Finding Happiness is the Best Spirituality
To keep your mind where your hands are working is the mastery over one's mind. Such is the simplicity of Spiritual Wisdom. To illustrate this, here is an anecdote from the life of the world renowned Vedanta teacher H.H. Swami Chinmayananda.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME?
Once a person asked H.H. Swami Chinmayananda, “Swamiji, what is the difference between you and me? You eat, I also eat, you walk, I also walk, you bathe, I also bathe sometimes… you talk, I also advice, then how come you are given such special treatment and I am not?”
Swamiji smiled and said, “When you eat, you are thinking of how much you have to walk to remove the fat, when you walk, you are thinking of what food to eat later, when you bathe you thinking of work, when you work, you are thinking of everything else, whereas when I eat, I am eating, when I walk, I am walking, when I bathe, I am bathing. That is the difference between you and me!”
THE TENNIS MATCH AND THE MIND...
Be where you are, at that present moment because in the present moment there cannot be anything other than complete fullness. This is experienced in the intensity of sport. I'm sure you have seen an intense tennis match. How in a long rally there is only focus on the ball. The players, the umpires, the ball boys, the crowd watching and even the one’s sitting at home everyone is glued to the movement of the ball. It is so riveting indeed to watch. They are experiencing a higher state of mind through the deeper absorption of the mind in the sport. Alas! One player makes an error and the mind is back to its old dissipated ways! True joy is experienced only when the mind is totally absorbed, be it in a sport, while cooking, at work, in an absorbing lecture, or while watching Star Plus! This absorption of the mind is done through various means of entertainment.
DO WE NEED SPIRITUALITY, RELIGION, GOD OR MEDITATION?
Now you may say Adarshji, Precisely, we can bring our mind into absorption through entertainment such as TV, computer, sport, etc. then why do we need spirituality, Religion, God or meditation?
But this is the deal! Have you ever tried to recreate the same experience again in order?to get same joy as you did the first time? You know we all have, right? How many of us find the exact same exhilarating experience as the one we got the first time? It's very rare if not impossible, right? It's rarely the same.
I remember playing an indoor soccer game with a group of youngsters where we enjoyed so much that we lost track of time. All we did thereafter was revel in the memories of that wonderful experience. We did try to recreate the same experience but alas we could not as we kept comparing it with the earlier one.
THE TWO FOLLIES...
The two follies of having our mind in absorption through any external activity or event
are:
1. FOCUS REMAINS EXTERNAL WHEREAS THE EXPERIENCE IS FOUND WITHIN: This is the greatest mistake we make when we experience joy! We feel it is caused by the event outside, “Ah! It was such a great movie!” or “that was a fantastic game!” or “Wow! What a lecture!” (Vastu- Paricchhinna – Object Dependent)
Spirituality and religion reminds us that the source of the experience lies within us. Joy is when our mind is "absorbed or dissolved". Complete joy is when the mind totally transcended, that’s the experience of bliss - of pure unbroken happiness. Whenever the Mind is dissolved in any activity there is JOY. Unfortunately, since we are focused in the activity (Vishaya – object) we attribute the joy to the external object, like the ice- cream, or the movie, etc. As long as it is external we will have to keep running and chasing and recreating that experience.
2. IT’S TEMPORARY: The event or activity does not go on forever… it comes to an end, hence so does our experience of joy. (Desha-Kaala Paricchhinna – Time & Space Dependent)
Besides, Spirituality in Religion also points out that very transient nature of our joys and even if we do attain most of what we desire at the end of the day the gains are still impermanent and it does not add any real value to my existence. It is like a child going to a play school and playing with the toys there but returning empty handed, not sure if they are going back there again… imagine that to be our situation at the time of death.
Spirituality thus, guides mankind to a higher fuller pursuit by pointing out the path of Shreyas (Path of Greater Good) over the path of Preyas (Path of the Pleasurable).
Spirituality is thus finding Happiness which is both within and long-lasting. Once found, it is as simple as eating while you eat, sitting while you sit… it is in the dynamic present. This seeking can however, only be done by a mature mind which is ready to inquire and eager to experience that Higher Joy… Are you ready?
Bramhachari Adarsh Chaitanya serves as the Resident Acharya of Chinmaya Mission Auckland and conducts weekly spiritual classes for children, youth and adults. For more information about the Chinmaya Mission and Bramhachari Adarsh Chaitanya please follow this link: www.chinmaya.org.nz or contact him at 2756954
To keep your mind where your hands are working is the mastery over one's mind. Such is the simplicity of Spiritual Wisdom. To illustrate this, here is an anecdote from the life of the world renowned Vedanta teacher H.H. Swami Chinmayananda. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME? Once a person...
