STILL LIFE: Bhagwat Gita in all it's splendour

THE DIVINE SONG...
There can not be as better day than the auspicious day of Krishna's Birth - Janamashtami, to talk about the universally renowned jewel of India's Spiritual wisdom in all its splendour as an Art Edition brought out by Nightingale. As my friend T Suresh has been singing praises of this edition, displayed at Odyssey, at Chennai; I planned a visit to see, hold and feel this beautiful edition... And I loved it. 

Some Information About The Edition:

1) The paintings are the words of renowned artist Sri G. L. N. Simha. All the paintings are done as per Chitra Sutra of Vishnudarmottara Purana which dwells on guidelines for the divine paintings.

2) The entire edition is printed with environmental friendly vegetable inks made of natural ingredients from Japan.

3) The finest FSC certified and Acid free paper sourced from the sustainable European forest.

The guiding thought behind this edition is ...

"Our scriptures state that the offering of spiritual wisdom is superior to any material offering."

BHAGVAD GITA: THE DINIVE SONG

The philosophies and insights of the Bhagvad Gita transcends all religions and reach out to humanity as a whole by virtue of their sheer relevance at all times. It is regarded as the world's most ancient sacred scripture available to mankind from time immemorial.

In the Gita verses 1 and 2 of chapter 4, the lord Krishna himself has declared that "I taught this Imperishable science of Yoga to Vivian, the Sun God, who taught it to his son Manu; and Kind Manu in turn taught it to his son Ikshvaku. Thus, the royal sage received this knowledge that was handed down to them in continuous succession. But with the passage of time, this knowledge has been lost to the world." It was reinitiated to Arjuna 5140 years back. Based on modern scientific calculations supported by the ancient scriptures it can be authentically said that the Bhagvad Gita was spoken by the Lord to Vivasan (Sun God) 1 Billion, 971 Million, 828 thousand 568 earthly years ago.

Text Source: Nightingale

Now please enjoy the visual splendour of Bhagvad Gita through my impressions and I thank Odyssey and their team for giving me this opportunity...

"O Parantapa! Those who do not have faith in this Dharma. do not attain Me. Hence they undergo the endless cycle of births and rebirths (Samsara)." - From Chapter 9 Bhagvad Gita

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Shashi 

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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STILL LIFE: The Other Side

READER: Zen Keys by Thich Naht Hanh

WHAT IS THE SOUND OF ONE HAND (CLAPPING)?

This question has intrigued many practitioner's of Zen over centuries. It is probably one of the most famous Koan of Zen thoughts, written by Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1768). If you think about it, it might take you a life time to know but if you let it seep into you, while you go about your day-to-day activity, with unattached mindfulness, it might give you a sudden clap of enlightenment, what is known as 'Satori' in Zen school of thoughts.

Image by @ Amazon, Click to buy..

In Buddhism, perhaps the most powerful thought and action that binds almost all sects together is mindfulness. When Mahayana Buddhism reached China, it was developed into a school of Zen (then known as Chan in Chinese, derived from Sanskrit word Dhyan – Meditation). And as it reached farther shores of Korea, Vietnam and later on to Japan, this concept of mindfulness transformed into satori or enlightenment. Zen, to my mind is every day practice of doing things with unattached mindfulness, attuned to Buddha – the enlightened one.

It is believed that the true reality is possible to realize in the illusive world (Maya – a concept of Hinduism which believes in the non-existence of the world as we experience it through our senses) we live in. The process to attain that reality is through liberating our minds from preconceived notions and concepts, tainted by the day-to-day existence. The stress of the daily life is only due to our mind, shadow dancing with the unreality of the world around us. This struggle produces anxiety, worries of future and repentance of past. We move from one moment to another, cutting time into pieces that are not complete as well as untrue demarcation of our living. It’s the timelessness, we are born into and will remain forever, in one form or another. This universal form is what one looks for, when practicing Zen or searching for enlightenment.

In the shadow dancing with my mind, I came across one of the most beautiful book about Zen thoughts. Zen Keys, written  by famous Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, ZEN KEYS, that I believe is one of the best book to explain the ZEN philosophy in its utmost simplicity. But before I write some of the most powerful thoughts from the book, let me give you...

A Brief Biography of the Author

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Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered throughout the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. His key teaching is that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment—the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world.

Thich Nhat Hanh has published over 100 titles and sold over three million books in America alone, some of the best-known include Being Peace, Peace Is Every Step, The Miracle of Mindfulness, The Art of Power, True Love and Anger.

