SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
5
Krishna’s Tree of Pearls SADHU VASWANI Radha has become proud. She is cold to Him, yet loves Him in her heart and beholds Him in her dreaming. One night, as the moon is shining, she sings a song in which she says, His loveliness is more lovely than the moon and His beauty and fragrance draw her to Him, and she cries in the loneliness of the night: “Krishna, O Krishna, my playmate! Come to me!” In her heart she says to Him: “Won’t you come to my house?” And she hears His voice in her heart, saying: “Am I not already in your house?” And she sees in her heart His dawn-eyes looking into her eyes. She is in Gokul: He is in the Forest of Brindaban. One day Krishna sends Sudama to her with a message. It says: “Krishna loves you, the Unseen in you; and Krishna sees in you a beauty that fadeth not. Krishna has need of one small pearl, one only, from your necklace. This pearl, Krishna will sow and from it raise a thousand pearls to deck with pearls the dewlaps of the cows Krishna loves! And the pearl you may give will be returned to you with many other pearls! Krishna needs but one of your pearls, if you will send it, to grow a pearl tree!”
Sudama carries Krishna’s message to Radha. But her eyes are aflame with pride. And she says to Sudama: “Krishna’s Name wakes up within me strange memories. But this Krishna is a cowherd. What a crazed fancy is this of adorning cows with necklaces of pearls! Surely pearls are not flowers, easy and cheap to win.” Radha refuses to send a pearl to Krishna. Sudama reports to Krishna everything on his return. How sad Krishna feels! Yet his sadness could rise to the lips and become a smile! Krishna’s Flute is in quest of the pearl of the human heart! And when the heart refuses to respond to His love, how sad He feels! Not without reason is Jesus called, in Christian Scriptures, “the man of sorrow”. There is sorrow in the heart of the Eternal: for things are not as they should be: and
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
the Lord’s continual joy, ananda, is in daily sacrifice offered by Himself on the altar of the Universe: Nature and man could not grow in beauty and strength without that Sacrifice. Krishna is sad, and Krishna falls ill! His mother asks him what He wants. “A small thing, mother,” He says, “just one small pearl from your neck-chain. And I shall return you the pearl, and new ones, too!” “Is that all?” asks Yashoda, “Take what you will!” And Krishna makes a hole in the soil and in the hole “plants” the pearl as a seed! “Krishna Krishna”, says the mother to him, “what have you done? Have you buried my pearl?” Krishna hears, and smiles! So He smiled when Arjuna, on the battlefield, felt embarrassed in the presence of his kinsmen. “How can I kill my kinsmen?” asked Arjuna. Krishna smiled! When we are in depths of Sorrow, Krishna smiles! The Master knows that suffering is passing, that in and through loss and sorrow, life is enriched. The Master smiles at the maya which confounds us. He raises us from our maya by his Maya. The Master’s Maya is a shakti of love, a ‘miracle’ of mercy. When Yashoda feels confounded, irritated, Krishna smiles! He plants her “pearl” as a “seed”. The mother understands Him not! Is He not a stranger to the things of the earth? Is He not a wayfarer to a shrine the earth has not seen? He overcomes the maya of the Earth by his Maya.
6
“Mother, See!”—He says; and He plays upon His Flute! The pearl obeys Him! The vibrations of the Master’s music reach the pearl! Like a seed, it strikes root. Krishna continues to play upon the Flute. More and more vibrations reach the pearl. It breaks! The pearl tree is born! The Flute sends out note after note of melody. The pearl-tree grows! It swells. “Mother!” Krishna says, “There is your pearl back again!” And He gives her yet more pearls to make a new necklace! And He gives many pearls to the boys too. A friend who has seen the pearl-tree grow, goes to Gokul to tell Radha of the wonder of the Lord. She tells Radha, too, to be wise and seek the pardon which Krishna will freely give her. But Radha is still proud! “His pardon! Never!” she says to her friend. Radha is proud yet anxious to see the pearl-tree herself. She comes to Brindaban. She does not see the tree. Has it vanished? A Rishi sits under a peepal tree. “I see nothing,” she says to him. And the Rishi’s reply is significant. He says to her: “The proud in heart see nought. Pride blinds our vision.” Yes: it is the humble who enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The Rishi’s words sink into Radha’s heart. It is changed. Her pride hath vanished. She now seeketh Krishna. She says to the Rishi: “I seek: and finding not Him, I must perish. Oh! tell me how and where to find
Contd. on page 12
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
7
HOW TO
MEDITATE J. P. VASWANI
Meditation is gazing inward by opening another aperture of the mind. It is turning away from outer objects to seek Him who is the one only Reality of life. A friend met me the other day. He is a mechanical engineer holding a high position in a corporation which deals in imported machinery. He has a rich mind, and in his heart is the longing to spend himself in the service of the great Ideal. In the course of his talk he said to me, “You will be happy to know that I have made a special study of meditation under an expert. I know all about meditation.” After he left me, I asked myself: “Is it possible to know all about meditation by studying the subject under an expert?” To know meditation, we must meditate. Mere study will take us nowhere. What use is a bottle of medicine to a patient who will
