Acharya Mahaprajna
White Drums
Friday, 23 October 2009 20:06
The route to peace can never be the route of despair. This is indeed not the route to despair is the route of hope and man enters it with infinite hope, with the hope of reaching the ultimate, the Parmatma. This is not a small hope or feeling. This is a very major hope of becoming a Parmatma. If somebody says he wants to become Acharya Tulsi then it will sound like he is an egotist. If someone wishes to become the king, Prime Minister or minister then it will seem like he is thinking like an egotist or yearning for power. If someone wishes to be a Parmatma then there would be no objection, it does not harm anybody. Nobody will say that he is an egotist or an ambitious person. To become a Parmatma is no mean task and in aspiring for it there is no objection. The ambition of reaching a small post is fraught with dangers, many problems are born. If you aspire to be Prime Minister then the one who is occupying the post currently will want to put and end to the aspirant because he will view him as a opponent. All posts come with conflict and oppositions. Those in small posts are always wary of others grabbing their posts. But the post of the paramatma is very large, expansive. Anybody who wants this post can aspire for it without creating any objection, jealousy or conflict.
The path to become the Parmatma is very clear. It is such a large pathway that all the small paths get contained in it. End in it. It is infinite and the travel along it is also infinite. It this perspective one of despair? Never. How can we accept this as one? It is a very very optimistic viewpoint.
Acharya Umasvati was the author of Tatvartha sutra, and a well-known writer and preacher. A disciple came to him and said, "Sir what is the truth in this world that is not bound but is freely accessible to all?" He replied, "Happiness." The disciple asked, "What kind of happiness?" The Acharya replied, "The happiness of moksha or liberation." Asked the disciple, "Sir, how can this happiness be attained?" The Acharya said, "The single soultion to that is to follow right thinking (samyakdarshan), right knowledge (samyakgyan) and right conduct (samyak charitra)."
This solution does not endanger anyboody. This great bliss does not endanger anyboddy. This infinite happiness, this unfettered bliss, this path to peace can never be called the path of despair. This is a path of great hope, a hope that is infinite. It is infinite and turns into the infinite itself. It never ends.
The path of spirituality, the path of meditation can never be seen as the path of despair. The desperate do not come to this path but only those come, who are satiated with the materialistic path. They then find peace. They set out in search of this path. Only they have tread this path who have the sandalwood paste was not able to cool them or bring them any peace. Such a great fire was burning that even the waters of the ocean could not quench it. In such a state they searched for a new route. This is a perspective of great hope, not of despair.
The path of meditation is difficult. It is sure that a despairing man cannot join this path and a lazy man cannot be successful in it. It requires a lot of effort, will and courage. It is wrong to think that closing the eyes and sitting down to meditate is laziness. The courage required to meditate is much more than that required for farming. A man is tilling his land. He goes about it happily, singing or as the modern day farmer does, carrying with him a transistor. He sings and listens to music. In tilling and sowing a lot of effort is not required. But the man who meditates requires more effort. It is not an easy sweet little task. It is our very life's success. The politician makes false promises, but the one who meditates is not able to do any such thing. He says only that which can be done.
One man told his friend, "That man speaks very sweetly and it is a pleasure to listen to him but all of it is false. They are meaningless." Those who talk sweetly but with no meaning are just being politically right.
The path to meditation is not a sweet path. It is not a path of meaningless words. The words of meditation are bitter but they are useful. That is why people call it the path of despair. The path to meditation is the path to a peaceful life and peace of mind. A peaceful life and mind do not come from wealth or prosperity. There is no alternative to this peace. It's only way is through mental concentration, steadying the mind and to change the functioning of the glandular systems. This way the thoughts and waves that come to the mind are assuaged. Thoughts and waves create opposing actions, restlessness. To negate this path is the best way to peace.