In any study there will be top students and there will be weak students. This is the same with teachers and gurus – not all of them are equally wise (they were students too).
So Samsara is the cycle of birth and death in Sanskrit, and it is said that man is always in Samsara and that he should seek Moksha or liberation from this cycle to be free and happy, as understood and agreed by the majority of sages anywhere.
However, the wiser sages argue that, if the soul is immortal, that it is never born nor can will it ever die; it is beginningless and endless; all-pervading, omni-present it is, so the subject of Samsara, therefore, is nonexistent. How can there be death if there wasn’t birth in the first place? It was always there and will always be there – timeless. And if this Soul is man’s real identity or his real Self, then who can die? No one ever dies, only this temporary form perishes when its time is up.
Nonetheless a person can enjoy several deaths in his/her lifetime – the death from the material world, followed by a birth in the spiritual world and an escalation in that world leading to several deaths and births which happens through realisations. Yet, can there be two worlds when the Scriptures profess there is only One – everything is One. How then can there be a Material world and a Spiritual world if all is One. The Scriptures again enlighten that all that we see and have defined as the Material world is in fact the Spiritual world and there are no two worlds. How does this work I hear you ask?
It goes all the way back and up to Brahman (God). Brahman in His original state is without form. In this formless state He is known as Apara Brahman (Brahman without attributes), when He takes form, He is known as Para Brahman (Brahman with attributes).
The world that we see is known as Maya. Maya is God’s energy. The world is created when the Apara Brahman associates with Maya, then the Material world takes form or manifests. The Soul is unmanifest (and remains so) and is capable of manifestation. Therefore, if the source of the Material world is still the creation of a Spiritual being, this makes the Material world a Spiritual World, and therefore, there is only One world – the Spiritual world.
If the Material world is separate from the Spiritual world, then why is it that we pray to an invisible and intangible force for visible and tangible things and actually get them in the, wait for it, Material world? Why do we resort to Spiritual recourse for Material results if they are not One? There is no secular world.
Who dies then, and who can die? It is an impossible feat to any. And why are we so afraid of death? Death is the cause of birth. Without death and destruction there can be no birth or newness – the very principle the entire planet and all within is based on. Earth destroys itself through natural catastrophes to renew itself constantly by law only to sustain life. Every time there is a catastrophe, there is death, yet new life begins in the very same places. It is only a process of renewal by design. Nothing to shout about. Anything that takes form will return to formlessness.
It is said, the world came from Brahman, is supported by Brahman, and will return to Brahman. As the spider draws its webs from its mouth, the web also returns to the spider’s mouth after the purpose is fulfilled, is an example commonly used. That is what Yoga is, ‘Union with the Creator’ – when the individual soul unites with the Supreme Soul. This is the Goal of Life.
We are formless beings who have put on temporary clothing known as ‘bodies’, but this is not us, we are still formless beings and will return to formlessness. Remember always – No One Ever Dies…. and there is no need to freak when a post like this is posted may it be about myself or others. We have to accept death as part of life and not something that should not happen to us.
The body’s death process begun the day it took its first breath. As we live, we are dying, and this teaches us how to live right and consciously, and to be nice, kind and considerate to the emotions and needs of others and not just our needs. It helps keep us humble and keep our ego in check. It takes us from the selfish world to the selfless world – where we are meant to be. It makes us realise that everything material does have an end, and no matter how much we avoid it, it will yet take place. It is there to teach us to be kind knowing there’s an end, and to not waste away this precious and rare life on the unnecessary. It makes us ask the question, “is any fight worth it, when all will come to naught; and how many enemies shall surround us on our final day – to cheer – because we were unkind and nasty to so many?”
For me, I have one question: “Joy would like to go to your deathbed knowing there are people who dislike you and knowing you have hurt people and not made it right?” I decided to apologise quickly for every little hurt I cause anyone and anything, just to make sure that no one hates me on my final day, even if it wasn’t my fault and to remain constantly mindful not to cause hurt – my mission is personal.
But, if anyone has read the Katha Upanishad, which is a conversation with the Lord of Death, he or she knows that Death is a wise, fair, kind and understanding God. The Lord of Death – Yama, seems kinder than the living. The Katha Upanishad is a book I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn how to live life perfectly and harmoniously.
To truly know how to live, we need to understand the laws of Death. Don’t be afraid of Death – He is a good guy. Ignorance of this Knowledge is what causes fear. When someone says, “I’m alive”, worry about that. When someone says, “I’m dead to the world”, she or he has become deeply spiritual – he or she is alive for the very first time. The world is ulta (opposite/upside down).
