What is the difference between existence and awareness?
I wear a Rolex chronometer, write with a Mont Blanc and drive a 7 series to work - this is pure existence.
I wear a Rolex chronometer which is accurate to 0.1 seconds, and which is what I totally don't need as i am not a 100 meter sprinter, write with a Mont Blanc which is no more purposeful than a Reynolds, and drive a BMW that I will not take with me to my next life. However, I continue to do all what I do, because I am a businessman and when I enact the role of a businessman, I must enact it to the best of my abilities. And, I must always remember that it is only a role, and that, after the game, both the king and the pawn end up in the same box - this is awareness.
Most of humanity exists, without any awareness. Vivekananda says that the spiritual mode can never be achieved till the material is eschewed. It takes enormous courage for a peacock to accept that its feathers won't last for ever.
Most of us work, make money, earn fame, become successful, get married, become more successful, earn more money, gain more fame, pray for intelligent children, get children, pray for their welfare, become more successful, watch our children grow and become successful, retire peacefully and die abruptly. A few do all the above, while being aware that someday this must all end, and in this awareness, he who thinks along these lines will distinguish himself to himself alone.
Are both paths right? Wrong question. Are both paths normal? Right, and yes. Is one path preferable to another? Purely subjective. But this will probably be the most important question a man asks himself in his entire life, and in doing so, sets on the path of self-awareness.
It had to be arguably the most intelligent man in all of humanity to make this very inconvenient statement: It is good to be a man of success, but better to be a man of value. If these words came from the mouth of anyone of even marginally lesser standing than Einstein, they would have been received with perfect derision from the intelligensia. However, since these have come from one who studied Sanskrit for years to learn the true meaning of the Bhagavad Gita, they cannot be cast asunder, and have to receive a little more consideration. What will we do with all the money we earn? It is in how many lives we transform that we distinguish ourselves, and embellish our legacies.
The peacock's feathers are most resplendent when they sit on the crown of the Lord. But how many peacocks would want that to happen?
Very beautifully written and only you can write so exquisitely. While the rest of us were spanking our minds over tinsel and trivia I had tears in my eyes being bolted out of the blue by a billion watts of astute intelligence reading the esoteric questions you asked in this post? God Bless You and it is good to have you back “misblogging”!
ReplyDeleteYour questions gave more fuel to the fire of my awareness conundrum!
If awareness is the understanding that everything can vanish in the twinkling of the eye, what is all this about? If things can happen without our control, what are we in control of? If we are not in control of anything, who is in control of all this?
He is the greatest wirepuller of all in this universe. Yet he says He is not the doer. If He is not the doer and everything is reflection, reaction and resound of random interconnected events and actions in this time space backdrop, who is the doer?
All this is a drama. All we are is a story. But what is our story of our birth, life and death about? And who is it for? What is the purpose of our life.? When can we find our true calling?
Awakening is when we pause from doing whatever we are doing in life to start asking why we are doing all this in our life. When we awaken we ask questions.
Praveen has asked the question because he has awakened!
It is easy to wake up. But is difficult to truly get the answers and live a purposeful life. And those who answer do not really know and those who really know do not answer!
I see Awakening is the first sign of having found God our dormant sleeping partner. And to me to have found God is perhaps nowhere near the end of our search but the beginning!
Sir, I am currently reading Geetha Vahini, and in my opinion, this has to be the book of books. And all my thoughts (which I hope will shape my future actions) stem from reflection on the content therein. Only Krishna knows what Krishna meant when He said whatever He said. Therefore, this has to be the most authentic exposition of that epiphanic conversation. This book will blow away your mind! It has awakened me like nothing else before, and I am sure it will inspire you as well. Truly, Jagame Sarvam Vishnu Mayam.
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