Business to the Buddha

Tag: Mirdad

  • Owning up things







    alien-house2Recently I got married. Before marriage, I always planned and lived with minimum stuff. I never owned even a wheel of a bicycle. The most surprising stuff started just two days before marriage. Somebody broke into my apartment. When I reached home, my first reaction was – “com’on you must be kidding! How can one think that I would have stuff at home to steal?” The only possession I owned until recently was – 1. consumables, my books & my degrees; everything else at home is from my landlord. My landlord has been kind to offer fully furnished apartment.

    Anyways, so this journey of conversion from being a nomad to settler started just some time back. When we – I and my wife – traveled from her home to my home we had 60KG of suitcase stuff. A lot is still at her parents home. My luggage weighs at least 3 times that much; that is besides the point. Let me qualify the stuff I am talking about – its everything I own.

    Now, as a settler I am planning to buy things, we have started with a scooter, planning washing machine, fridge, TV, car and home etc. The list is almost endless. I am sure the burden of these purchases going to be more tiring.

    Now, I am changing, I have learnt – from Mahavir and the Buddha – “no hoarding, no stealing etc we have forgotten… we will leave everything here but still we want to own stuff.” Now, I am calling all those things written above as – “convenience”, “required to make life easier”. That is being mean – defining everything at one’s “convenience” (bending the definitions).

    But who says one must become masochist in the name of being an ascetic?

    I know owning up things should not becoming things owning me. Reminds me of The book of Mirdad, more blogs on the book here 

    Less possession less possessed.

    Image source – http://www.maydolly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/alien-house2.jpg

  • I was robbed… learnt something







    IMG_20141204_194356I was very happy. Just before I was planning to leave for my wedding ceremony, I had received a congratulatory message from my friend, philosopher, guide and deity – all in one person. Whenever I had communicated with my personal god – all in one – I have always felt blissed.

    I reached home after office at about 7:30 PM on 4th Dec. I was shocked when I saw there is no lock at the door. I live alone and there was no reason for door to be unlocked. With shock, surprise and a question in my mind – “who could have done this?” I went inside. I saw my stuff was scattered all over the places. In utter shock, dismay and puzzle I took some pics (bag), informed my landlord and told him that I am going to police station to lodge a complaint.

    I had never thought that someone would break into my apartment. I am just a nobody in the crowd of millionaires/billionaires in Mumbai. I was thinking do I have any valuables that someone should break in my apartment? Except consumables everything is owned by my landlord. I think thieves do not know that I am a guy next door.

    This incident helped me learn a very important lesson. I had been robbed and an unknown amount of things have been robbed and some thousand rupees physical damage was done. However, beyond these material possessions there are some things that none can steal from a person. One I had owned the day my apartment was broken by robbers. Deep down somewhere in my heart I was happy/elated/blissful, I had just had a communication with that special person. That blissful experience could not be robbed from me. I wondered in all ados around the world, somethings cannot be stolen – one should strive for that possession not the material ones. Who knows these material possessions can be taken anytime without your knowledge.

    I had another parting thought when I wrote this blog – why should one STRIVE for even this possession. Mirdad says in The Book of Mirdad –

    Less Possession Less Possessed.

    Wish I can live upto it sooner rather than later.

  • The master is the servant’s servant







    A master and his disciples were sitting under a tree. The master saw a man taking a cow with him. Man had this cow tied with a rope, walking in the front and cow, naturally, following the man.

    The master saw this, said – “see that cow it taking the man somewhere.” His disciples saw in the direction and replied, master you need to check it properly, the man is taking the cow somewhere. Master replied – what you see is not always the truth. Disciple replied – “please explain, in this case how cow is taking the man?”

    Master replied – Do one thing unchain the cow, see who runs after whom? The master need not run behind the servant. Since the cow is tied, it has no other option but to walk behind the man but cow is the master. The cow has the freedom to go wherever it wants to do – if unchained.

    I read this story as a kid, in Osho magazine. Earlier this year, One day I remembered this story. How? Let me tell you.

    I and one of my colleagues were talking about Amitabh Bachchan. On one endorsement of his, I said that product does not gel well with his grand personality (my 2 cent, opinion). To that my colleague replied – “well that endorsement could be enough for him to arrange for salary of his whole staff for a year, at least.” Suddenly I stopped, remembered the story of cow and the man. I did not speak, just smiled.

    Well, I had this talk with my colleague in the beginning of the year why writing now? The reason is – we have a maid who is so royal that she wakes up at 10 AM or late. Comes home 2 or more hours later than I had gone to office – needless to say I prepare tea and breakfast for myself, and our maid is a full time maid. So she in a way is master, I go for earning her monthly salary (e.g. my office) well before she comes for work. The other thing – we are hopelessly dependent on her. The way man is dependent on the cow in above story.

    So the question is – who is the master and who is the servant?

    Mirdad says (The book of Mirdad) – “the servant is the master’s master. The master is the servant’s servant.”

    Disclaimer – 1. I’ve no intentions to demean Mr Bachchan he is a big personality.

    2. Neither I intend to demean my maid – after all she offers me my daily bread.

    Kind of related blog – Irony

  • The book of Mirdad







    “Interestingly philosophical and strangely confusing”, profound and spiritual.

    I have read the book twice, once in English and second time in Hindi recently. When I read The book of Mirdad I had a strange feeling both the times, I either get into profound silence or an eternal turmoil of thoughts. I try to comprehend and I try to fathom the depth of the book. I believe I can write a lot on, about, around and in relation to the book. However, with my limited knowledge and depth of many things, this blog is sharing the following from the book of Mirdad –

    ‘Less possessing – less possessed.
    More possessing – more possessed.
    More possessed – less accessed.
    Less possessed – more accessed.’

    In Hindi it is –

    कम परिगृह – कम बंधन।
    अधिक परिगृह – अधिक बंधन।
    अधिक बंधन – कम मोल।
    कम बंधन – अधिक मोल।

    I liked many parts and I would love to share those at occasion in future blogs. You can buy and read a Hindi translation of the same book at throw-away price from Radha Swami Satsang Beas or the English version at The Book Of Mirdad