Joy Nandy
However, the wiser sages argue that, if the soul is immortal, that it is never born nor can will it ever die; it is beginningless and endless; all-pervading, omni-present it is, so the subject of Samsara, therefore, is nonexistent. How can there be death if there wasn’t birth in the first place? It was always there and will always be there – timeless. And if this Soul is man’s real identity or his real Self, then who can die? No one ever dies, only this temporary form perishes when its time is up.
Nonetheless a person can enjoy several deaths in his/her lifetime – the death from the material world, followed by a birth in the spiritual world and an escalation in that world leading to several deaths and births which happens through realisations. Yet, can there be two worlds when the Scriptures profess there is only One – everything is One. How then can there be a Material world and a Spiritual world if all is One. The Scriptures again enlighten that all that we see and have defined as the Material world is in fact the Spiritual world and there are no two worlds. How does this work I hear you ask?
It goes all the way back and up to Brahman (God). Brahman in His original state is without form. In this formless state He is known as Apara Brahman (Brahman without attributes), when He takes form, He is known as Para Brahman (Brahman with attributes).
The world that we see is known as Maya. Maya is God’s energy. The world is created when the Apara Brahman associates with Maya, then the Material world takes form or manifests. The Soul is unmanifest (and remains so) and is capable of manifestation. Therefore, if the source of the Material world is still the creation of a Spiritual being, this makes the Material world a Spiritual World, and therefore, there is only One world – the Spiritual world.
If the Material world is separate from the Spiritual world, then why is it that we pray to an invisible and intangible force for visible and tangible things and actually get them in the, wait for it, Material world? Why do we resort to Spiritual recourse for Material results if they are not One? There is no secular world.
Who dies then, and who can die? It is an impossible feat to any. And why are we so afraid of death? Death is the cause of birth. Without death and destruction there can be no birth or newness – the very principle the entire planet and all within is based on. Earth destroys itself through natural catastrophes to renew itself constantly by law only to sustain life. Every time there is a catastrophe, there is death, yet new life begins in the very same places. It is only a process of renewal by design. Nothing to shout about. Anything that takes form will return to formlessness.
It is said, the world came from Brahman, is supported by Brahman, and will return to Brahman. As the spider draws its webs from its mouth, the web also returns to the spider’s mouth after the purpose is fulfilled, is an example commonly used. That is what Yoga is, ‘Union with the Creator’ – when the individual soul unites with the Supreme Soul. This is the Goal of Life.
We are formless beings who have put on temporary clothing known as ‘bodies’, but this is not us, we are still formless beings and will return to formlessness. Remember always – No One Ever Dies…. and there is no need to freak when a post like this is posted may it be about myself or others. We have to accept death as part of life and not something that should not happen to us.
The body’s death process begun the day it took its first breath. As we live, we are dying, and this teaches us how to live right and consciously, and to be nice, kind and considerate to the emotions and needs of others and not just our needs. It helps keep us humble and keep our ego in check. It takes us from the selfish world to the selfless world – where we are meant to be. It makes us realise that everything material does have an end, and no matter how much we avoid it, it will yet take place. It is there to teach us to be kind knowing there’s an end, and to not waste away this precious and rare life on the unnecessary. It makes us ask the question, “is any fight worth it, when all will come to naught; and how many enemies shall surround us on our final day – to cheer – because we were unkind and nasty to so many?”
For me, I have one question: “Joy would like to go to your deathbed knowing there are people who dislike you and knowing you have hurt people and not made it right?” I decided to apologise quickly for every little hurt I cause anyone and anything, just to make sure that no one hates me on my final day, even if it wasn’t my fault and to remain constantly mindful not to cause hurt – my mission is personal.
But, if anyone has read the Katha Upanishad, which is a conversation with the Lord of Death, he or she knows that Death is a wise, fair, kind and understanding God. The Lord of Death – Yama, seems kinder than the living. The Katha Upanishad is a book I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn how to live life perfectly and harmoniously.
To truly know how to live, we need to understand the laws of Death. Don’t be afraid of Death – He is a good guy. Ignorance of this Knowledge is what causes fear. When someone says, “I’m alive”, worry about that. When someone says, “I’m dead to the world”, she or he has become deeply spiritual – he or she is alive for the very first time. The world is ulta (opposite/upside down).
Joy Nandy
