Somewhere within or without

Ria walks through the Bazaar.  Amidst all the busy-ness of doing that needs to be done in a day, there is a vision of clarity. The times when we just Know without any proof, when we just Understand without any thesis, when we recognize the parts and its whole and BE. As she walked outside, the Ria within walks to meet her Self.

 

As she listens, somewhere within her, a warrior rumbles. The one that stands by the right, does the right thing, is fair and benevolent.

 

Somewhere within her, a saint awakes, knowing all is well. All will be as it is always intended. All will be as she wants it to be, shaping her reality without being aware of her creating.

 

Somewhere within a mother nurtures the children, born and those yet to be born.  Lovingly she scolds, coaxes, sings and soothes them as they get through childhood.  She cries when no one sees, hiding all her doubts and appearing brave while wondering – am I doing right by my kids, are they going to be alright as they grow?

 

Somewhere within a wife and lover does the only thing she knows how - to love this Person who shares her life.  In her waking hours she thinks of him with a silly smile on her face. In her sleep she snuggles up to him.

 

Somewhere within a Teacher serves Truth, sweeping out ignorance within, helping learn about Self, building an understanding of wholeness.

 

Somewhere within a Student sees light, begins to understand and journeys towards Knowing the Truth.

 

Somewhere within an eternal child is curiously joyful. The child watches the butterflies sit and the hummingbird sip and the raven build its twiggy nest. The child listens to the owl hoot, the eagle screech as it glides, feels the grainy sand, touches the tadpoles in the pond and marvels at the wonderful world of slush and worms. In that child, time, lost its significance.

 

On the pavement along the busy streets filled with vendors, wares, colour and shoppers, a baby sleeps, in spite of the din around it.  As Ria walks past staring at the peaceful baby, she sees that place within her, where peace exists.

 

She smiles in understanding, while the Saint looks on Peace, the Warrior stands alongside Right, the Merchant trades his wares and the Artiste plays different roles - mother, wife, teacher, student and child.  Within all those space is She, the quiet Witness, watching, not judging;  knowing, not influenced or influencing.  She, is Light within this form, a Constant, Eternally in existence.

The Secret.

I watched this Self-help documentary based on the Laws of Attraction.  I didn’t know it existed although I used my own version of it on occasion, in my life.  

 

What was said isn’t something that I didn’t know, but like with most things in my life, to know and to apply has an abyss between them. So it felt good to be reminded.

 

These are the some of the words that my elders used to emphasize on, when I was growing up.

“Don’t say anything negative about what you are going to do or doing while beginning a job/work/phase of your life”

“Watch your thoughts/words for they manifest”

“Your surroundings is a reflection of how you are on the inside, so keep it clean”

“Rid of things you don’t use or have a bad memory associated with them, they will drain your life”

“Don’t ask “what is in it for me?” when your work/services are requested”

“What ever you lose, keep your self-respect”

“Wish others well, even if they hurt you, cause in that hurt is a lesson that will help you grow into the person you are”

“When the going gets tough, don’t ask “Why Me?” say  “Glad it wasn’t someone else going through this suffering””

“When you meet someone, be glad for it and Smile, for all you know, that’s all they need to get them through their day”

 

The Secret talks of all of the above and more.. The Main theme can be surmised as “You attract to yourself those things that you focus and pay attention to”. Of course, when we focus we should do so in complete faith, beyond a shred of doubt, ‘cause doubt is the killer of all good things.  Those were Carlos Castenada’s words too “It matters what you pay attention to.  We can make ourselves happy or make ourselves miserable. The amount of work is the same.”  So if we are constantly worried about failure, rejection, hurt- those will be the things we attract into our life.  If we concentrate on doing things with joy and enthusiasm that is what we will attract into our lives.   

 

It helped reinforce certain thoughts I already had. So I guess it came into my life at a time when I needed it… Now I didn’t really think about it but I did wish for some kind of sign that I am on the right track… Guess this is it, for now.

