Business to the Buddha

Tag: rebirth

  • Adviti and perspective change







    Adviti is growing up, she has started turning and every now and then she turns. When feeding her, she turns that makes putting food in mouth difficult. It was surprising initially to feed her used to be irritating that she is turning in no time. Once, I was talking to a relative, she said – Adviti will keep on doing it because it provides her a different perspective to the world. As an infant, how good and easy for them to change perspective – make it exactly 180 degree and enjoy. How difficult for us to change our perspective?

    This change in perspective gave me an opportunity to question my own opinions. So, first was marriage in particular caste. The other apparent Indian customs such as – girls parents to not step in her home once girl is married! Yes that I have heard in conservative families. I don’t know how much is it followed now. So, when I badgered Lingayat community for disrespectful behavior on marriage issues, today I try to look at another perspective.

    perspectiveOne of the possible reason for people looking at their own community or professional background could be that a girl grown up in similar environment may find it easy to settle in new family with similar customs or work requirements. If a farmer marries a goldsmith’s daughter would not it be very difficult for her to get accustomed to the new way of living?

    Second, when society used to say not to go to girl’s home after her marriage, the possible reason could be – avoiding conflicts. Indian soap opera’s show it often. Additionally, olden days, it used to be a wish that girl is married in a family of economically higher standing. So, possible that girl or her parents should not feel uncomfortable, or should not be named for their out of place demeanor by the boy’s family. My small mind could think of only these possible reasons.

    Lastly, eastern religion – all have concept of rebirth and karma. Personally, I not only follow but also believe in these concepts. A different paradigm from these seemingly good concept is here. If you tell a student that you’re not good at mathematics because in last life time you moneylender and did mischievous calculations to let the borrowers keep on paying you unnecessarily, that is a bad perspective on the concept.

    There are many wars, fights and arguments due to perspectives. Be it capitalism vs socialism, one religion vs the other or political biases. We can be passionate about our perspective yet should be compassionate to listen to others view too. Otherwise there will always be wars, fights and arguments.

    Adviti is teaching me a lot of things with her growing up. The recent one is changing perspective and looking at the other side, even if it seems incorrect prima-facie. This is a difficult task, I am trying to learn though, she changes her perspective by 180 degree easily at this age. Are we as adults going to learn something from our next generation?

    Image source – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Point_of_view_bias.jpg

  • Life is a celebration







    I was doing regular weekly followup at an Art of living center today morning. While breathing, I realized Something. Probably it’s nothing new for many – the moment I took the breath in, it became me! The air I breath became me and I was nothing without it. We become a part of something be it breath, food or the environment. As a kid, I enjoyed many festivals Ganeshotsva was one of them. Slowly I started feeling it is more political than social. I was disenchanted and grew over it. After coming in Mumbai, I connected to this festival once again. Slowly I this season and festival has become a part of me.

    This festival has been teaching a lot of things to me. Have you observed something special? Almost whole year we have some or the other festival and celebration in India. We go out to submerge the deity with full funfair dancing. This is going to happening once again predominantly in Western India (Maharashtra). Every year during this festival I learn – and forget later – that life is celebration.

    Similar worship will start in few weeks in Eastern India (West Bengal) also in Gujarat. The god on the other side would be – Devi. Imagine, a deity brought home with full reverence, worshiped twice a day and in the end submerged.

    I get quiet surprised, in Indian system there is no particular festival (occasion) of mourning unlike another predominant religion. Shraddh paksh is there, but it is not exactly about mourning. Shraddh paksh is about paying respect and homage to the departed ancestors and remembering them. Probably the reason for not mourning is that we – most Indian religion – presume that there is coming back. So, why to mourn? We have to pay homage to our ancestors because of them we are here. However, they too will come back until Moksha.

    If there is no end, why be sad? Why be disappointed? Why not celebrate every moment? Had there been Ganesha, he would have loved these last 10 days, and would have danced on the way for submerging – he too would know – life is celebration. Life is a celebration, better we realized it earlier in our life time. A celebration with awareness, if not realized, “life is a trouble… death is not“.

    Whatever, good or bad I / you take in (be it food, thoughts or breath) becomes me / you. So it is a good idea to “be a celebration”.

