Please don't turn them into Gods

'The problem is that religious nuts around the world have exported everything that is beautiful about a human being to the other world. If you talk of love, they speak of divine love. If you talk of bliss, they speak of divine bliss. If you talk of peace, they speak of divine peace. We have forgotten that these are all HUMAN qualities. A human being is fully capable of love, joy and peace. Why do you want to export these to heaven?' (Sadhguru in his book Inner Engineering)

We live in a culture where we really love our Gods. So much so that we are not happy with the ones we have and need to invent more and more of them. As a result, when we have a great person in our midst, we turn them into Gods. Any great figure from the field of arts, sports, politics and any other field of human endeavor, we cannot wait to attach terms like 'divine' and 'godly' to them and start venerating and worshiping them. 

While respecting someone and giving them their due for their contribution and hard work is one thing, turning someone to Gods is full if it's drawbacks and pitfalls. How?

(Now, some people might argue that everything is divine will and we are all children of the Gods and so all greatness is an expression of the divine will. Fine, but the fact is that we are humans and live a human life in a human world. So every act of greatness has to be seen against the backdrop of our humanness if it is to be rightly grasped and appreciated. Also, if everything is divine will then even every failure, every act of mediocrity and every evil deed is also due to the divine will, isn't it?)

So, coming back to the drawbacks of making everyone a God...

Every human being is born as a small, naked, crying baby. We are all born like that. Just like death, even birth is a great leveler in a sense. Every human being is born with the weakness and limitations that a human birth brings with it. Great people become great not in the absence of but in spite of these weaknesses and drawbacks. Everyone who achieves greatness does so through good old fashioned hard work, determination, perseverance, sacrifice and the support of those around them. 

When we attribute divinity to someone and treat them like avatars we at once diminish the importance of their efforts and the efforts of those around them.

'So-and-so is born divine. He had to succeed.'

'XYZ has the spark of God. Of course she was going to become great.'

Sounds familiar? The so-and-so or the XYZ were not destined for greatness because of any divine spark. They, like any one of us had multiple options and chose to work towards greatness. Do not undermine the importance of their decision and hard work by attributing it all to a divine birth or a Godly spark. 

What does it mean?

It means that we all, every single one of us has the ability to become great and achieve the same heights that those greats achieved. It is about the choices that we make and the path that we take. If we chose, we can become great human beings like them. Yes, great HUMANS, and not Gods. Humans who are great but are still subject to all human failings. And therein lies the real importance of the greatness of any human.

Putting them beyond our reach...

Every great person in any field would like others to not only respect them but to follow in their footsteps. But attributing their greatness to a divine spark or a Godly birth prevents us from doing that.

'I really respect ABC but I cannot be like them because they were Gods and I am a common person.'

'We can only hope to come near your level. You are blessed and divine.'

In the process we deny ourselves a chance for greatness that can rival or surpass ABC or any other great. We also deny ourselves a chance to learn from the greats.  

A convenient excuse!!

In fact for some people it becomes a convenient excuse to not try and become anything like the object of their devotion. It leaves them free to use the names and legacy of the greats while not imbibing their fine qualities. 

'I really respect and worship them but I am just a human and cannot become like them.' (And so, I will continue to use their name and legacy to forward my agenda while also continuing with my wrong deeds. After all, they were Gods and I am just a human.)    

Unrealistic expectations...

Another big pitfall of making someone a God is that we deny them the chance to be a human and burden them with unrealistic expectations. Being human means the right to be wrong sometimes. It means that sometimes, in spite of our best efforts sometimes we fail. 

In other words, putting someone on a pedestal means unrealistic expectations from them. And we all know that expectations lead to disappointments. Unrealistic expectations lead to unbelievable disappointments. 

Be it a great in any field, or our elders and teachers, allow them to be humans and while there is nothing wrong in having expectations, make sure the expectations are realistic. 

The greatest tribute...

That we can pay to our heroes is to be like them as much as we can be and to imbibe their fine qualities. That is what almost all of them want. We can do this only by first acknowledging their humanness and the fact that they are no different from us but from amongst us humans. 

To sum it up

Respecting someone and their achievements does not mean worshiping them and making them Gods. It means appreciating their hard work and everything that they did to get where they are. It starts by acknowledging their humanness. It also means doing our best to be like them. 

Last but not the least, it also means allowing them to be humans and live amongst us humans and accepting them with any human weakness that they are bound to have.  

 

          

Spirituality and Common Sense

"If we are all going to die one day, why should we take care of our health? Shouldn't we be ready to go to heaven?"

