I visited with the Head of the Ashram in India, on a reference from the Head of the Boston Mission who I have met and conversed with in the past. The ashram in Hyderabad is fairly extensive with fairly large grounds. The Boston Mission is a relatively modest affair in comparison.
When we entered the hall, he specifically asked me to sit on a chair rather than the floor; which I awkwardly complied with. Then, he proceeded to ask me to move the chair closer to him so we could have a conversation. I was of course, quite appreciative that he would do this.
He first asked me to introduce myself. I did so and told him that the Head of the Boston Mission has recommended my visit here. He said, 'oh! he is a good Swamiji!'
In any case, I was asked what I wanted to talk about and I said that on my way over, I had come prepared with 3 question. The first two were the same questions that I had asked the Boston Head in February. The third was new based on some thinking I have been doing about what I would do in my retirement years and also my recent discussion with young executives and college students. The questions and abbreviated answers are recorded below.
These three questions are quite key to me. I look for answers everywhere to these three questions whether they be from an Astrophysicist (eg. Sean Carroll), a Monk or an Artificial Intelligence expert (eg. Douglas Hofstadter) or a Philosopher. At the end of the day, I subscribe to William James insight on learning - which, paraphrasing it, is something that happens from the inside. The rest is 'input.'
Thus, I take the responses given to me here as seeds planted in my mind, that upon further rumination and synthesis could ultimately yield satisfactory answers.
1. How do I ensure all this is not a dream; worse that a grand self-deception is being perpetrated?
It is best to ask who is behind this question. Take your body and your organs. They are all functioning; and upon death they cease to function. Yet, upon death, it is not as though these organs are not functional. Therefore ask what it is that animates these organs. Consider that life-force real, and the rest not.
2. What does it mean to transcend good and evil? How can one not support good and resist evil? Is 'transcending' not escaping the hard work of one's responsibility?
(I was asked to define good and evil. To which I simplistically replied that good might be helping an old lady cross the street and evil as hurting someone and grabbing their possessions)
On the point of good, why do you feel like you are doing good? The person you are helping will survive with or without your help. What is special about you. Helping someone is helping yourself. And thus you must thank them for letting them help you. If you realize the unity of existence the question of harm does not arise - how do you hurt yourself? As Ramdas sang, see yourself in all ('antha Rama-Mayam' - it is all off Rama). You don't transcend good and evil by logic - you do by experience.
3. How can we ignite young minds beyond career success to the deeper, richer aspects of life?
You may have cooked the best, most sumptuous meal and if you offer it to a person who is not hungry, they will not only not enjoy it, they might even find fault with it.
On the other hand, if you find a person who is hungry, he will eat the simplest food you offer.
So, all in good time, and only if there is hunger.
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What was remarkable was that the Head of the Mission did not even hesitate to answer the questions; which leads me to two thoughts. i) my questions are garden variety that are elementary for those practiced in thinking about these matters or ii) the answers are delivered in a practiced manner and come from a particular point of view.
But all in all, I am quite glad that I was able to make this trip and have this conversation. The combination of the answers between this conversation and my earlier conversation in February are worth thinking through carefully for sure.
5 comments:
We have exchanged thoughts on Gurcharan Das's, "The difficulty of being good" if my memory serves me right. Could you connect your questions with his interesting volume?
Good questions and appropriately good and succinct answers.
Years back when I was Chennai, many weekends I ended up at the Vasantha Vihar library, after/before visiting Suresh Babu & Balamani at the IIT campus.
Hours of Jiddu's audio/video let me forget rest of the world and escape into a dream.
But one day something else happened to me... yes... Samsara!
Well, if I remember anything at all from my early escapades, the Truth is nothing but "Mindless state of Mind".
For some this happens naturally while others keep seeking it and many simply wouldn't care.
I was wondering after reading your questions, what if these are my own
questions. My own attempted responses are here. This comes from a technique
where the answer to a question, starts with examination of the ground from which
the questions are raised.
But i see there could be a no.of ways in which these
questions could be examined and mine is just one.
And not necessarily the
correct one. It is from my desire to communicate my own mental responses and not
an attempt to answer your questions that i write.
1. How do I ensure all this is not a dream; worse that a grand self-deception
is being perpetrated?
A: But why we you want to ensure anything. So what if it is like a dream? Why
presuppose that it should not be like a dream ?
2. What does it mean to transcend good and evil? How can one not support good
and resist evil? Is 'transcending' not escaping the hard work of one's
responsibility?
A: What if the one who raises the question himself is a transcendental being and
upon getting established in that state, good and evil loose meaning (as there
are no two to interact and allow concepts of good and evil to rise in that
state?) Could the answer be from a point of view of one for whom good and evil
donot exist at all. (it is not that it exists and it is denied. It exists for me
but not for the great one who is established in a State. How can there be
unbroken Ananda if evil is present)
3. How can we ignite young minds beyond career success to the deeper, richer
aspects of life?
By establishing ourselves in that State of unbroken awareness of the reality !
The other attempts to ignite may have its impact. But this impact would be a
million times more efficacious and may not even need an attempt. Mere existence
in such an exalted State may lead to inspiring a million in a significant
measure ?
These were the crude responses which arose in my mind and i have said it for
whatever it is worth.
The questions you have asked are profound!
But I am not satisfied with the answers.
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