Why all meditations fail? Why all those good lessons lose their charm? people keep asking me.
It is simple! when you become an expert you lose charm in doing it, which only the beginner will have. For example, the keyboard typing or singing the national anthem Jana grana mana. So, you want to listen to music when you’re driving.
When you have to simply repeat a work you get bored. Life looks very mechanical monotonous and the brain becomes dull. Now, what about the fate of puja, prayer, Dhyana, reading a sacred book, listening to spiritual talks, yoga and the pranayama and all that? JK,, jiddu krishnamurti , the famous philosopher and thinker, asked people not to repeat like a parrot. He saw the brain becomes conditioned and you become a robot like person. So, he was opposed to all methodical systematic training of the brain like the Buddhist vipassana.
But, JK has simply generalized all human learning. This I call Jks erro. He overlooked an area of learning in the brain. Probably oversight. And that is the area of learning and improving of the awareness. This particular learning the learning of awareness never becomes mechanical. It is always fresh and new. So you can repeat this and improve on this. So, you need a systematic methodical training of the mind. Here the brain does not become dull it becomes more sensitive and sharper. For example watch your breath. Be aware of the air movement. It is always new and fresh it happens moment by momen. How can this be mechanical and monotonous? This is the basis, the foundation of Zen way of Life.
But, why learn this awareness? why improve on awareness? you look, observe your breath and you become aware, sit erect and see for yourself. Do you follow. The heart rate slows down. Now the breath slows down. You can see anything clearly only when you slow down, when you become calm and fresh. So when all your metabolic activities are at the low basal level there is a good conducive environment to see things clearly and understand their true nature and their true value. Do you follow, see for example you are a communist. You believe strongly that you are a communist. But who knows you may become a capitalist tomorrow. …So that is not truly who you are. That’s a temporary reality. Then who are you? what is your essence? what are you made of?
In Zen, over a period of time, by systematic practice, you will come to see your thoughts, your emotions and your behavior and those things which change and the things which do not change right and Eventually, you will see there are many moments in your life where you’re calm, peaceful and like a clear clean water pond. And There is no communist or capitalist there. You have to discover who is there and find out for yourself.
THAT IS WHO YOU ARE.
You don’t just have to believe it. This is Zen. So, it is an experiential way of life. Then,, you will see that all your pains and sufferings of samsara are dissolved. You will stay with your essence, that is the clean clear water pond like reality. This is the enlightenment or the Mukti right? Day by day you will go on improving on this. You will know your essence and of what substance you’re made of. Look at this example of a lotus and discover what things it is made of. The hidden lotus bud appears on the surface of water. Now at the appearance of the morning sun, there is spurt of activities which is called photosynthesis, where protein’s are built and arranged one above the other like laying bricks one above the other. This takes the form of a petal. These are special protiens which absorb certain colours of light and reflect some other colours. So, a coloured petal appears right? This new lotus is just a new form of the elements, the mud, the air, the sunshine and the water. The lotus therefore has no independent existance and private identity. It is all inter dependent.
Now it’s up to you to find out, your true essence and the substance you are made of.
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