"If there are no others and everything is one, then everything that belongs to another person also belongs to me. Why should I not take it?"

"If everything is divine will, why should I be punished for stealing? After all, I am fulfilling a divine will."

"Why are you earning money if spiritual progress is what you seek?"

These are just a few questions that one may encounter when talking about spirituality. (Any of the various schools of spiritual thought.)

Luckily, there are not many people who ask such questions. That is because most of the people understand the basics of spirituality or because those people are not interested in it (Or may be they know the basics AND are not interested). However, it is not uncommon to encounter such questions especially from those who like to call themselves rationalists and claim to have a scientific outlook. 

These people function on the basic premise that spiritual practices expect you to say goodbye to your common sense. These questions come from an assumption that being spiritual is just a thought experiment and you can disconnect it from your real life. Therefore such questions are best ignored or laughed off.

Firstly, understand this...

No spiritual school of thought ever asks you to abandon your common sense. In fact, a person who takes leave of one's common sense is described as a fool and an idiot in all such thinking traditions. 

Spirituality is not a set of thought experiments as some people make them out to be. Nor is it something to be practiced only at an old age or by people who have nothing else to do. Being spiritual is an integral part of life for those people who practice spirituality. It is to be imbibed in our day to day life and also our long term thinking. It can be described as a way to enrich one's life IN this world. (NOT away from it.)

It is for this very reason that a person practicing it needs common sense. 

What is common sense?

Common sense (Which according to some people is the least common thing) is described as good sense and sound judgement in practical matters. Any person who lives in this world has to live a practical day to day life. They often have families to support and households to run. That is the reason they need to practice common sense. 

Contrary to what some people may believe, common sense is not opposite to spiritual growth but is an aid in it.

How?

It is quite simple. Try talking about God or spiritual growth to a person who has an empty stomach or a dry throat. Try taking a homeless person on the path to enlightenment. If you see a person running for his dear life, try lecturing him on the immortality of the soul and reincarnation. (You might be the one running for life after that!!) If you know someone who is worried about paying the children's fees or the EMI payments, convince them about the futility of running after wealth. 

These experiences will more then convince you about the need for common sense.

Till the time one attains a certain level of spiritual growth, they have to stay with the world and in the world. Everything material including and especially our material bodies are the means to take us towards spiritual growth and must be taken care of. A hungry body, a sick body and a mind constantly beset with worries will never allow one to rise above the material needs and think of spiritual growth. Nor will a family and home that is ignored and left in chaos. 

Contrary to popular belief, the Indian Vedic traditions have never celebrated poverty or extreme self denial in any way. Also, a person playing a role in the society is expected to first fulfill one's karma as a business owner, family member, employee or in any other capacity before seeking spiritual growth. None of this is possible without common sense. 

Spirituality is NOT an escape from one's worldly life. It is a way of rising above it AFTER the fulfillment of one's social, professional and household duties. Duty or Karma has been given a special place in the Indian spiritual thought and the way towards spiritual growth goes through it and not around it.      

The management perspective

Those of us who have studied management have surely heard of Abraham Maslow. His hierarchy of needs clearly lays out the order of precedence that should be given to our needs. 

Self actualization is at the very top. At the base or the foundation are the common everyday needs. These are followed by safety, social needs and esteem related needs. How can one hope to achieve what is at the top without a strong foundation? And this foundation is not possible without common sense. 

So...

The next time you see a poisonous snake, by all means appreciate the fact that it is animated by the same energy that animates you. (If you believe in reincarnation you may even ponder over it's previous birth.) BUT exercise your common sense and keep your distance from it. 

Do not squander an opportunity to earn money and provide for yourself and your family. 

And if anyone asks you a funny question like the one mentioned at the top? Understand that in most cases it is almost impossible to change the minds of such people. Enjoy a good laugh with them!!    

Pizza or Life - One bite at a time

I recently heard a talk in which the speaker narrated his experience of travelling to the USA with a Thai Buddhist teacher. After returning from the journey, he asked the teacher, "Ajahn, what was your most memorable experience of the journey?" (Ajahn is a Thai word meaning teacher or professor. It is used to respectfully address a Buddhist teacher.)

The teacher thought for a while and said with a twinkle in the eye, "It was when I had a pizza for the first time in my life." 

The speaker was surprised. He had expected the answer to be something else. Eating a pizza was a very trivial happening according to him.

"But Ajahn" he said "You had only one slice of the pizza."

"Yes" replied the Ajahn "That one slice was enough. I had it fully. I did not just eat it, I relished it bite by bite."

Then the speaker realized that this was also the teacher's philosophy and way of leading his life. When he did something, he did only that thing and he did it fully. 

