A journey without movement

 

The universe is a mysterious phenomenon, but one thing is certain that everything evolves with a clock-like precision. The day and night, the seasons, the creation, the growth of sorts, everything has an order. There is a cause-and-effect syndrome that accounts for everything and every occurrence. Apart from the theories of evolution, described by scientists and sages, which may sound genuine or imaginary, there is evolution visible to a naked eye. A seed sprouts, grows into a sapling, takes roots and eventually grows into a tree. Any living being, man animal or a bird, is born, becomes a child, matures into youth, grows old and eventually dies. Thus, everything stationary evolves.

This evolution is primarily physical. We see the gross body and the physical features evolving from infancy to maturity. In the case of animals in due course the instinct also evolves, which takes care of their safety. In the case of humans, the heartfelt feelings ripen, the thoughtful mind matures, and the discriminating intellect sharpens with every passing time-period. All this is perceived and is discernible as a natural phenomenon of any importance to us. of evolution, which is the hallmark of our existence. This evolution comes with life's experience, study of books of knowledge and listening to the elders and persons of wisdom. Some of it comes as a matter of course and for the rest, one needs to strive and to make an effort to acquire it. People go to universities, training institutions and centres of academic excellence in order to achieve the knowledge of the subject dear to them.

Human being is a strange entity. Nature has endowed it with a perfect machine-like gross body, and three subtle elements of heart, mind and head. His heart is full of compassion, feeling and emotions. His mind is a store house of ideas, thoughts and perception. His head is a centre of wisdom, judgement and discrimination Voluntarily or involuntarily he conceives of a destination which he wants to achieve and to attain which he makes all physical and mental effort that is at his command. This endeavour transforms his life into a journey, which he undertakes with passion, commitment and a purpose.

If he is an extrovert, his journey will Involve movement from his existing place to his desired and chenshed destination. If he be an introvert, he need not move as he has to go from without to within, which does not involve any movement. Inner world he finds deeper, wider and more extensive than the outer one. Yet he can traverse miles after miles without making any move physically. His heart will throb; His head will get activated and his mind will wander but he will remain stationary.

 

It has been stated about our mind that it is as active when we are asleep as when we are wide awake. It traverses far-flung areas in a moment and returns as swiftly back to where we are. Left to itself, it is arrogant, disobedient and difficult to control. We have to make an effort to bring it under control so that it goes where we want it to go and it stores only that which we want it to retain, leaving behind all other thoughts that are not of any importance to us.

Heart is a different cup of tea altogether. It is not bothered about good and bad, beneficial and harmful. Unmindful of any consequences, it loves, cares and feels concerned. It sympathises with care and compassion. It believes in what is called Preyas or that which is dear and loving. It never bothers about that which is termed as Shreyas or beneficial and useful. Head or intellect is yet another very different entity. It is all the time evaluating what is good and what is bad. It is concerned about what ought and what ought not to be done, thought or spoken. It discriminates between night and wrong lasting and transient, material and superfluous. It guides us all the time in the journey of our life. In fact one has to engage in the balancing act during this journey in order to harmonise these three, head, heart and mind. 

Every journey has a destination. It has milestones all along but the sight is always on the destination. The destination determines whether or not one has to move. Those whose destination is something like Mount Everest, South or North Pole, have to move physically. They have to maintain their physique fit and fine so that they are able to withstand the rigours of the journey. They have to be focused all the time towards the destination of their own choosing. They have to have full control on their mind so that the attractive milestones on the way do not distract their attention. Some of them, wisely though, derive pleasure during the journey itself from the effort and endeavour that they have to put in Others wait to arrive at the destination and then celebrate. Till then they are tense, anxious and eager to traverse the whole distance in as short a period as possible. In this journey sometimes they are alone Sometimes they have fellow travellers, some indifferent and some helpful and encouraging. Although the effort is his own and none other can traverse the journey for him, yet these good companions do prove useful. They provide encouragement, inspiration and cheer that makes the journey more interesting. 

If the destination is subtle or spiritual like pursuit of the Truth, the journey needs no movement. One can be stationary and traverse long distances In this journey the pursuit is internal Whether one is engaged in self-realization or God realisation or is in search of the Ultimate Truth one has to go inwards and for that no physical movement is needed. It needs meditation contemplation and spiritual pursuit and thus, can be undertaken while being at one and the same place physically The famous Persian poet of Kashmir Ghani, has given an apt simile for this situation Says he Chu shama manzile maa baa payimaa-Like a candlestick my destination is below my own feet The candle burns from top to bottom and when the wax finishes, the end is arrived. This journey is unique and peculiar It starts with a few simple queries, but very baffling at that, "Who am I wherefrom have I come, who are my parents, who is my creator and what is my relationship with him Shankara has also listed these in one of his writings He says, Ko-aham kutaha ayata, ko me pitarau? doing when these questions haunt a thoughtful person, he starts a journey in pursuit of answers to these. He thinks ponders, analyses and evaluates. He gets some answers, which give rise to many more quenes and the journey goes on without any movement or change of place. This exercise shapes his approach to life and its essence. That, in turn, gives rise to his philosophy In other words, his vision or dervish formulates his philosophy or darshan Strangely enough, this philosophy also evolves in course of the with the passage of time and advancement of this movement-less journey. At some stage he feels his creator and himself as two different entities and he says Aham Brahmasmi), I am Brahma A Suli says Man Khuda -1 am God At another stage he perceives the two as one and the same. At this level S from So and Aha from Ahamgels dropped and only OM remains, which is the summit of non-duality The Sufi also realises at this level that he is the truth and he proclaims Anal-hag Sometimes he sees the creator as his friend and sometimes as his master and the journey continues Journey continues but without any movement.

This journey without movement has been undertaken by many a sage and savant. Some have reached the destination and rejoiced in the achievement. Some have taken pleasure in the journey itself. Some have felt as if they have traversed miles after miles and in the end, have reached back to the starting point. They have then made an attempt to know that place afresh and anew. Some have kept mum about their experience of this journey and some have chosen to describe it in their own way Dag Hammerskjold has narrated his experience thus: "When we come to a point of rest in our own being we encounter a world where all things are at rest, and then a tree becomes a mystery, a cloud becomes a revelation and each person we meet a cosmos, whose riches we can only glimpse The description is made more graphic by Chinese Tao Te Ching Without going out of my door, I can know all things on Earth Without looking out of my windows can know the ways of heaven. For the further one travels the less one knows. The sage, therefore, arrives without travelling, sees all without looking, does all without doing

(Head and heart maturity has made the w undertake travel from without to within)

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Courtesy:-   T.N. Dhar Kundan   Koshur Samachar 2018, March