Letter # 79: "The Next Station Is 'Planet Earth'"

Turning ideas upside down often yields a deeper understanding of things. It’s often called “out of the box thinking”. Let’s apply it to life.
First let’s look at the mass public transport systems of our modern cities. Imagine this: I go on a journey on a modern train. I hear an automated voice announcing the approach to the next station. While on the train, I might have become comfortably settled in my seat, and perhaps have even fallen asleep. On hearing the voice, my anxiety mounts, and I get off the train. Then I get busy doing what I came to do, largely forgetting where I had started my journey.
Now let's apply the idea of a journey to the "larger schema"; let’s assume that “I” came from Being, or am Being as in Letter # 78: "A Visit To Heaven's Gate", and I’m journeying out of there. Towards the end of that journey, the voice on the “transport system” announces, “The next station is planet earth.” I have to get off. As the “train” approaches its final destination, it goes through dark and tight tunnels of time and space. When I get off, I shriek in displeasure, gasping in cold air. I flail my arms and kick in protest. I was comfortable on the journey, in the womb, now I feel the stark hostility of the destination. But people come to my rescue. They make soothing, loving, and welcoming sounds. I feel the warm skin of a huge being, which smiles at me and holds me against her chest. I am now wrapped up comfortably in warm blankets, and fed. I sleep, get cleaned up, fed again, and I play. I play some more, and I now enjoy moving about. I become busier and increasingly engrossed in the rich variety of activities on this planet. There’s so much to see, to enjoy, and to do. I have the grand ambitions of a Caesar: Veni vidi vici - “I came, I saw, I conquered”.
As my body becomes tired and aged, or becomes sick, I protest vigorously: “Why me?”. I have come to believe that the destination, this planet, and all that’s here, is “IT”. I love this planet so much that I fear leaving it. I’ve forgotten where I came from. I don’t believe I came from anywhere else. I don’t remember disembarking here. I’m told that when I was born, I cried and protested. Now I object vehemently to going back to where I supposedly came from. In order to remind me of the place of my True Origin, Messengers come and go, but at best I listen a little and at worse I abuse them. But their message lingers somewhere in the back of my mind. Meanwhile, the fires of desire rage on. I read scripture, where Lord Krishna tells me: “The senses, the mind and intelligence are the sitting places of lust (desire, hankerings). Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.” [BG 3:40]. After explanation, Krishna puts a question to the disciple, “O son of Partha, O conqueror of wealth, have you heard this with an attentive mind? And are your ignorance and illusions dispelled?” Perhaps yes, and perhaps no. I need reminders. Guru Nanak sings one, “Eko ek(u) pachhanai; It ut ki oh(u) sojhi janai”, which stanza is rendered in English as:
“He who recognizes the One God
Comes to know all about this world and the Next.”
[SS Asht 14: P 145]

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.
I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2008
References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.