The result?

When the Ajahn did gardening, the garden was his universe. No, the plant that he was tending to was his universe and the purpose of his life. Nothing else existed for him. He had the most beautiful garden ever.

When he ate, he was focused fully on the meal, morsel by morsel. He did not eat a lot. In fact he ate less compared to most people his age. But he was always full of energy.

He never had to repeat any work that he did. Nor did he spend any time in correcting his mistakes. Because there were no mistakes. And the reason is the same. When he did something, he did it as if it was what he had been born to do. Even if it was a small thing, he did it as if he had spent his whole life preparing for only this one thing.

When engaged in a conversation with someone, only that person and that conversation existed and nothing else mattered. 

When he went to sleep, he only slept. And he would get up after exactly six hours without an alarm clock, fresh and rejuvenated for the next day. He never needed an afternoon nap. 

Most importantly, he never multitasked. It is not that he had any less work to do. There was loads of work as a teacher who was also managing a monastery. But it was always one task at a time, with full attention. Surprisingly, no task was left incomplete or postponed for the next day.   

It was no surprise then that even though he had only one slice, he relished the pizza more than someone who had the entire pizza but was doing many other things at the time. 

Pizza and Life

Just like the Ajhan eating the slice of pizza, we should live our life one bite at a time. This is all the more important today because we are living in times when diversions are around us at all times. Physically, we are doing one thing. Mentally, we have already finished doing the next 3 to 4 things. One is never fully present in what one is doing.

As a result, we do not remember what we did. Also the chances of making mistakes goes up. 

BUT the biggest drawback is the increased stress. People living in the future are generally stressed about the outcome of the future event. People dwelling in the past are generally full of anger and resentment leading to stress.

But are we relishing the bite that we have taken right now? It can be a bite of food or a bite of life, are you experiencing it fully? Are we involved in it physically AND mentally? Sadly the answer for this is NO for most of us. 

As a result, frustration and dissatisfaction are on the rise in every walk of life and work. We see busy people who are not productive or satisfied. We are living in an information age with the most ignorant people around. We are living in an age with the most number of modes of entertainment but there is the highest ever number of bored people. We live in an age with the most advanced medical care in the history of humanity but the pharmaceutical industry is one of the fastest growing. We have the best ever modes of communication but there is more misunderstanding than at any other time in human history. Isn't all this ironical at so many levels? 

The reason is right in front of us

The reason for this state of affairs is simple. We are not involved in life. We have allowed it to run on auto pilot and are going with the flow. 

That is right. Your life is what you are doing at the moment and if you are not involved in it, you are not involved in your own life. 

And the solution is as easy as it is difficult

The solution is simple, focus on the now. In other words, eat life one bite at a time. Do something with complete and undivided attention. Be fully involved with it when you are doing it. 

This is also the most difficult thing to do. It is difficult but not impossible. 

Start at some point, but start. And start small i.e. with small tasks. 

What are you doing right now?

Reading this blog, of course. Read it fully. Be involved in it. Take this bite and relish it before you move on to the next bite. Start with this bite.

Live your life like the Ajhan ate the pizza, one bite at a time.

Bon Appetite!!            

Judgement - It happens at all times.

When I conduct trainings in public speaking and presentation skills for students, many of them suffer from stage fright. One of the main reasons for this is the fear of being judged by the members of the audience.

"I am afraid that they will judge me and laugh at me." is a very common reason. 

Well, there is no reason to be afraid of being judged because other people's judgement does not hurt you in any way. (People giving constructive inputs and tips for improvement is a different thing from being judged.) No one has ever suffered in any way from being judged by others. The only pain and suffering associated with other people's judgement is what one inflicts on oneself by overthinking.

However, there is another reason why judgement by others should not be a reason for stage fright or any other phobia. 

What is it?

The reason is, whether you know it or not, judgement is happening at all times. Yes, people are judging you at all times. Just like whether you agree or not, you are judging people at all times!!

Surprised?

Difficult to believe, right? "NO, I do not judge people!!" you might be saying to yourself. So first let us see what it means to judge someone.

Judging a person is basically observing the person's physical characteristics, mannerisms, opinions, thoughts, way of working, cultural background etc. and forming an opinion about how that person is. It is followed by attaching labels like 'smart' 'dumb' 'good' 'bad' and many more. The more aspects we see of a person, the more labels we attach. We do this to people that we work or associate with frequently. But we also do this for random strangers.

The reason why we think that we do not judge others is because this process happens subconsciously. (Unless you are actually judging someone in a contest.) Otherwise we do not pay much attention to this. 