TEXT & IMAGE: Curtsy PlumVilage.org

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NOW HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS FROM THE BOOK - ZEN KEYS by Thich Naht Hanh

“A special transmission outside the scriptures, not based on words or letter, a direct pointing to the heart of reality so that we might see into our own nature and wake up.” Zen according to Bodhidharma

“Zen has been transmitted directly by the Buddha and has nothing at all to do with scriptures and doctrines you are studying.” – Bodhidharma

“If one thing exists, everything exists, even a speck of dust. If one thing is empty, everything is empty, even the whole universe.” Dao Hanh – 12^th century Vietnamese Zen Monk.

The Language Of Zen

The essence of Zen is awakening. This is why one does not talk about Zen, one experiences it.

Monks meditating in Bodh Gaya, click here..

The language of Zen is one of these ways. It must:

1) Possess the power of liberating us from prejudices and attachments to knowledge,

2) Be suitable to the person to whom it is addressed, and

3) Be skillful and effective.

The Kung-An (Koan) And Its Function

There is a big difference between a Kung-an and a math problem – the solution of the math problem is included in the problem itself, while the response to the kung-an lies in the life of the practitioner.

The Significance Of Kung-an

If the Kung-an does not produce an effect on us, it can be for two reasons: The first is that the kung-an is not correct for us; the second is that we are not yet ready to receive it. In either case, it is necessary to allow the kung-an to act and not make efforts at deduction and reason in order to find in it a conceptual significance.

The Mind Must Be Ripe

To help practitioners cross the river to the shore of awakening, Zen masters hold out the staff of skillful means. But the disciple must grab hold of it.

If you are not yet ripe, all efforts at waking you up will be in vain. Continue your daily practice of mindfulness, observing the cypress tree in your own courtyard, with all your peace, serenity, and presence. The practice is enjoyable. There is no need to waste time or distract ourselves. Then when a real kung-an is offered to us, we will be ready.

The Mind And The False Mind

“All phenomenon of being, since time immemorial, are independent of concepts and words. Concepts and words cannot transform them or separate them from their true nature.” – In “The Awakened of Faith in the Mahayana (Mahayana Sraddotpada)”

Reality In Itself

Enlightened Buddha - click here

“The substance and the cause of nirvana is the nature of awakening – Buddhata. The Buddhata does not produce nirvana. This is why we say nirvana–without-cause or uncreated… The nature of awakening among living beings is the same. Although living beings appear and are transformed, the always dwell in the nature of awakening.” – The Mahaparinirvana Sutra

“The true nature is non-nature. It has nothing to do with production or destruction”. – Master Nguyen Hoc

“To say a thing is easy but most people will allow themselves to be taken in by the things said, so it is better to say nothing, to “understand without words.” - Vinitaruci

A Non-Conceptual Experience

The world of Zen is the world of pure experience without concepts.

Life is not a representation of life. Reality in itself transcends all descriptions and ideas. The world of Zen is the world of tathata itself.

The Principle Of Non-Duality

“All phenomenon are mind, mind is all. Mind contains rivers, mountains, moon, and sun” – Japanese Zen Master Dogen

“All phenomenon can be understood to be in two categories: mind and matter, but on the level of awakening, all is mind. Object and mind are both marvelous. Mind is matter, matter is mind. Matter does not exist outside of mind. Mind does not exist outside of matter. Each is in the other. This is called the ‘non-duality of mind and matter”. – Nagarjuna in Treatise of Great Understanding (Mahaprajnaparamita Sastra)

Three Gates Of Liberation

Emptiness (Sunyata)

Signlessness (Animitta)

Aimlessness (Apranihita)

In Mahayana Buddhism in general, and Zen in particular, a close relationship can be found among the three gates…

Absence of an absolute identity in each thing (Emptiness) is manifested by the non-conceptual (Signlessness) knowledge in which a subject in quest of an object does not exist (Aimlessness). In true knowledge of reality, the distinction between subject and object, obtaining and obtained, no longer exists.

Process Of Enlightenment

“The representations, concepts are not true things that can be obtained; they are only the 

From Thich Naht Hanh Page

product of discrimination. The true nature of things, liberated from this discrimination, is thusness. The characteristics of thusness are reality, exactitude, ultimate end, true nature, foundations and non-attainment”. – from Lankavtara Sutra

All those who are capable of making good use of this exposition in order to penetrate into thusness can transcend concepts of continuity and discontinuity, get rid of discrimination-imagination and reach the spiritual experience of self-realization. This is called true wisdom.

Although Zen declares that it is not based on words and concepts, it in fact manipulates words and concepts in order to reveal the reality that transcends words and concepts.

