Some say it is Black Saturday in America, 15 March. A sitting president openly defies a direct federal court order. White House simply ignored the legal ruling. No consequence, nothing happened. No intervention. No enforcement. It demonstrates a ruling can simply be brushed aside. The Supreme Court refused to rule on his disqualification. In essence, the Court expanded presidential immunity to such an extent that the office of the presidency is now functionally above the law. Is it the beginning of the end of Democracy?
Do we understand 80:20 of key elements of life? Health: 80 eating, 20 exercise; Wealth: 80 habits, 20 math; Talking: 80 listening, 20 speaking; Learning: 80 understanding, 20 reading; Achieving: 80 doing, 20 dreaming; Happiness: 80 purpose, 20 fun; Relationships: 80 giving, 20 receiving; Improving: 80 persistence, 20 ideas. Can we practice these?
J Krishnamurthi says. Death is the end of everything that we know – our body, our mind, our work, our ambitions, and the things that we have built up, the things that we want to do, the things that we have not finished, and the things that we have been trying to finish. The end. If we are conscious of these, death becomes something extraordinary, not sadistically, not abnormally or unhealthily. Death is something unknown, and there is immense beauty in that which is unknown. We must die to the things that our mind clings to. We want to die to the things that give us pain; to the insults. Can we die to the pleasure? Voluntarily. Can we die to a habit? Completely withdraw from it without effort, without struggle, and without conflict. If we do that, we can see that we have left behind the knowledge, experience, and memories – known, learnt, and lived by. Then we can be ready to face, live with the unknown. Life and death are not divided. They are one. We die every minute to live. Otherwise we repeat ourselves. We live every minute in the world if we have freedom from the known.
Living is earning a livelihood; staying alive; reasoning; technology use; sorrows; disease, pain; trying to be moral, behaving ‘properly’; conflicts; worshipping; joy and pleasure; and vast memories. We live in the field of the known, in the past. Our life is a constant struggle. We cling to living because we know it – however troublesome, painful, pleasurable, or agonising. Death is unknown. There is a battle between known and unknown. We seem to be seeking some security of knowing. We know what living is broadly. We have lived several years already. We know its contents. We feel it. We experienced it. Beauty of the world around us. Beauty of its ways. Death, on the other hand, is saying the end of us (me) or end of our (my) body. Living is occupied mind endlessly. Morning to night, and in the night dreaming. No moment of non-occupation. Is it possible to live with a mind not-occupied? It is possible to be in a state, not-occupied state, a timeless state. Can we be there?
Rabindranath’s offering. In this state, the innermost awakens our being with deep hidden touches. We forget ourselves. All that we are, we have, we hope and all our love flows towards this state in the depth of secrecy. We forsake what we have. We need only kind words, good luck wishes. Our journey would be with empty hands and expectant hearts. We are already on our way crossing the threshold of this life. We saw all that was possible. We are blessed. We, our whole bodies, are thrilled. Dying into deathless. Letting all our senses spread out to touch this world. Can we be ready? Always.
Yes, we can. If we coexist, flowing. Living to die, dying to live. In N? rkthayoga for 7L.
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