To keep your mind where your hands are working is the mastery over one's mind. Such is the simplicity of Spiritual Wisdom. To illustrate this, here is an anecdote from the life of the world renowned Vedanta teacher H.H. Swami Chinmayananda.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME?
Once a person asked H.H. Swami Chinmayananda, “Swamiji, what is the difference between you and me? You eat, I also eat, you walk, I also walk, you bathe, I also bathe sometimes… you talk, I also advice, then how come you are given such special treatment and I am not?”
Swamiji smiled and said, “When you eat, you are thinking of how much you have to walk to remove the fat, when you walk, you are thinking of what food to eat later, when you bathe you thinking of work, when you work, you are thinking of everything else, whereas when I eat, I am eating, when I walk, I am walking, when I bathe, I am bathing. That is the difference between you and me!”
THE TENNIS MATCH AND THE MIND...
Be where you are, at that present moment because in the present moment there cannot be anything other than complete fullness. This is experienced in the intensity of sport. I'm sure you have seen an intense tennis match. How in a long rally there is only focus on the ball. The players, the umpires, the ball boys, the crowd watching and even the one’s sitting at home everyone is glued to the movement of the ball. It is so riveting indeed to watch. They are experiencing a higher state of mind through the deeper absorption of the mind in the sport. Alas! One player makes an error and the mind is back to its old dissipated ways! True joy is experienced only when the mind is totally absorbed, be it in a sport, while cooking, at work, in an absorbing lecture, or while watching Star Plus! This absorption of the mind is done through various means of entertainment.
DO WE NEED SPIRITUALITY, RELIGION, GOD OR MEDITATION?
Now you may say Adarshji, Precisely, we can bring our mind into absorption through entertainment such as TV, computer, sport, etc. then why do we need spirituality, Religion, God or meditation?
But this is the deal! Have you ever tried to recreate the same experience again in order?to get same joy as you did the first time? You know we all have, right? How many of us find the exact same exhilarating experience as the one we got the first time? It's very rare if not impossible, right? It's rarely the same.
I remember playing an indoor soccer game with a group of youngsters where we enjoyed so much that we lost track of time. All we did thereafter was revel in the memories of that wonderful experience. We did try to recreate the same experience but alas we could not as we kept comparing it with the earlier one.
THE TWO FOLLIES...
The two follies of having our mind in absorption through any external activity or event
are:
1. FOCUS REMAINS EXTERNAL WHEREAS THE EXPERIENCE IS FOUND WITHIN: This is the greatest mistake we make when we experience joy! We feel it is caused by the event outside, “Ah! It was such a great movie!” or “that was a fantastic game!” or “Wow! What a lecture!” (Vastu- Paricchhinna – Object Dependent)
Spirituality and religion reminds us that the source of the experience lies within us. Joy is when our mind is "absorbed or dissolved". Complete joy is when the mind totally transcended, that’s the experience of bliss - of pure unbroken happiness. Whenever the Mind is dissolved in any activity there is JOY. Unfortunately, since we are focused in the activity (Vishaya – object) we attribute the joy to the external object, like the ice- cream, or the movie, etc. As long as it is external we will have to keep running and chasing and recreating that experience.
2. IT’S TEMPORARY: The event or activity does not go on forever… it comes to an end, hence so does our experience of joy. (Desha-Kaala Paricchhinna – Time & Space Dependent)
Besides, Spirituality in Religion also points out that very transient nature of our joys and even if we do attain most of what we desire at the end of the day the gains are still impermanent and it does not add any real value to my existence. It is like a child going to a play school and playing with the toys there but returning empty handed, not sure if they are going back there again… imagine that to be our situation at the time of death.
Spirituality thus, guides mankind to a higher fuller pursuit by pointing out the path of Shreyas (Path of Greater Good) over the path of Preyas (Path of the Pleasurable).
Spirituality is thus finding Happiness which is both within and long-lasting. Once found, it is as simple as eating while you eat, sitting while you sit… it is in the dynamic present. This seeking can however, only be done by a mature mind which is ready to inquire and eager to experience that Higher Joy… Are you ready?
Bramhachari Adarsh Chaitanya serves as the Resident Acharya of Chinmaya Mission Auckland and conducts weekly spiritual classes for children, youth and adults. For more information about the Chinmaya Mission and Bramhachari Adarsh Chaitanya please follow this link: www.chinmaya.org.nz or contact him at 2756954
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