 

The Saga of the Three Wise Monkeys

 

When I was about 10 years old, My neighbour, a nice Tamil Maami(aunty), had in her home a wooden carving of the Three Wise Monkeys.  Of all things in my world then, that was most beautiful to my eyes.   She explained to me that they were Mahatma Gandhiji’s Monkeys- that they meant to remind us to not see or hear or speak Lie.   Over the years, it graduated from the most Beautiful to the Cutest thing anyone could carve.  Monkeys are cute, at least they are in pictures and carvings and such things.. having to deal with one on a trip to the temple is … scribbles for another blog.

 

I got curious (For those who don’t know much about me… The curiosity that killed the cat, was ME).  I had to find out where the three monkeys came from?  What was their story? How and When did they become Gandhiji’s property? I had to share what I found after going through the Internet.

 

I was amazed at how Monkeys had some form of prominence in every South Asian culture I read about. There is some place or other where Monkey seems to occupy the place of reverence in these cultures.

The Chinese and Japanese Astrology has twelve animals associated with it, with the Monkey being one of them.  A person born in the Year of the Monkey is supposedly the kind that were always on the go, inventive and great fun to be with. They are said to possess the personality of the kind who know exactly what they’re doing, they know what they want and usually know how to get it.   

In Japan, those who follow The rules of placement, the conterpart to the Chinese Fengshui, consider the Northeastern direction, Kimon, as the direction where the demons gather and enter. The guardian of this direction was the Monkey.  The Japanese word for Monkey was Saru which is a homonym for the the word which is pronounced as saru that meant “to expel”. The Monkey was therefore the Expeller, Dispeller of the demons hence the Guardian, the protector.  In Shinto/Taoist/Buddhist(not sure of this info) shrines he is invoked in forms- as Masaru(literally Great Monkey) or is carved on to Pillars as the Munamochi-saru(Pillar-supporting Monkey).  They also have a festival known as the “Day of the Monkey” when prayers are offered at the Shrines.

In Hindu pantheon, the monkey god,  Hanuman, is associated with strength and devotion to duty. There are so many stories about him in the Ramayan’s the 5^th book, called the Sundara Kanda.  He is also mentioned in the Mahabharath, where he humbled his younger sibling Bhima(both being the sons of the Wind God – Vayu).

The Origins

The three monkeys  is believed to have originated from Japanese word play. The names of the monkeys in Japanese are- 1.Mizaru- covering his eyes, See No Evil   2.Kikazaru- covering his ears, Hear no evil  3.Iwazaru- covering his mouth, Speak no evil.  This is considered the Golden Rule in Japan. 

It is said that in the 8^th century AD the three wise monkeys were introduced in Japan by a Buddhist Monk from China. For those following Shintoism, the Monkeys were considered Divine Messengers. For the Tendai Sect of Buddhism the three monkeys represent  Santai(three truths of emptiness, conventional existence and middle way)

It is said, there were three animals that accompanied Sanzo Hoshi(Yuan Chwan, is that the famous Huien Tsang we read about in School? I wonder), a Chinese Priest who went to India in 629 and returned to China in 646 AD with many Buddhist Relics and Writing. One of those animals that went with him on his travels was the Monkey.  

The Story

Here is a story associated with the monkeys that is narrated by the priests at Mountain Shrines.

A Long time ago there lived on one side of a Mountain , a wise and good Monkey King.  There was a Great Evil on the Other side.  The Kings councilors, were three very old, wise monkeys.  By tradition, only they knew the existence of this Great Evil. They knew that if anyone heard or looked on this Evil, his heart would be hardened and woe would befall the Monkey Kingdom.  One day while they gathered a rare wild flower for the King, they heard a shriek. They peered through some bushes to check what it was and unwittingly gazed upon the great evil. One covered his eyes but he heard. One covered his ears but he saw. One covered  his lips to push back this dreadful secret deep within himself although he saw and heard. They knew their hearts were spoiled forever.  They huddled together on a drooping willow branch, chattering and whispering dolefully for hours. By nightfall they decided to follow the counsel of the one who had seen and heard all but would not talk about it and by emulating him, they kept the secret sparing the King and his people a terrible fate.

How did they become associated with Gandhiji?

