Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Dew Drops of Enlightenment




For the ordinary, morning time when the weather is cold, the sky is decorated by stars, leaves are full of dew drops,  this is very common sight. But for every inner  seekers who is full of service,  equipped with the perfection of love, being the close friend of compassion, morning time is a moment of beauty. For those who already "see", deep devotion come from the deepest heart.


Understanding by Doing

Unfortunately, this kind of realization can not be attained through the hubbub of words, showing off cleverness, or war of logic. Borrowing Confucius from China , Socrates of Greece this can only be realized by anyone who understands diligently by putting the teachings into action. Live the daily life according to the sacred teachings, then door of insights may be opened. In the language of Lord Buddha: "ehipasiko". Come, listen, practice meditation, and then see how the darkness of ignorance, anger, hatred that already here inside from one life to another life, suddenly dispelled by the light of consciousness. The secretary  of Mahatma Gandhi for a long time Mahadev Desai once said: "Mahatma Gandhi is a living Bhagavad Gita".  In   other  words,   the   reason   why   Mahatma Gandhi was such charismatic because he embodied the holy book  of Bhagavad Gita.

Under this light of understanding, it is understandable that many yogis, sufis, mystics spent a long time in solitude, train the body in simplicity, rest the mind in silence. It is similar to feel the softness of water by touching it, enjoying the cool morning dew drops by getting up in the morning, the same thing happens to meditation. The beauty of meditation is only opened to those who already deeply practice it.

Put it simply, in the development stage to meditate is to familiarize the mind. From the negative mind that is chaotic (the symbol is jumping monkey), into positive mind which is full of love (represented by mother who take good care of her only son), and finally lead into the natural mind (like mother nature), sometimes it is called the cosmic mind. Transformation  from  monkey toward mother, lead to the perfection of nature, so its success is determined by how perfect one's consciousness is in everyday life. As experienced by most people, the untrained mind is the source of conflict and disease. Pharmaceutical intervention through medication - as shown by many studies - only help relieve the symptoms, never fully heal. Primarily because the drug is never perfectly restore the balance of body, mind, spirit. Through meditative transformation - at least from monkeys to Mom - someone is approaching the point of balance between body, mind, spirit as a condition of healing. That's why in the perfection stage or in the stage of cosmic mind, to meditate is to take a rest. Especially because one has attained the natural balance already.


Avatar or Buddha*)

As soon as one achieves this perfection of meditation - in Tibetan Tantric this meditative attainment is called mahamudra (mahasandhi in sanskrit language) - then the balance comes naturally without effort. Like a child just learning to ride a bike, initially it is full of struggle. But diligence exercise (by which read: serious practice of meditation) make a point of balance is attained without effort. Everything goes natural. Similar to mother nature, day and night constantly flowing,  white-black clouds come and go, things are changing. It is exactly the same as thought, feeling, perception that also changing.  Sometimes happy sometimes sad, there are times when the mood up and down.

Live against change that is suffering. Flow with the change that is peace. Witnessing the change - this is done in meditation - that's freedom. That's why the sky is often used as a symbol of the perfection of consciousness as sky keep watching without being touched by clouds.  The same thing happened to Buddha statues that keep smiling, because no matter what forms of thought, feeling, perception appear, all is greeted with smile. In the language of God worshiper, everything (good-bad, pure-dirty, praised-blamed)  is the perfect movement of the same God. Borrowing the journey   of   perfection   in   the   path   of   Samurai   - Miyamoto Musashi  is one of the example - a lot of enemies outside and inside that must be conquered to reach perfection. At one time when Musashi doubt to continue his journey as a samurai for killing enemies, from the inside there is a whisper: "enemy is teacher which is uncovered".

Anger as an example of inner enemy is a kind of energy. Energy can not be destroyed but it can be transformed. And activities of witnessing through meditation can transform the energy of anger into materials of growth. To put it more precise,  fire of anger can cause explosion if the container is too small.  And through meditative activity that witnessing, this container can be expanded until one day enlightenment make it as wide as space. As a result of it, the fire of anger is no longer dangerous, and also can be used to "cook" every daily experience into vitamins of growth.  For example, anger is an input that there is something need to be improved. Anger can also be used as tool of leadership.  As soon as one  arrives  here, then  life can take  a rest. Especially because both enemies inside and outside are guides in the path of perfection.

This does not mean that one stop doing anything. A Sufi friend has a simple guideline: "conforming outside, perfectly free inside". Outside appearance should remain common (clothes,  way of working, way to speak), but deeply inside be perfectly free. External roles remain the same, but inside everything is transformed into the path. When one diligently do this for many years, he/she may have direct experience of manasa tirtha (holy water that is sprinkled in the depth of the deep). It is not only cooling outside, but also calming inside. It is not only heal oneself, but also send healing vibrations to mother nature.  Some soul travelers also called  it coming home. To be honest, too many people have been playing too far from home. Sorrow, disease, conflict are signs that ones playing too far from home. Seek and get lost is the other traits of those who have not arrived home. Many young boy had wet dream, teens looking for girlfriend/boyfriend, the adult get married,  old people regret life. That is the hallmark of life in pursuit then lost. There is always something incomplete that makes people keep searching. Till one day deep practice of meditation make one stop pursuing and  hugging each moment as the present. This present of the present then open the door of insight, that everything is complete and whole as they are. Flowers are in the process of becoming garbage, garbage is in the process of becoming flowers. No flowers that create attachment, no garbage that become the source of rejection. This is home.

Many people who are very eager to know the secret realm. It is only opened once upon a time. When full moon is ready to set in the west, the sun is ready to rise in the east, there was a message heard: "The absolute (represented by the sun) is reflected by the relative (full  moon).  Only  the  perfectly  clear, clean and calm mind which can reflect the perfection of the whole. This reflection of completeness, wholeness and perfection which is called Buddha or Avatar". *)  When this actually happens, there is dew drops in secret realm. In human realm, it is called dew drops of enlightenment. The only reason why this dew drops is compassion. As is well known in the community of saints, because of compassion holy beings of the sky come here to fish, and sentient beings try to catch the hook with devotion. The meeting point between perfect compassion and perfect devotion, then open the possibility of liberation.

--------------------------
*) In Buddhism, One is called Buddha after attaining the perfect enlightenment.  It simply means the One who is awake. Being wake up from long sleep of ignorance (avidya). Sometimes it is called the Sugatha, One who has crossed the ocean of suffering then rest in the other side of island called island of joy. Outward signs  often  told  through the 32 major marks and 80 minor marks on the body. In Tantra, the signs may be present in a dream (one of which is visible through the story of Jetsun Milarepa) or other marks that are too complicated to be explained here. Also there are of course secret signs which are secret. Since the Hindu holy book called Buddha Shakyamuni as an Avatar (reincarnation of God into human for the sake of  sacred task), then a Buddha is an Avatar as well. In the holy book of devotee of Vishnu (Weshnawa) mentioned that Vishnu (Hindu manifestation of God in the earth which were born to wear the human body) has two activities in this universe: active and tranquil. In its active form, Vishnu is just born to 10 Avatar. But in the tranquil form, Vishnu could appear in infinite numbers of manifestation.

No comments:

Post a Comment