Zen is not study of Zen, Zen is life. Zen is direct contact with reality.

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Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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                 Satan's Letter from Earth

THE READER: Family Happiness - Leo Tolstoy

An interesting story (Novella) that I recently read about life. A girl's desires and feelings, before and after marriage to a much older person so beautifully envisaged by Tolstoy. 

Interestingly, this is the first time Tolstoy narrated the story through the main character of the heroine (Masha), which apart from being very difficult for a male, as at the time, he was an young unmarried writer; goes on to show his uncanny ability to get under the skin of his characters.

His amazing description of young girls emotions, his take on the feelings of young and then matured person in the ways of the world of Russian Social life, before and after marriage, is great and to me, looks quite truthful.}

FamilyHappiness, published first time in 1859, like almost all the novels of Tolstoy has an autobiographical connection. Tolstoy (then 31 years old) met 20 year old Valerya Vladimirnova Arsenyeva in 1856, and fell in love. And as told to his biographer, he almost got engaged to her. Later as recollected by Valerya’s daughter in 1926, told to Mr. P Pavlov, that they actually parted company because Valerya refused to accept the conditions which Tolstoy attached to his proposal of marriage: 20 years’ quiet seclusion in the country. 

Though never married, it seems Tolstoy wrote ‘Family Happiness’ – which is about marriage, to prove to himself that their marriage would not have been successful. While he was writing it, he was most enthusiastic about it and described it as a poem, but when he had finished it, he was reluctant to have it published as he disliked it intensely.

Brief Note About The Author
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Since Leo Tolstoy is quite well known, I will skip the usual biodata of the author (Toread it at Wikipedia, click here) but will reproduce something that caught my eyes…

Countess Tolstoy writes about Leo Tolstoy

In 1909, writing of “Who are the murderers?” Countess Tolstoy wrote, “…it could be interesting. But the same old reproach – descriptions of peasant life. His relish at a woman’s full bosom and a girl’s sun burnt legs, all that once so strongly tempted him; … “

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BACK TO THE BOOK...
Now here are some of the thoughts I enjoyed reading from the book…

He (Sergy) was right when he said that there was only one happiness in life – to live for others. (Masha)

“A man can say that he is in love, but a woman cannot.” She (Katya) said. “But I don’t think a man should say he loves someone, either; nor can he,” he (Sergy) said. “Why not,” I (Masha) asked. “Because it always be a lie. Is there really anything, new in the fact that a man loves someone? As if, as soon as he says it, something clicks, bang – he is in love. It is as if, as soon as he pronounces this word, something extraordinary must happen, there should be some omen, all the trumpets should sound at once. It seems to me, “he continued, “that people who solemnly pronounce the words: ‘I love you’ either deceive themselves or, even worse, deceive others.”

It was as if I was in a happy dream in which it seemed that everything in the future had already happened, and that I had known about it for a long time, and yet I felt that it would happen again, and I knew that it would happen. (Masha)

A quiet, secluded life in our country back water, with the possibility of doing good to people whom it is easy to do good to because they are not used to it; then work – work which one thinks is useful, then rest, nature, books, music, love for the person who is close to you – that’s my idea of happiness. (That is) For me, whose youth is over, that is, but not for you,” he went on. “You haven’t lived yet. You may want to look for happiness elsewhere perhaps, and perhaps it is elsewhere that you will find it…” (Sergy)

Can one really feel annoyed about anything, when one is as happy as I am? It is easier to yield than to impose one’s will… (Sergy)

Once I had experienced the happiness of falling in love with him, I could not rest content with affection. I wanted movement, not the calm flow of life. (Masha)

Worst of all, I felt that , with each day, the habits of live were moulding our life into a definite pattern, that our feeling was ceasing to be free and was being subjected to the even, passionless flow of time. (Masha)

I want to move forward, and every day, every hour I want something new, but he wants to stay still and to hold me back with him. (Masha)

My former religious ecstasy and the love I had once felt for him, the old fullness of life, now seemed so distant and impossible. I would not now have understood what had before seemed to me so obvious and right – the happiness of living for someone else. Why live for some else when there is no desire to live for oneself? (Masha)

Why did you let me have my freedom, which I did not know how to use? (Masha)

“There is season for every love…. When I first got to know you I spent sleepless nights thinking of you, and created my own love, and that love grew and grew in my heart, so, in Petersburg and abroad, I spent dreadful nights awake destroying, breaking up that love which tormented me.” (Sergy)

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Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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How to write a book - Milan Kundera