It might be a correct judgement and opinion or totally inaccurate BUT judgement and formation of an opinion is always there.

Don't believe me?

If you think you are the kind of person who does not judge, do a simple exercise. Think of a person you know well. Write down what you think of the person. Take your time. Think about it. Ask yourself a few questions like...

1. Will I like to work with them?

2. Will I like to date them?

3. Will I like to party with them?

If YES, why and of NO, why not?

What will come up will be an opinion, a judgement, about the person.

Do this for a person you do not know so well. Follow the same procedure.

Now take it a step further. Do it for a random stranger in a public place. (You do not have to tell them, of course.) You will have very limited data, mostly their physical characteristics, to judge them. You will come up with an opinion. As mentioned above, may be right or wrong. 

What you are doing is doing consciously a process that happens mostly subconsciously. 

What does it imply?

If you worry about the judgements of others, you will never get anything done. Because judgement is happening at all times. So, if the fear of being judged is what is stopping you from doing something, remember, you are being judged at all times. If it has not hurt you till now, why bother about it in the future? 

And anyways, we give too much weightage to the judgement of others and it's effect on us. (There are actually no effects!) People have other things to do and will not spend their time discussing their opinion of you and laughing at you.

All great and successful people have been judged, mostly adversely, by others. If they had allowed this to stop them, they would not be successful, would they? This is what you need to learn from them.

In the end...

Remember, the only judgement that should really matter to you is your own judgement, also known as self esteem. 

So...

Ignore all judgements and take the first step to overcome your fears.          

The Buddha on my desk

There is a beautiful idol of The Buddha on my desk. I got it from Goa during my visit there in December 2021. It is red in color made of coconut wood. I had been dreaming of such a Buddha idol for a long time and it was literally a dream come true when I found it.

So, why is it there?

Do I worship the Buddha? No, I don’t. (Actually, I do not worship anyone or anything. That would be a topic for a different blog.)

I am not a Buddhist and I do not follow Buddhism. (When it comes to religion, I am not any ‘ist’ and do not follow any ‘ism’.)

Then, why do I have the Buddha idol on my table?

Well, it is there as a reminder for me. A reminder of what, you might wonder.

It reminds me that the vacancy of The Buddha is already taken. (As are the vacancies for Guru Nanak, Krishna, Jesus, Kabir, Zoroaster, Rumi, Khalil Gibran and many more.) These slots are not available because someone before me filled them up. And I hear that they did a damn fine job there!!

Oh!! What do I do now?

Well, come to think of it, all the vacancies ever created have been filled by someone or the other. No vacancy is available to you. Or is it?

There IS one vacancy created for you and only for you. And that is YOU. Yep, YOU is the vacancy / role / part available to you and you only. You can be the best YOU ever. Just like there is no other vacancy available to you, the YOU vacancy is not available to anyone else, your twin sibling included!! Isn’t that great?

The cosmos has created you to be uniquely yourself and you are just as unique as The Buddha. (And all the names mentioned above.)

Now, what does that mean?

It simply means – ‘Be Yourself’ – nothing else. Yes, just be yourself. No approval or validation required from anyone.

Upgrade your skills and try to overcome your shortcomings by all means. BUT be what you are as a person i.e. do not let go of the person you are at the core. Because that is the real YOU that the cosmos has created. (This might seem confusing at first but it is easy to figure out. Just keep at it.)

Come to think of it…

There were gurus before The Buddha and many more after him. But no one was like him just as he was not like anyone of them.

So, by corollary, you cannot be The Buddha and that is your weakness. BUT even The Buddha cannot be YOU and that is your biggest power. Make full use of it!! Be yourself, love what you are and be the best possible version of YOU. Have role models and idols. But do not try to be a copy of anyone, you will not succeed. Success will only come if you are YOU to the fullest.  

Thank you, Buddha…

I cannot thank The Buddha on my table enough for constantly reminding me of this every day. Thank you Buddha for helping me to be the best possible ME!!    

 

Life and Living; Arts and Science

(Life – A consciousness of being alive. A sum total of the perception of being alive and the feelings and emotions associated with it.

Living – The everyday practical processes done to keep the body and soul together or as a part of our social obligations.)

Science and technology have given us physical comfort. No doubt about that. But for mental comfort, we need the arts, literature, poetry, philosophy and humor.

In other words, science and technology have given us a better standard of living but for a better quality of life, we need arts, literature, poetry, philosophy and humor…..and many more things.

