Origin of Fellow Seeker

Origin of fellow seeker
Some time back, a primitive speck was happily sending big pieces of watermelon into its limited mouth! The fruit was relished and the seeds were spit out. After demolishing a considerable quantity from the vendor, speck was on its way back to its office, whistling and singing.

Suddenly a few questions along with their answers popped up in its mind.
“Why am I all of a sudden experiencing happiness?”
”Ye speck… just now you had lip smacking and mouth watering delicious watermelons.”

“If my happiness came from relishing watermelon, where did the watermelon come from?”
“It came from a seed, the one like you spit out!”

Exclaiming “oh!” this speck ran back to the same place where the vendor was standing. Picked up a seed from his mobile shop, merrily pocketed it and walked back briskly towards the office. The whole body was filled with some current that was beyond explanation. The walk was as if all the unanswered questions to date in the universe had got answered. The rest of the day went on with an inexplicable inner silence.

That night, in the vast terrace at home, in the company of a million of stars in the sky, the seed was analysed in all possible dimensions. Many thoughts effortlessly emerged.

”A seed that is considered so insignificant produces loads of big, sweet and tasty watermelons. What am I doing?”
“With a size that exceeds the size of a seed by at least a few thousand times, what justice have I done to my existence?”
“Every huge tree sprouts from a seed that is negligible to the tree in size. “
“Let me now find out the nature of seed from which I sprouted out…that self-discovery is essential, if this intimidating feeling has to pass away”

May be a meaningless chatter to some and an introspective pointer to others… Simultaneously speck was reminded of another story.

A cracked pot was lying on the ground. A passer-by found fun in kicking and breaking it further. After a few seconds, to the passer-by’s amazement, the pot spoke. It requested him to leave it alone. The pot got a sarcastic reply: ”You are already dead, what if you remain cracked or in pieces? You are of no use to me now. So I am deriving pleasure out of crushing you to pieces”

The pot thought for a split second and replied, “If you answer my question, you are free to continue as you wish but if you fail to provide a substantial answer, you will have to leave me alone.” The passer-by agreed.

In the same vein, the pot asked, “If I am cracked or broken, the potter completely breaks me and uses in the new pot that he makes. To be visible to his eye, I request you to leave me alone. (Pause) But will you be of any use after your death like me?” The passer-by was stumped and left the spot in a hurry.

A seed willingly sacrifices itself and gives birth to a tree. A broken pot is contented because it knows its destiny.

Do we have an equally convincing fact to save us from the questions of seeds and broken pots? Speck doubts…

The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. Pir Vilayat Khan

Awareness

Awareness is the state of mind where one is able to “observe sans judgment” i.e. the state where “that is” is seen for “what it is.” By consistent training the mind will be able to effortlessly direct itself to be aware of that which it is directed to.

The practical benefit of developing the practice of “being aware” is that it helps us to separate the real options we have from those that pretend to be options. This is a critical quality to develop as in today’s fast paced world, where we are pushed to “decision making” every moment.

“Being aware” allows our senses to perform their roles properly at all times. Till we are aware we will not aware of the possibilities of our senses! Senses provide fodder to our mind. The input from the state of awareness can then be processed to understand whether our intentions and actions are coated with our personal likes and dislikes. If so, then it is clear that the quality of our decisions would suffer.

The practice of “Being aware” allows us to “live in the present” as awareness can only understand present, for its very meaning itself is devoid of past or future. When practiced, the mind is not left to the clutches of the past worries or future anxieties thus decimating the tendency to self-create stress in our lives.

Awareness is the key to understanding. Understanding is the first step towards maturity. Maturity is the launch pad for spiritual exploration. Spiritual exploration is the only journey that we are ever required to undertake. Awareness is the key to understanding because it helps us to assimilate and digest the knowledge gathered or given to us to mature into wisdom. This is because it gives us a proper perspective to see, a proper platform to evaluate and a proper mindset to accept truth as it is.

Awareness is the precursor to concentration as when the former happens effortlessly the latter follows the suit.

One can try the following Yogic process to feel the efficacy of “Being Aware.”

1. Sit in Sukhasana, Padmasana, Vajrasana, or Ardha-padmasana as the Asanas[1] have the innate quality to allow our head, neck and back to be in a straight line. This alignment is necessary for all spiritual processes.
2. Be aware of all the sounds[2] around you. It could be right from the sound of the air conditioner, fan or any gadget inside the room to chirping of the birds and rustling of the leaves due to the breeze, outside the room. Always start being aware of the farthest object from you and gradually move your awareness to the objects close to you. In this way we are allowing the mind to gradually reduce the sphere of our distraction.
3. Now, ‘be aware’ of your breath. The points to note are: (a) Make sure to inhale and exhale ONLY through the nostrils. (b) Inhale and exhale at own rhythm without making noise.
   (c) Gradually, when we begin to observe our breath, it will on its own get deeper. This happens effortlessly.
4. Count the number of breaths. One ‘inhalation and exhalation’ is to be taken as count 1. Likewise we should observe our breathing process 108 times counting from 108 down[3] to 1. There is no competition. Do it at your own pace. We are counting the breath and not the duration of each inhalation and exhalation. This is at individual’s capacity and discretion.
5. Once you reach the count 1. Let go of the count and just be aware of the breath.
6. After a few minutes of breath awareness, gently bring your awareness to your body.
7. Then, be aware of all the sounds around.
8. Rub your palms to generate some heat and press the palms gently on the closed eyes.
9. With a few blinks, open your eyes and retain the state of silence for at least 5 - 10 minutes.

This process when internalized, gives the ability to step back before responding to life’s situations. In fact it is awareness that translates an encounter into an experience.

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[1] Patanjali Yoga sutra (2:46) says: “sthiram sukham asanam…”
[2] Sabda is the subtlest of the panch-tanmatras. The thumb rule: ‘the subtle is powerful than the gross.’
[3] Counting down helps us to turn-in!