not drink in its contents? And what use is a pair of spectacles to a man without sight? To know what meditation is, we need to go within ourselves and unlock the powers that lie in the depths of our souls. No one else can do that for us: we need to do it ourselves. We need to silence the clamour of our unruly mind. We need to strip ourselves of passion and pride, selfishness, sensuality and sluggishness of the soul, and cleanse our heart of all attachment, all feelings of hatred and resentment. We need to forget the outer world of alluring objects and sink deeper and deeper until we reach the inmost depths and touch the pure white Light. Like all spiritual experience, meditation is something which cannot come to us from without. It is true, in the early stages of our spiritual unfoldment, the “exterior” life, in a large measure,
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
does shape the “interior” life. What we think and feel, what we read and hear, what we do and speak, is echoed in the hours of silence. So it is that I must take the greatest care of my “outer” life. The outer, empirical life should be a preparation for the inner life. And if I am to grow in the life which is life indeed, I must keep sentinel over my thoughts and feelings, my aspirations and desires, my words and deeds. Meditation is gazing inward by opening another aperture of the mind. It is turning away from all outer objects to seek Him whom the Rishis call Ekamevadvitiyam, the One without a second, the one only Reality. Meditation is entering upon the interior pilgrimage in which layer after layer of unreality is to be torn. The pilgrim, therefore, proceeds by negation: neti, neti, not this, not this! These are not God: I seek Him alone ! The pilgrim enters, more and more, into silence. In silence, he understands the secret of true freedom. In silence, he makes the discovery that he is not a creature bounded by space and time. He is a child of Eternity; and Eternity is here and now. He is not the isolated creature he thought himself to be. He is a “wave of the unbounded deep”. He is one with all life, all creation. He is in all: all are in him! In this journey to the Uttermost, we need the grace and guidance of a God-man or
8
a Friend of God, someone who lives and moves and has his being in God. Him we call a Teacher, a Guru. An enlightened one, a Man of Light, is better than a thousand men who may have read thousands of books. If you would enter into the Secret of Life, the Secret that is God, go and seek someone who is pure and holy and free. Through his grace you will find it easy to tread the Path, which the Upanishads have called the “razor’s edge”. To grow in meditation, I need to withdraw from the outer world of noise and excitement. Each day, I must spend sometime, at least an hour, in silence. It will be difficult, perhaps, to sit in silence, at the very start, for an hour at a stretch: and it will be well if I practise silence for about half an hour twice a day. Sitting in silence, what do I find? I may have selected a silence room in my house or a silence corner in a garden or on a river-bank, far from the madding crowds of men and motor-cars. As I go and sit there, I find that I am overwhelmed by a new type of noise. Noise is of two types: (1) exterior; and (2) interior. It is easy to keep away from outer noise. There are silence spots in every place, where the din and roar of cities do not reach. But it is a difficult task to still the noise that is within, the clamour of conflicting thoughts and desires. A beautiful story is told us of Guru Nanak, the Great Master of the Silent Way. A mullah (Muslim priest) meets him and says to him: ‘‘You speak of the oneness of
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
all faiths. You urge that the Hindu and the Muslim are both dear to Him whose children are we all. Then come with me and offer worship to Allah in the orthodox Muslim way: come and do namaz with me!” The Guru readily consents. The two together go to a mosque. The priest (the mullah) shows to the prophet (the Guru) the way to pray! The mullah inserts his fingers into his ears and kneels down to pray: the mullah goes through the ritual. The Guru keeps standing. Then says the mullah, ‘‘Why are you standing there doing nothing? Why won’t you pray with me?” The Guru smiles, then gently says: “My brother! If only you prayed, I, too, would pray with you! But, as your lips uttered the sacred words, your mind, alas, wandered to the stable where your mare is about to give birth to a foal. And you wondered about the colour of its skin! How you wished it were white as wool!” So it is with many of us. We sit in silence: with our lips we pray to God, but our minds, alas, stray to the stables of the world. Things and thoughts, to which we pay the least attention during waking hours, rise out of nowhere and, like swarms of mosquitoes, disturb our peace. The more we try to brush them aside, the more formidable they become. What am I to do? Do nothing! Let me but sit still, as a silent spectator viewing the shifting
9
