11 February 2002, 12:04am IST
SUDARSHAN DHEER.
It is very easy to advise others. only the one who suffers knows the extent of the pain. at the same time there is no difference between one person’s pain and another’s, whether that person is rich or poor. no philosophy, sermon or concept will help relieve that suffering immediately. it is useful, however, to remember that at the core of any pain-causing conflict there is duality. we are part of a cycle that contains both pain and pleasure, creating a split between mind and body, delaying the healing process. duality is all-pervasive; it is present in everything around us. even that oft-quoted line from shakespeare reflects this: ‘‘to be or not to be’’. every one of our daily actions is preceded by a struggle — to come to a decision on this or that, pain or pleasure, day or night, north or south pole, hot or cold, left or right... all through life we keep on playing this game of duality. duality is our own creation. we describe breathing as something that involves inhalation and exhalation but in reality there is only one breath. as long as we continue to split things, conflict is bound to be present. and conflict breeds fear, tension, stress and war. but as long as we live on this planet, this split will remain; there is no escaping it. in reality, however, there is no duality. there is only an all-pervasive oneness. there is no day and night, since the sun never sets. there is no beginning and no end, no birth and no death. in that space there is total silence. this silence emanates not from the mind but from the very depth of the heart wherein only one thing remains, that is love emerging from the very source — atman, the consciousness which exists in every being. we are all part of that same cosmic force. despite being a part of it, every one of us is as complete as the whole universe. let’s explore and find out the truth about reality, what is finite and what is infinite. holistically speaking anything we experience with our senses has a definite end. the body will die but the soul or atman is eternal, it never dies. it is only in the stillness of deep silence that thoughts are not active, they get dissolved. those are the moments when body and mind are one and duality is absent. the silence of meditation or yoga dissolves the senses and the mind transcends to a higher level of consciousness. there emerges immense energy and compassion — the moment of creativity when you become one with nature. nature has bestowed on us abundant power or atmashakti to overcome any amount of pain. we seldom leave the task of alleviating pain to nature; rather, we want instant solutions. but pain and suffering give us the opportunity to look within and experience that oneness or wholeness where no duality is present. in this context, tantra believes in oneness and wholeness. according to tantra there is no duality; duality is nothing but an illusion or maya. in tantra there is no split. it is merely acceptance of reality. the child’s mind, however, is in a non-dual state. the child’s personality is as yet whole — the split is eventually imposed by the adults around the child and the society in which the child lives. ultimately when he grows up, he is not the real one or the real self. in order to get back one’s real self one has to go inward where there is no past, no future, but there is only the present. in this state of meditation, one may get in touch with our inner being, the non-dual state. once this insight is gained, one is awakened. this is nirvana or enlightenment, where there in no duality; there is only completeness. the attainment of nirvana does not mean that the person will not grow old, fall sick or die or that he is above pain. what nirvana does promise is an inner heaven which enables one to live with pain and to take possession of it, and experience a profound peace of mind in the midst of suffering. nirvana, therefore, is in the very heart of each and every person’s being.
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