Letter # 99: "Silent Mind"
A wise friend told me that I’m more silent, more in myself, since I had my heart attack in May 2006. My friend is right. I am even more introspective now than before; and more curious about who and what I am: my mortal frame and immortal being. What is the value of introspection and silence in our madly busy world?
The following conversation between a questionner and Maharaj Nisargadatta gives some answers:
Q: “Sir, I am getting drowned in a sea of words! I can see that all depends on how words are put together, but there must be somebody to put them together meaningfully. By drawing words at random the Ramayan, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita could never be produced. The theory of accidental emergence is not tenable. The origin of the meaningful must be beyond it. What is that power that creates order out of chaos? Living is more than being, and consciousness is more than living. Who is the conscious living being?”
M: “Your question contains its answer: a conscious living being is a conscious living being. The words are most appropriate but you do not grasp their full import. Go deep into the meaning of the words: being, living, conscious, and you will stop running in circles, asking questions, but missing answers. You cannot understand a valid question about yourself because you do not know whom you are asking about. In the question “Who am I?” the “I” is not known and the question can be worded as: “I do not know what I mean by ‘I’”. What you are, you must find out. I can only tell you what you are not. You are not of the world, you are not even in the world. The world is not, you alone are. You create the world in your imagination like a dream. As you cannot separate the dream from yourself, so you cannot have an outer world independent of yourself. You are independent, not the world. Don’t be afraid of a world you yourself have created. Cease from looking for happiness and reality in a dream and you will wake up. You need not know all the “why” and “how”; there is no end to questions. Abandon all desires, keep your mind silent and you shall discover.” [“I Am That” P 453].
Ecclesiastes 3.7 reminds us that there is "...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak". Create order in life by using and enjoying both wisely.
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.
Q: “Sir, I am getting drowned in a sea of words! I can see that all depends on how words are put together, but there must be somebody to put them together meaningfully. By drawing words at random the Ramayan, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita could never be produced. The theory of accidental emergence is not tenable. The origin of the meaningful must be beyond it. What is that power that creates order out of chaos? Living is more than being, and consciousness is more than living. Who is the conscious living being?”
M: “Your question contains its answer: a conscious living being is a conscious living being. The words are most appropriate but you do not grasp their full import. Go deep into the meaning of the words: being, living, conscious, and you will stop running in circles, asking questions, but missing answers. You cannot understand a valid question about yourself because you do not know whom you are asking about. In the question “Who am I?” the “I” is not known and the question can be worded as: “I do not know what I mean by ‘I’”. What you are, you must find out. I can only tell you what you are not. You are not of the world, you are not even in the world. The world is not, you alone are. You create the world in your imagination like a dream. As you cannot separate the dream from yourself, so you cannot have an outer world independent of yourself. You are independent, not the world. Don’t be afraid of a world you yourself have created. Cease from looking for happiness and reality in a dream and you will wake up. You need not know all the “why” and “how”; there is no end to questions. Abandon all desires, keep your mind silent and you shall discover.” [“I Am That” P 453].
Ecclesiastes 3.7 reminds us that there is "...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak". Create order in life by using and enjoying both wisely.
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.
posted by Dr. Jas Bhopal @ 8:35 AM
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