Think about it. Today we have better homes with better amenities, advanced medical care, better means of entertainment, modern modes of transportation and food security, all thanks to science and technology. But the human heart and mind still crave for things that excite them, touch them and stimulate their feelings and emotions. In other words, all the technological comforts cannot replace the ‘human’ touch.

We have smart TVs with HD vision and sleek computer screens. But if there is no good content, what are we going to stare at the HD screens for? We enjoy movies, series and plays on these smart gadgets for their content, the excitement that they generate and the way they touch our inner being.

Technologies like Kindle have enabled us to carry thousands of books with us. But what we seek in these books is great stories, poetry, knowledge and philosophy. If we do not find them, one day we will surely toss the kindle away as a waste of money.

Agriculture science has given us food security. But we always look for creativity and innovation in our cuisines. Just a full stomach is not enough. Even in our food, we seek newness and creativity. We want fusion cuisines and more variety.   

We have better roads and vehicles. But the journey and the destination are always about the feelings and memories that they evoke and not the time taken. We use these means of transport to get away from the crowds and go to places that entertain and excite us. In other words, in spite of modern means of transport, the most exciting journeys that we still make are those of self-discovery and self-awareness.

Medical sciences have made our lives longer and healthier. But in absence of things that touch our hearts, these will be very long, healthy and boring lives. I mean, why would we want to extend our lives if there is nothing to live for? And ‘something to live for’ means something that stirs and touches the human consciousness within us, isn’t it?

Even a scientist dedicated to science craves the joy and ecstasy of a discovery. It is no different from the poetry that breaks forth from the heart of a poet at the sight of something beautiful.

So, the real question is...

The question here is not science or arts / technology or creativity. It can be a great topic for a debate competition. (Just like love marriage or arranged marriage.)

The question is the optimum balance and combination of the two. We need both. We also need a perfect balance of both.

Because at least in the foreseeable future, in spite of all talks about it, we are far from becoming cyborgs or robots. We are humans and all technology and scientific progress is meaningless if it does not contribute to enhancing the experience of our humanness.  

Do I believe in God?

 

Do I believe in God? The honest answer to this question is – I don’t know. That is right, I do not know whether I believe in God or not.

How is that possible, you might wonder. How can I not know about my own belief or the lack of it? Valid question.

I do not know whether I believe in God or not for the simple reason that I do not know who or what God is. For me to believe or not believe in something, I first need to know who or what it is, right?

Now, different people might give different answers for the question ‘Who or what is God?’. But if it is true that there is one God and one power that everyone worships by different names, then who or what is it that is worshipped by different names?

Words are signposts

It is said that language and words are signposts. Each word represents a certain concept or an idea. It is important that we go beyond the word itself and grasp that concept. However, most of the time, most of the people remain hung up on the words without the slightest understanding of the concept. The word God has met the same fate.

Call it God, supreme power, cosmic consciousness or any other thing, we need to step beyond the words and labels and try to understand what it means. But the word God and what is supposed to be the word of God is taken literally. I mean, how many people have you met that question the concept of God taught to them? How many people question what is supposed to be the word of God?

Yes, there are atheists, agnostics and rationalists. But their number is very small compared to the general population. By and large, people go with whatever is told to them.

A bigger problem

There is however, even a bigger problem. Simply believing what you are taught is one thing. If you are just following your beliefs, fine. But things do not stop here.

If you travel to remote parts of the country, especially during election times, you find that people put up pictures of their favorite leaders and their party symbols on signboards and milestones. Often, this results in a fight between members of two parties over who should remove their pictures and who should not.

This is exactly what people and religions of the world have done to the signpost called God. No one is bothered where the signpost points and where they are supposed to go. What everyone is bothered about is who owns the signpost!! (Only we can put up the picture of our leader on this signpost. Everyone else has to remove theirs. Also, what are you doing putting up picture of that leader? Our leader is the only true leader. If you do not believe in our leader, we will kill you.)

This is ironical…

If it is happening in India, this is ironical. Because India is not a land of believers, but a land of seekers. The Indic tradition has always encouraged healthy debate and seeking. Believing or believing not is based on your experience. This is the only land and culture where you can be an atheist and still be considered a saint. You can not only question the scriptures but also reject them publicly and still be a leader / king / saint.

If the people here are stuck on the ownership of the signpost, it is ironical. (This is a land where you can reject the signpost, refuse to go where it points and still be a great person depending on your karma.)

Coming back

Coming back to the question ‘Do I believe in God?’…

Well, let me first see where this signpost points to and what or who is there. Once I find that out, I will decide whether I believe in it / him / her or not.

Till then, let it be a mystery. I am Ok with not knowing what God is. I am equally OK with not knowing if I believe in it or not.