scenes of a fickle mind. Let me but sit as, years ago, I sat in a theatre watching a play. The actors appeared on the stage, played their respective roles, then disappeared: I kept looking on! So, too, let me keep looking on at the thoughts which rush out of the unknown deep in a seemingly endless procession. They are not my thoughts. I have nothing to do with them. They come: let them come. They will soon pass out, leaving the chamber of my mind cleaner and brighter than before. They are the dirt and filth which have accumulated within the cells of my mind during a life-time or, may be, during many long ages. If the dirt and filth are washed off, I have every reason to rejoice. The bad odour which is let out in the process should neither frighten me nor make me feel depressed. In due course, the mind will become calm and clear as the surface of a lake on a windless day. Such a mind will become a source of indescribable joy and peace. Significant are the words of the Upanishad: “The mind alone is the cause of man’s bondage: the mind is also, an instrument of man’s liberation.” To sit in silence, then, I must learn to be still, to do nothing. The more a man does, says an English mystic, “the more he is and exists. And the more he is and exists, the less of God is and exists within him.” To be still, I must learn the art of separating myself from the changing moods of the mind, from its flights which are faster by far than the fastest jet-plane.
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
One simple exercise will be found very helpful. Let me imagine the mind in the form of a room. In this room let me select a corner and sweep it clean. Then let me sit in the corner and quietly watch the antics and acrobatics of the mind. If only I can dissociate myself from them, I shall have thrown off the yoke of the mind. I shall have broken the tyranny of the “ego” which is the only hurdle between me and my God: I shall have grown into that true awareness which, in the midst of my daily duties, keeps my heart fixed on the One Divine Reality. Yet another exercise will be found very helpful. As I sit in silence, let me offer my mind at the Lotus Feet of the Lord. Every time I find the mind flying off at a tangent, let me quickly and gently bring it back to the Lotus Feet. If for a whole hour I have done no more than bring the mind back to the Lotus Feet every time it has moved afar, I have not spent the hour in vain. Gradually, the mind will get tranquillised and I shall taste and know how sweet it is to sit in silence. Sitting in silence, what am I to do? Repeat the Divine Name or meditate on some aspect of the Divine Reality or on an incident in the life of a man of God. Repeat the Name, yes; but not merely with the tongue. Repeat It with the heart: repeat It in love and adoration. Repeat It so that It gets engraved in letters of light on the tablet of your heart and soul. Repeat It until you can
10
repeat It no longer, until you disappear from yourself; your ego is dissolved and you sit in the Presence of the Eternal Beloved. Abu Said was a writer of profane poetry: his poems were very popular among the lowbrows, in the Arabia of those days. One day, awakening comes to him. He gives up the path of popularity. He sets out in quest of a Teacher who may show him the Way to Allah. This is what his Teacher says to him: “Abu Said! All the hundred and twentyfour thousand prophets were sent to preach one word. They bade the people say, “Allah”, and devote themselves to Him. Those who heard this Word by the ear alone let it go by the other ear; but those who heard It with their souls imprinted It on their souls and repeated It until It penetrated their hearts and souls, and their whole beings became this Word. They were made independent of the pronunciation of the Word; they were released from the sound of the letters. Having understood the spiritual meaning of this Word, they became so absorbed in It that they were no more conscious of their own non-existence.” I sometimes think of the Name Divine as a locked door. If only we can open it, we, too, may live in the abiding Presence of the Beloved. The way to open it is the Way of Love. We may, also, meditate on some form of God, on Krishna or Christ, on Buddha or Nanak, on a Saint or a Holy one. If meditation on a form is to help us on, there
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
should be no attachment to the form: else will this type of meditation become a hurdle in our way. All forms, ultimately, have to be left behind. All forms are passing, ephemeral. Significant are the words of Meister Eckhart: “He who seeks God under settled form lays hold of the form, while missing the God concealed in it.” Meditate on the form to which you feel drawn, then discard it, go beyond it. Enter into the form to meet the Formless One! The life of meditation must be blended with the life of work. For we must not give up our worldly duties and obligations. We must withdraw ourselves from the world for a while and give ourselves wholly to God. Then must we return to our daily work, pouring into it the energy of the Spirit. Such work will bless the world. Through such work will God Himself descend upon the earth. Work of the true type is a bridge between God and man. So, with one hand let us cling to His Lotus Feet, and with the other attend to our daily duties. Or, as Sri Ramakrishna often said: With thy right eye Behold the beauteous Face of God: And with thy left eye view the changing panorama of earthly existence. The problem, then, is how to remember God even in the midst of multifarious activities. 1. From time to time, as often as I can, let me pause for a brief moment and lift up my heart in loving converse with God. Let me speak to Him as I speak to my dear mother or to a loving friend.
