A reader wrote " You have it all hence have the luxury of search for self and soul. It’s sad that even discovery to self is a usually a pursuit of the rich and famous because after they have it all they realize that there is still a feeling of emptiness that no amount of money can fill. Whereas, a common man is too busy making both ends meet to indulge in soul searching."
Shekhar: You are right when you say " the rich and the famous …… feel an emptiness that no amount of money can fill". No one can disagree with that.
But faith too is a means of discovery of the self, as are prayer, ritual and pilgrimages. All are yearnings to find that part of you that is not wedded to the material. One that can transcend life and death. And all those yearnings are certainly not a preserve of the rich and famous. But I also agree, if you are idle, then your search can become an indulgence.
I have been grappling with these issues since I was 10, and perhaps before. I never saw Mathematics as I was taught it, but as a play of numbers where the answers would have to come before the problem. I always failed! I could never comprehend Physics in a world that could not explain the concept of ‘forever’ and ‘infinity’ to me. I am still doing that, through faliure and success, through constant ups and downs of wealth and relative poverty. This search has been a constant.
Your question has got me thinking. Are my online writings an indulgence? Some of my friends think so too – but to me, if I could not afford a computer, I would search out people that have the same questions and talk to them. Here I can reach out to many at the same time, and see what everyone else says.
I dream of a day when I can just walk way into the Himlayas and forever wander looking for those reclusive spirits that have spent a lifetime searching for their own selves. I guess that is an indulgence, but would that yearning not exist in what you call a ‘common man?’ Do ‘common people’ as you call them, not go in search, even to the local temple?
beautiful post, beautiful dream.
Wish you love, peace and happiness.
Trisha
Shekhar – I have a very similar dream. Wandering in the Himalayas. Will meet you there.
Cheers,
Desh
Drishtikone.com
Some of these questions could be answered, if one were to *internalize* the search for Self versus externalizing it by visiting temples, doing pilgrimages et al. As they say HE is within you! There is help available if one needs to know how to internalize the search.
For your science question, you may find solace in this statement from Vivekananda:
"Science is nothing but the finding of unity. As soon as science would reach perfect unity, it would stop from further progress, because it would reach the goal. Thus Chemistry could not progress farther when it would discover one element out of which all other could be made. Physics would stop when it would be able to fulfill its services in discovering one energy of which all others are but manifestations, and the science of religion become perfect when it would discover Him who is the one life in a universe of death, Him who is the constant basis of an ever-changing world. One who is the only Soul of which all souls are but delusive manifestations. Thus is it, through multiplicity and duality, that the ultimate unity is reached. Religion can go no farther. This is the goal of all science."
Seen unseen manifested non manifested space mass is self in various forms, energy, consciousness.
Shekhar you are self.
The so called 'common man' has great understanding of self.
See life in the remotest village and see how they relate to self the nature and blend with it.
Love
Rajesh
http://rajeshmsharma.blogspot.com
Hello Shekhar,
The quest, search, or discovery of self, for self, or soul has nothing to do with having money, it is everyman's luxury, a luxury we are born with, each and every one. No matter the circumstances of your life if you are one who feels the need, or desire to find the answer to the ultimate question, "Who am I," then you use EVERYTHING at your disposal, your poverty, your boring job, your poor math skills, your family dramas, and your life experiences become your clues, if you let them.
You can use a boring nine to five job as your spiritual practice, you can use your cooking, cleaning, and parenting as your spiritual practice, you can use your hunt for food and shelter if you are without as your spiritual practice because "in reality" everything that comes before your senses from the time of your birth is your spiritual practice.
I used to think that one had to be rich enough to afford the luxury of the search but it is absolutely not true, although you need to be somewhat well off to attend many so-called "spiritual centers" if you are interested in attending their "workshops," but they are the luxury, indeed, and they are "in reality" totally unnecssary when it comes to your quest for Self. True spiritual practice is without material cost, your spiritual practice is within your Being from sunrise to sunset, from your infancy through your old age. You carry your spiritual practice within and you use EVERYTHING as your tools to refine your perceptions. If the question "Who am I" is loud enough for you to hear it's calling then most likely nothing will stand in the way of one's finding the answer, no-thing. ..:))
There is nothing 'common*' (so-to-speak) about Self, yet so very simple and beautiful!
*however, very 'common' indeed
Referring to you reader's question first,
A rich and famous can be different than a common man ( the definitions are relative ) only if there is a lack of purpose in rich and famous. Otherwise all of them are making some or other ends meet.
When it comes to emptiness it also can be felt by all, when a person has not sufficient money, then the emptiness can be more pronounced, as there are no other means to compensate.
I will say that the question is a bit prejudiced but I know its origins. A farm labour has not time to think of spirituality as his time is devoted to immediate needs. But the lack of time to afford the thinking/analyzing/searching at a mental level can not be termed as lack of spirituality. As the same labour, at the end of the day, after finishing his meal will sing a song in the group, play with his/her children or talk in peace to his companion. His/her spirit has not known or asked for any dimensions beyond.
What is important to understand is the quest for spirituality has different expression by different people. Also everyone can not and need not be searching for self as they are in perfect harmony with their Ego and themselves.
As for those who have the time to search or would like to go in the search of Self, for example, Shekhar want to go to Himalayas, I have to say that first to find out if there exists a Self in everyone of us? Who has told that the Self exist? I can tell you that only the Ego exists in you, no Self exists. Then why do you go for searching something that does not exist?
Looking for individualism in a collective concsiousness is a waste. Instead it is better to search and try to understand how and what Concsiousness exist in the Nature than to understand oneself.
As far people going to temples are concerned, they go to find their God to pray for something ( money, power, love etc) which is very material which comes by design. So that may not termed as spiritual quest.
Best wishes
The rich, educated and people with resources like time and money can definitely afford to think about spirituality. They are even favored in spiritual settings, like places where they are treated as VIPs to get blessings from Guru or get prasad from the temple as opposed to the less fortunate ones that have to be in a corner waiting for their turn. Sometimes, they do not get a chance with spirituality or religion, even if they wish to. Their seats lie afar from the altar, waiting in line, begging in one way or the other for the blessings or offerings.
This is sad but it is very true, that the God has also been commercialized and is available only to the rich. But at the same time, for a poor person, what greater God can be other than constant supply of food, a shelter, clothes and some money to sustain their families.
At the same time, this definitely does not mean that a poor can't be a seeker. Sometimes poverty itself is a reason for the quest: quest for ultimate justice. I think, a question can arise in anyone's mind and there is a good chance that the question can be profound. A rebellious mind and an unrestricted soul can be present in poor as well as the rich. On the contrary, all those VIPs in the front row of seats waiting to be blessed need not necessarily be spiritual. Their presence there can merely be due to curiosity, a lot of free time and money, temptation to gain good karma quickly or any other bizarre thing.
Nobody thinks of God on empty stomach or he who is not troubled. Either one has to be suffering or be sensitive enough to others suffering to seek God. So the average people find much solace and comfort in the realm of spirituality if we go by statistics.