I used to meditate, I stopped.
I used to do paath, I stopped.
I meditate sometimes but don’t have the discipline to do it everyday.
I meditated, but now my schedule is too hectic; can’t seem to make the time.
Which of the above line sounds familiar?
We all prepare ourselves to work, focus and concentrate on a job to reign in the mind which would rather make you do anything except work. Ask me, I’ve been playing hooky for the last ten days. Just became materialistic and started gauging everything in monetary terms. We all want to work and get instant results, just like the microwave-d coffee. You know the instant coffee, which is coffee but lacks the punch.
I asked someone innocently, you know the normal question one asks, in the beginning of a conversation, “How are you doing?” and the person replied, ‘Do I really want to know the answer to the question honestly?’ In fact we all give a perfunctory answer and go ahead. You know, “Chalta hai“.
We all do it. Every day, every waking moment many a times of the day and forget the centre of outlives. The fulcrum. We forget who we are and trade our happiness and peace for worldly things an ago ahead with life repeating the mantra, ‘if only‘ and ‘what if‘.
Look back and think back how many times we forget who we are. We trade our peace and our identity for things we believe to be more important. All of us go on searching for that temporary, elusive thing which keeps on eluding your grasp. We all feel empty and keep on sensing that something is missing. What happens is a chain reaction – we try to feed the emptiness. The need to fill the emptiness sparks us to do something and the quickest is to buy something to fill the void. And this goes on like the energizer battery.
The real question is what am I looking for? What will truly satisfy me? What will fill me so that I no longer feel empty? Will the new Hermes’ bag or the bigger sized diamond make me happy?
Well, I think the trick is to feed the emptiness or the void. Just let it be. Stay empty. Feel the emptiness. Don’t be afraid. It’s not going to swallow you. Enter it. Be one with it. Instead of letting that empty feeling drive you to buy or do transitory extra things and take you to the other side; just feel the emptiness.
Once this happens you will go into this world and not be swayed by the toys but you will rather enjoy the toys. It all boils down really to the senses. It’s these senses which jerk you around like a headless carriage. They tempt you, sway you and suck you in for the journey.
Just ask one question, “Do I need this? Can I live without it? Will this matter in the next month, the years down the road? An hour, no.”
So why lose my equilibrium? I know preaching sounds very lofty and I’m sounding very high and mighty and pompous but trust me I’m trying to take the first step too.
Just been honest here.