless, I am useless, I am ugly. Even Miss Universe has this problem. You may wonder, how? She is declared by a panel of judges, to be the most beautiful woman. She is crowned also. All the newspapers and T.V. write and talk about Miss Universe. It means the whole world has accepted her as the most beautiful woman. One cannot be more beautiful than that. Humanity has accepted her. Only gods have to declare whether she is beautiful or not. And she has to decide whether she is beautiful or not. We need not bother about gods. In the eyes of gods, everything must be beautiful. Therefore only she has to accept herself that she is beautiful. Hereafter this woman need not prove herself to anybody. So from the next day she can come out in a simple dress. She need not have any make-up. But I tell you, now she has more responsibility. Being a Miss Universe, she spends more time with her cosmetics that she did before. Because after all she is Miss Universe. How can she come out like that? She is not convinced that she is the most beautiful! Everybody has a self-judgement. That is called ahankara. It is always small. Until you gain Self-knowledge, there is self-judgement. So what is a judgement? A judgement is based on some data and that means it is not knowledge, really. That is why it is called a judgement. All the judges when they judge, purely go by evidence. They have to be as objective as possible, keeping their subjective feeling etc., aside. That is called a judgement. Knowledge is different. A judgement may be other than what the fact is. If the judgement and fact happen to be identical, it is your luck. But knowledge has to take place. Till then it is a judgement. Therefore if you make a judgement about yourself, instead of realising you are ananda, you are amrta, which is the fact about the Self, you are always going to judge yourself smaller than what you really are. If I am less than infinite, what am I? Finite. And what is the distance between infinite and finite? Infinite. That is the problem. In the absence of knowledge of what you confront or deal with, you have to judge. You cannot avoid judgement. That is the reason why we are always seeking, because there is a judgement which we cannot live happily with. So we seek. That is the original beggarly problem of the human being. We want to prove ourselves better than what we think we are all the time. The judgement is invariably based firstly upon our body and mind and then upon the body-related and society-related things. Therefore in a society where cows are wealth, you must have, a few cows. Then you are rich. In a society, where power means something, you must have power. Then you are big. When you say "I am a failure", on what basis you are saying that? "Oh, I started a business and I lost even the capital and a friend too." So, that particular undertaking was a failure. Then you took up a job. There also you could not do well. That was again a problem. When it happens twice, thrice, your wife and others also start saying that you are a failure and that they knew you would fail even before you started. So people around are not very helpful. They confirm your own opinion. Now on this basis you say, "I am a failure." This is exactly what is called lumping - putting a lot of things together. We are lumpers really speaking! To say "I am a failure", you should be of a failure all the way, that is, if you wish to lift your leg or hand, you should fail to do it. Then you are a failure. If you eat, you should fail to digest the food. Then you are a failure. But you do carry out hundreds of tasks everyday where you are successful. Only one or two are the tasks you failed in. Even that business which you call failure, is also not a total failure, really speaking. May be you did it for two years during which period, you took money out of it, you lived out of it. Then why not call it an experience, which in fact it is? There is no failure in life. There are only varieties of experiences. We learn from experiences, not from failure. We become sad by failure, wiser by experience. Memory is meant to serve us, to enable us to remember, not to become a basis to make judgement. If you do not remember what happened, how are you going to judge? "I am a failure" is purely based on memory. Memory is meant not to make judgements about you. Memory is just to help you remember that you already had your lunch; otherwise you will be eating another lunch! It is purely for that purpose. Memory is also a karana, a means. But we make a karta, an agent out of it. There, too, you take a part of it, just blow it out of proportion and then place yourself under that judgement completely and conclude, "I am a failure". Nobody is a failure. This self-judgement is purely due to non-recognition of the fact that life is a variety of experiences. You learn from them. Nobody every fails. 6 Comments

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