real need for looking inside oneself for a common man

This is a sequel to the post: can a common man afford to waste time in looking inside?

We see well to do people who have never explicitly tried practicing any inner silence, though there is no one who would never have inadvertently atleast to some extent, doing very well in general (as a result of some good deeds, or maybe they succesfully make a show of others that they are doing well concealing all their troubles!) And then ‘no real need of all that nonsense!’ starts to sound more and more convincing.

I’ve come to value my own life greatly – never taking it granted. Every minute is really precious to me. However I know that decades will just rip by and so this quote makes a lot of sense:

“People should think about what their lives will be like
if they don’t do meditation.
They should consider what their lives
will be like after 10, 20, 30 years
if they decide to just follow the way of the world.
What will their hearts be like then – what will they
have of value in their hearts to bring
true happiness into their daily lives
and the lives of those around them.
And what will they have developed
in their hearts to carry on to the next life,
because the next life is only as good
as we make it in this life.
If you don’t take advantage of
your opportunity to do meditation in this life,
why should you expect to get
the same opportunity in the next life?
You may not get such a good chance again.”

~ Ajaan Panyavaddho

I felt this was one of the most beautiful quotes I’ve every come across.

I think if one has never done any meditation – even if they are a little sensitive, this quote is something that makes one pause and reflect! And for those who are already trying meditation, then it is even more important we need to introspect on the direction of life so far, before and since we started meditation, and where it is going now, and how we can practice/apply even better. Esp the point:

What will their hearts be like then – what will they have of value in their hearts
to bring true happiness into their daily lives and the lives of those around them.

All our lives we are looking at the outside world, but we hardly know whats going on inside us. Maybe just a little bit occasionally but just on the surface.

Only a simple example: who in their right mind would indulge in self-immolation – however important the issue at hand may be??

But this is what happens so many times indirectly, when people get angry – for perfectly logical justifiable reasons to them at any particular situation in the outside world! “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” – isn’t just a nice quote, it happens literally – but how many get to know about it when it is required? This was only a simple example, not that control of anger is the main thing I am trying to say.

A few decades from now, whether I will be rich or not, healthy or not, so many unknowns… who knows? But the main question is – what would my heart be like then? Over age with my half-baked experiences, will I start growing narrow-minded, getting into my own shell, avoid learning from younger and smarter people, become more prejudiced, more selfish, more insecure?

This is where we can find one of the real needs for meditation, which gives me a means to cultivate my heart!

————

For me what started several years ago as a technique of meditation, after practice and several training sessions, started seeing that the terminology of ‘meditation’ part starts diminishing.

Maybe because common concept associated with ‘meditation’ is that we’re trying to do something – get something done – go from some point A to some other point B. But here we ‘unlearn’ all that, since the only idea is to be present at point A in the first place, 100% completely wholeheartedly present! (and point B whatever it may be will occur on its own).

Then the concept of meditation as a seperate activity starts dissolving, and awareness just flows into every other every day activity, as a way of life, even if its a dynamic one like running or working.

I use the word here because I’m only a beginner. I have hardly been consistent in my practice. My experiences as above are only intermittent, and barely just enough to be sure of what I’m talking about.

I have a theory: Any individual in the course of his life, can do whatever he wants to do. Without a foundation of pure love, he may use will power, intellectual thinking and so on, and he may achieve something of astronomical proportions and maybe get fame and fortune. Time will fly by, and sooner or later, he will have to confront unexplainable and apparently most apparently-undeserved “this shouldn’t have happened to me” situations. If not anything else – certainly his own old age and death. He will have to confront this in his heart of hearts at the end of the day, inspite of all his successes, that what he has ended up with was not what he had set out to do, that he has lost track somewhere.

But with a pure dharmic foundation of love, even if he does simple things, simply lives the life of a common man, but practices regularly, there is no question of losing touch with the basic foundation of what he had set out to do.

Whatever wonderful picture I paint to others or myself, there is no denying this aspect of me when I look at myself really deeply: That my ability to love is so weak, biased and uncommitted. Its quite clear that there exists within me a savage, selfish, indifferent brute. All I want to really do is to be a decent human being. I want to engage in the lifelong activity of purifying and strengthening my ability to truly and purely love!

And as I manage to do that, then it would be the basis of something more than my own life – to be used as an instrument by the forces of Nature.

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy”

Meditation has significantly improved the quality of my life. Same situation, but without meditation, perception even if its good is shallow and limited. With a deeper understanding, the same situation is deeper and far far richer. Just one example from a more recent experience: for the parents with an infant baby, though parental love is of course present, the kid is in a way a cute adorable doll that keeps one awake all night. But with a deeper insightful view can one begin to recognize and appreciate the purity and Divinity in a child much more intimately! 🙂