Yardstick

Currently, there has been lot of discussions on the few God-men in India, someone is running sex racket, someone has no morality and someone has no regrets for the death of over 60 people in his retreat.

It is obvious, that such incidents are detrimental to the reputation of the truly sacred Spiritual teachers, Sages and everyone who has chosen the higher path. They practice more than preaching. In Indian culture they are revered and followed upon for the knowledge, guidance and self-realization.

One of the popular television channel, with the intention of bringing an awareness amongst the masses, organized a live debate of holy men from various sects and traditions. They were all unanimous in condemning such phony God-men. But they confined their opinion within their own boundaries of practice and preaching. The TV anchor suggested that why can't there be a process to identify true God-man from the false ones so that common man are not mislead?

On the face value it appeared to be a good idea but soon Mind wandered..."Who will throw the first stone?"

The entire history of mankind has been full of evidences of every organized religion trying to prove another one inferior and establish its own supremacy at any costs. In the process, mankind lost the sense of direction and often went to a point of no- return or dead-end under-utilizing valuable human Life.

Mind wonders... how can there be a consensus amongst the Holy men when they may feel more qualified to judge others than being judged.

Besides, is it right for a common man to accept such opinion or endorsement and follow them against his own judgment or free will?

Then what is the yardstick one should use who is still entangled in the Grandma's knot?

Few moments of meditation and Mind opens up...

In every organized religion or otherwise, there have always been individuals respected not only by their own followers but also by their rivals (although not in true sense) for their Character, Spiritual progress and their Teachings.

Their Character, projected observance of Universal prerequisites with whatever name one may call it like Precepts, Ethics/Morality, Sila, etc. as a thread within the necklace of colourful beads which ties them all, remains invisible but strong.

Spiritual progress.. they are constantly striving on their path, not hurting, harming man or mankind in any manner.

Their Teachings has always been Universal, free of any kind of binding and based on self-experience/realization.

But aren't they mutually dependent? How can one select any one of them?

To know the boundary, one has to cross it. Therefore, judging their spiritual progress may be difficult for a common man with his mundane yardstick.

Teachings, if it binds in any manner? how can it possibly lead to freedom or liberation?

Character, is the most obvious, verifiable and tangible than the other two.

Therefore, is Sila not a minimum Yardstick for a common man to use for himself and others?

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Virtuous and wise Life of a single day outweighs a hundred years of sinful unbridled Life - Dhammapada

Gratitude - 2

Time!

Time degenerates, Time regenerates, Time divides, Time multiplies...

Seed under the care of the gardener multiplies, in the absence of that care, degenerates with time...

Gardener's care seems to resist the power of time.

Mutual dedication of the student/teacher provides perpetuity to knowledge.

Bodhitree can survive more than 2500 years with the care of the gardeners and so also the Dhamma teachings with the guardians.

Mind deliberates on history..

After His enlightenment, the second week, Buddha stood gazing at the Bodhitree without moving his eyes and meditating with Gratitude for providing a shelter to him during his Enlightenment.

The Enlightened One, located his five companions and taught them Dhamma and set the Wheel in motion.

Time regenerates...

On the Gratitude Day the Dhamma-teacher Goenka searches thousands of his early students and expresses his gratitude who helped him propagate and guard the Bodhitree which he replanted. This Bodhitree has provided fruits of Dhamma to millions of people across the World since.

Experiencing this process, looking at this tree with great admiration and Gratitude, Mind recollects the words of the Enlightened One and the head bows down to the Teachers and the Teachings, Gardners and the Tree...

"garavo ca nivato ca santutthi ca katannuta
kalena dhammasavanam etam mangalamuttamam"

"Respect, humility, contentment, gratitude,
and listen to the Dhamma on due occassions: This is the greatest Blessing"
- Maha-Mangala Sutta, (Snp 2.4)

Gratitude

Recently, I received an email invitation from my spiritual teacher whom I consider my Dhamma Father.

The invitation stated his wish to express his gratitude to all his students who learned the technique of Vipassana Meditation during his first 10 years marking its reintroduction to India after 2000 years by him. The invitation highlighted his wish to express his deep gratitude to everyone who learned Vipassana Meditation from him and have helped themselves and others to derive the benefits from this technique. Because of their support, today, millions of people have received this technique. They have benefited from it and will continue to derive benefit from it in their journey to the ultimate freedom.

Initial reaction of the Mind was...

Why has he decided on this? I have never heard about this reversal of norm. Isn't it always the disciple who is grateful to the master? Sons and daughters grateful to the parents? And not the other way round except in the ultimate spiritual sense.

What is the message he is sending to his students?

As far as his actions are concerned, mundane logic doesn't apply. He is an Acharya. Therefore, according to Indian definition, he practices first and then preaches on the strength of his practice. He is a true Archarya in that sense. In my 29 years of contact with him I have never heard him utter even one sentence which is contrary to his teachings. His every word can be authenticated and experienced by practicing and walking on the path which he himself has walked and THUS shown to everyone.

Few sittings of meditation and the Mind began to comprehend...

A seed which has not germinated, irrespective of its characteristic will still be subject to law of nature of birth, decay and death. But it will never loose its identity and potential during its life. However, only when someone plants it and nurtures it for a while, the seed is able to manifests its full potential. And if there is no one to care, according to the Law of Nature it will still try to propagate itself.

Conceptually, a seed therefore, is grateful to the gardener for helping it to manifest its potential and rewards the gardener with millions of identical seeds in return. The gardener in return is equally grateful to the same seed for providing food and shelter to him and his future generations for a little care he has given initially to that seed in the process of becoming a tree.

Aren't Masters like seeds sometimes? Striving as Disciple, to become the Master and after becoming Master helping the other disciples to become masters? What is the driving force in this process? Gratitude?

Seed and the Gardner both grateful to each other? therefore, is gratitude not essential for mutual survival? and hence part of the Law of Nature?

Mind ....

Seed, Gardener and Tree began to loose their identity, became one and fade away leaving only the feeling of Gratitude.

May my Master continue to provide the shade and seeds of Dhamma like a Bodhi Tree and help this gardner to transform into the seed...the tree....and the Ultimate.