    Moksha – attainment of self-realization, liberation from the cycle of life and death.

  • The fish will fly in next birth







    The phone rang for unusual number of times today. My sister or her daughter is generally not that late to pick up a call.

    When I heard my sister on the other side, I said – “Hi! didi, what are you doing? Where is Chinu?” Her response took me aback. She said – “Chinu and her dad is going to burry our fish, there were two both died today.” Chinu is my niece, who is ~5+ years currently.

    I saw surprised, “when did you bring fish? Last time also the same happened.”

    My sister responded – “Yes, we bought these two about a month back. Last time also the fish could not survive more than a month. Chinu was so attached to these fish that when these died she was very upset and felt very low.”

    My sister continued – “when I could not handle here sorrow face, I told her, Chinu, both the fish were bored of swimming they both wanted to fly. Now they would become birds.”

    FishMy sister reads Jatak tales to her these days. Chinu was satisfied that both the fish are on their way to accomplish what they want to do. When her father called, she informed him also (this time with relatively more happily) – “daddy, both of them will fly now, they wanted to become birds.”

    Chinu was at peace, she went to bury the fish as she did last time also. However, this time she was content. She did everything possible to have the fish and provide them with special fish food and good quality aquarium, but these could not survive.

    Chinu was not upset. When I heard what my sister just said, I remembered an interesting scientific research published recently. This research was done at Stanford University. It falls under Social Psychology using priming as an approach. These things sound very complicated, let me elaborate these points –

    According to psychologists social psychology is usage of scientific methods “to understand and explain how the thought, feeling and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other objects.”

    Priming is a phenomenon about exposing people to certain words or images that then subconsciously influence their thinking or behavior.

    According to that research, if people are exposed to Buddhists concepts (experiment group included Western Christians, Western Buddhists and East Asian Buddhist individuals) people reacts to things positively more often.

    QUOTE Huffington Post

    Across all groups, people who were exposed to words like “Buddha,” “Dharma” and “awakening” in a word puzzle showed fewer negative associations with African and Muslim people than those who were exposed to Christian or nonreligious words.

    Participants who were primed with Buddhist words also scored higher on a test measuring prosocial behaviors. These effects were particularly pronounced among people who scored higher on tests measuring open-mindedness.

    UNQUOTE

    Though, I myself have questions on the way research was done, what is the impact Kanakia 7on before priming vs after priming etc yet when I relate this research to my niece I believe this must have some correlation.

    I think that is why Kanakia ‘Sevens’ – a residential project – is advertised like this. Also I have been seeing a lot of photos/status etc of the Buddha at various places as “fashion” perhaps having subtle – unknown – meaning.

    Image source – Kanakia Sevens

    Aquarium Image source – Flickr

  • Morality, who is the judge?







    There is an after life, actions in past life have decided your current birth (Prarabdha) and future life will be a function of what you do in this life time. Does this philosophy remind you of something?

    The above is concept of re-birth, of almost all religion founded in India – be it Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism no doubt Hinduism too. So, there are many questions around this. Personally, I believe in concept of rebirth but I have not understood the concept fully. What defines morality and who defines it, who and how my actions will be judged for next life? All these questions puzzled me, for few months.

    Just to give you a perspective here are few examples. 1. Say I eat non-veg (I don’t). But I don’t kill, I buy “Godrej” packed chicken. I never killed the chicken, who would take the blame of this killing? The poor fellow who killed that chicken; did it for his survival. Who would judge this situation. 2. A company does experiments on animals comes up with a cancer drug, animals are killed but many human lives are saved (prolonged to be more precise). Who to blame – the patient who fell sick of the disease of cancer (due to his misdeeds), the company (researchers, investors) or whole humanity? 3. Now replace cancer with AIDS. 4. Extra-merital affair, who to blame, if it is consensual who would decide the “punishment” for next life? etc

    I have been wondering about this, who decides what wrong I/someone did for decision on next life etc. At times, I say to myself “forget it! we get fruits of our deeds in this life time only, don’t worry about next life.” Than what happens to the belief of rebirth? Well, these questions are currently beyond me, while puzzled, I came across this video of Sadhguru so hope this question of morality dies here! Which actually has not died yet. May be I’d write on this in future too.