This was supposedly told by Majorie Sykes. She came to Madras(now Chennai), India to teach after obtaining a Teacher’s Diploma from Cambridge in 1927, went on to Shantiniketan during 1938-47. She came to Sevagram in 1948 to work in the Nai Talim School. Later she worked at Hoshangabad. She passed away in April 1996 in England

 

“Most of the people who came to see Gandhi sought his advice on something or the other. But one day came a party of visitors from China. "Gandhiji, we have brought you a small gift," they said. "It is no bigger than a child's toy, but it is famous in our country." To Gandhi's delight it was a set of the three monkeys that were later to become so well-known.

 

What are my thoughts?

 

I think it’s a good rule to follow in Life.  I have a general hesitation to use the word Evil, as to me evil is an overused term to describe that which doesn’t fall into our understanding or our way of thinking about life.  The word I generally use is Disharmonious-anything that removes the sense of peace within our selves and the world around us(and I don’t mean minor everyday annoyances and the drama of our lives).  I do know that there are times when no matter what you heard or saw, keeping the mouth shut is a good thing to do.

 

With that I end this Monkey Saga. If any of you reading this, have additional information or find that anything I have put in here is wrong, please do let me know. Hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed trying to find answers to my wonderment.

 

Peace Always

Mithuna.

(Sources : 1. The newsfinder    2.The three monkeys 3. Wiki )

 

Entry for October 12, 2007 (360 repost)

Random Thought of the Day - All is as it should be. At any given moment, You are where You are supposed to be.

When it comes to religious beliefs, I can range anywhere from being an atheist to a fundamentalist. Although I associate myself with the label of Hindu, I would very much like to use the label- Human. When I look at events where the media quotes the perpetrator of some roit or communal violence, as Hindus, I do feel ashamed for carrying that label. Yes, I do understand that the media quotes are motivated by politics and economics and that the truth can never be found on the NEWS. But it still puts me to shame that we(Hindus) weren't intelligent enough to avoid blame or to behave differently. These are the times I feel like a fundamentalist, that somehow we were right and our path is the right one and the ONLY one and everyone/thing else is wrong. Of course, I cant live on that island of thought for long cause my rational side takes over and will fight its way through to the Live and let live side. My Rational Side has a (I am exagerrating by 1/4's)99.9% chance of always winning(with the exception of arguments with my kids and husband).

As I was reading to my kids the story of Prahlad, I remembered the story of Hiranyakashupu(Prahlad's father) and Hiranyaksha(Hiranyakashupu's brother) that I had read sometime ago. Hiranyakashupu and Hiranyaksha were in their previous life, the doorkeepers at Vaikunta, the abode of Lord Vishnu. It is said that the Kumara rishi's-Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata, came to pay obeisance to Lord Vishnu at Vaikunta. Jaya and Vijaya the door keepers at Viakunta refused to let them in and spoke to them with arrogance. The angered rishis cursed them to a live life on earth forgetting their godliness and closeness to Vishnu. When Jaya and Vijaya realized their folly, they begged Sri Vishnu to help them stay. So Vishnu says that since the exalted ones curse always comes to pass he could only offer a compromise.. He gave Jaya and Vijaya a choice between living on earth for 7 lives as Devotees of Vishnu or 3 lives as Enemies of Vishnu. They wanted to be back at the Lords feet at the earliest so they chose to be enemies of Vishnu in three yugas. In the Krita Yuga(part of the Hindu time cycle, I have a site for it on my blogroll if you are interested in reading about it)they were Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashupu, In the Treta Yuga they were Kumbakarna and Ravana and in the Dwapara Yuga they were Shishupala and Dantavakra. Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashupu were considered as Asuras(those embodied with personalities that are quick to choose Anger, Indulgence, Greed etc).

As I remembered, I suffered a sudden insight into why I tend to not act when according to those in my life, I should have. I end up rooted to the spot, lost in thought- This is karma in action. I wonder what my relationship was with this person, in my previous births. Was she/he my friend, child, lover, parent, family elder, the person from my village, my debtor, my creditor, my neighbour? I say Previous Births because I cant see myself as being all that I am today just with the knowledge gained from the last three decades, definitely there must have been many lifetimes through which I have gained certain insights that make me so SURE about certain things in life. Now why I cant remember all my other lives, I havent yet worked on the theory that has convinced me yet. I see myself as a speck or blob of energy. If materially we are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and each of those elements are composed of atoms, then at the core, we must be an intangible(spiritual) form of energy(of course I wouldn't get a Nobel Prize for that kind of Theory).

