Letter # 88: "The Point"

British philosopher and mathematician, Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) said, “The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it.” So let me try that.
Let’s look at the point itself. A point is tiny in size but titanic in philosophy. For a simple example, let’s take an image. If you point to a spot on it and then enlarge the image, many new points can be placed in the old point itself. This is the case no matter how much you keep magnifying the image.
When the idea of the point entered the world of impressionistic art it brought pointillism, a technique for creating a painting from dots.
Not just in images, the point is of interest to all disciplines including geography, navigation, measurement, sports and games, and much more.
While the word point comes from the Latin word punctum which means "a small hole made by pricking", its meaning has grown to include “dot”, “particle" and other concepts.
In spirituality, the point, as a subject, is not discussed in the Semitic texts, to my knowledge. But in the Vedas, the ancient Indian scriptures, it is. There it is called the bindu.
You will see the bindu, or bindi, in everyday life as a red dot on the foreheads of married Hindu ladies. You will also see it as a tikka, a mark on the foreheads of devotees, at the point of the “third eye”. It’s a spiritual reminder for the ever restless mind to sacrifice its pride to the Spiritual.
The Srimad Bhagavatum states: “ The mind is always agitated by waves of acceptance and rejection. Therefore all the activities of the senses should be offered into the mind, which should be offered into one's words. Then one's words should be offered into the aggregate of all alphabets, which should be offered into the concise form oḿkāra. Oḿkāra should be offered into the point bindu, bindu into the vibration of sound, and that vibration into the life air. Then the living entity, who is all that remains, should be placed in Brahman, the Supreme. This is the process of sacrifice.” [SB 7.15.53]
You see we often get into trouble when we are forgetful of spiritual messages. 2 Chronicles 32:24 reminds us with the story of Hezekiah’s pride, success and death. “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD's wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.” Hezekiah missed the point of opportunity that was afforded to him.
The Big bang Theory of the Universe proposes that all ultimately begins and ends as a point. The mystics agree, and say more. When a questioner asked Maharaj Nisargadatta, “How can a point contain a universe?” He answered, “There is enough space in a point for an infinity of universes.” [I am That P 337.] Guru Nanak sings, “Agia avai agia jae; Nanak ja bhavai ta lae samae,” which is rendered into English as “Everything in this Universe appears and disappears through His Will; Nanak, when He so Wills, He merges everything in His Own Self.” [SS Asht 23 p235.]
It’s so paradoxical that no one will believe it!

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© 2008References: "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.