This would further be an explanation for the old stories of yore about people levitating, being able to move stuff without touching them, knowing what the animals talk about etc. which is presently considered as a Con. Imagine if all you had to do was to manipulate the way energy flows around you or within you to change an outcome. God, can be explained as that person who through discipline, focusing on the balance, harmony and the present, is able see the whole (as in all that is there in the Universe) picture and manifest changes that is in accordance with the Law of Nature. This might probably be a symbiotic working of all that is there within the known and unknown realms. So it does make sense if the Hare Krishna's say that all is Lila (a play directed by God). Depending on where we stand to view this energy, we could say its outside, inside, both inside and outside, neither inside or outside, non-existent, exists but not understandable, part of us or separate from us.

Applying this thought to all the events happening in our world and the people involved in these events, I feel everything is as it should be. I should not be agitated by the workings of Politicians, the citizens, the criminals etc. because they are just all living out their Nature in accordance with what their Karmic agreements are. Is that an apathetic view? I don't know. If we are all doing what we are supposed to be doing, then maybe it seems chaotic only if we watch them at the same level as the events, Maybe if we flew in an airplane looking down, the events would seem very patterned, very orderly, in the process of various degrees of movement or stillness.

I could go on with this till the cows come home but my feet just landed on the ground. So I am Done with Being the Dreamer/Thinker for the day. Now back to Chores in the my world.

As Usual

Pondering while working

Wishing all Peace

Mithuna.

Knotty Knots

They weave their fingers
Happy to be together
Both silently feeling
A lump of knot in their hearts.

The wedding takes place
Oh! People with knots
The Groom "I hope she's the one."
The Bride "Oh! I hope he's the one."
As the priest ties the Knot
The father has a knot in his heart
"My baby now a woman,
How soon time has flown."
The Mother has a knot in her heart
"Oh lord, I hope he makes her happy
Please keep her happy."
The friends have knots in their hearts
"What a lucky dog!" thinks one
"Hmm, if only I asked her first" thinks another
"I am so happy for them, I could cry" thinks the third
"God! why can't I find a guy like him?" thinks the fourth.
"Wonder when lunch will be served" thinks the fifth...
Many knots, in a tiny space.

Back and forth the tennis of knots,
The first night,
A room with knots
Knotted garlands, knotted hearts
Knotted expectations, to live up to.
A few weeks later,
Knots undone, as each befriends the other.
A Month later,
Knots of confrontation, their first argument
A few moments later
Knots undone, as each apologizes.
A few months later,
The wife is pregnant,
"Wow! there's a part of me she's holding", he thinks,
Every time he sees her glowing.
"Our baby", thinks the wife,
Smiling, as their heart ties a knot with this unseen being.

Life an undulation of knots
Most Cherished and adored
When its time to Go
Its these knots that count the most.

K P Rashmi April 2007

Tour The Creative Challenge #104

My heart knows

Watching the new couple

Making their vows

To love and cherish,

For always.

 

Seeing love in his eyes

When I meet him at the door

Glad to be in each others arms

Knowing this is home.

 

The birth of our child

A tiny bundle of life

To hold without holding,

To love without condition,

 

These are joys, my heart knows.

 

Laughter shared with friends

After a long separation

Feeling like nothing has changed,

Long chats that run into the night

Catching up until now,

While watching the fields

Making waves in the wind

Seeing the pride in our father’s eye

Glad for a work well done.

 

Siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles

Gathering around the hearth

Talking, laughing and teasing

Saying I miss you without words.

 

These are joys, my heart knows.

 

Sad farewell when the spirit leaves

To the place of new beginnings

Where all suffering ends

Leaving heavy, diseased bodies

Filling hearts with hurt and anger,

Is there a right thing to say?

As loved ones grieve life's changes.

 

Knowing when to hold

And when to let go

Knowing when to talk

And when to be silent.

 

No joy in sight, this much my heart knows.