11
My words must not have been carefully prepared, nor should they necessarily be quotations from the scriptures. What I speak to God must flow naturally and spontaneously out of the purity and simplicity of my heart. What moving words fell from Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani’s lips one day! I took them down as they were uttered: “My heart, O Lord, is thirsty for Thy Light and Thy Love! Come to me, each day, in my thoughts and aspirations. Come to me in my dreams, in the laughter on my lips, in the tears in my eyes. In Thy mercy come in my forgetfulness. In my worship and my work, in life and in death, come Thou to me. Be Thou with me in Thy Mercy and Thy Love!” In moments of trial and temptation, let me call out to Him: “Help me, O Helper of the helpless ones!” Even when my foot has slipped, let me hold out my arms and cry: “Lord! lift me up!” While attending to my common duties, let me ask Him to be by me, to be with me, so that every little act may become a communion with Him who hath no need of works but who is only too eager to accept the offering of love. 2. More precious than all the wealth of the world is the peace of mind and heart. Let me do nothing to disturb it. Let my daily life be so regulated as to strengthen the inner calm, not take away from it. So let me
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
avoid overwork. And let me not be in a hurry to do anything. Let me go about my work quietly, gently and lovingly, my mind and heart devoted to the Lotus Feet of the Lord. Then will my soul become strong and all around me the world will smile. 3. In the midst of my work, aye, even in the midst of my kirtan and worship, let me, again and again, withdraw for a brief while into the inner chamber of my heart and there speak to God, gaze upon His beauteous Face, touch the hem of His garment, cling to His Lotus Feet, as it were by stealth. Let me do this from time to time throughout the day and throughout the night. Truly blessed are these brief moments of intimate contact with God, when I penetrate into the very
Krishna’s Tree Of Pearls Him.” Repentance grows in her heart and a longing to see the Lord! It is night. She is alone. In bitter anguish of the Soul, Radha cries: “O Krishna! Forgive me! Thy Kingdom is the kingdom of the Heart. So art thou a Flute player. Thou singest to soothe the hearts of wanderers. I am one. The night is within me: I seek thee! And I fain would stand in Thy presence and beg Thy forgiveness. I know in my heart Thou wilt forgive me; for Thou art Love!” Yes; the Master’s Presence shineth for the meek; and they who walk in the light of humility, they meet the Master.
12
depths of my soul and offer all I have, and all I am to Him and feel grateful to Him for His everlasting mercy and loving tenderness. This may not be easy to accomplish at the very start. But nothing is impossible to him who, in faith and devotion, treads the way of abhyasa, the Path of Practice, As the Chinese say: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” We may be far, very far from our goal: but even if we have taken a single step in the right direction, we have advanced on the Path. And for every single step that we take to reach Him, He takes a hundred steps to draw nearer to us. For, while we think we are seeking Him, in reality it is He who is in search of us.
Contd. from page 6 And Radha, no longer proud but humble, Radha sees the “pearl tree”. “Nothing but light I see,” she says, “the light of pearls!” And following the light she finds Krishna in the forest! Plunged in her maya she once had stood aloof from the Lord. Krishna set up the Maya of the pearl-tree and lured her to find Him in the Forest. That’s Love’s plan! Radha lies prostrate at Krishna’s Feet. He raises her up. “Nay, keep thy pearl,” he says to her. “I need none. For Love’s pearl once more is mine.” Yes, the Master needs nothing. Yet He needs the pearl of the human heart. He needs us for Love’s sake!
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
Surest Mark of Spirituality Question: What is the surest mark of the spiritual man? Answer: Tranquillity of mind. A truly spiritual man is not disturbed by events and incidents. He has learnt to lay his mind in a state of tranquillity. How to Control the Mind Question: How may we check the conflicting currents of mind at the time of meditation? Answer: Practise meditation in fellowship with some great soul. Have points of contact with him. The presence of a truly spiritual man is very helpful: out of him go healing vibrations. Helpful, too, is the bani (words of wisdom) of a saint. Repeat a hymn, a sloka, a mantra. Santbani and sutras of rishis are centres of energy, and when we repeat them we release a shakti (spiritual energy) to conquer the crosscurrents. Saint or Reformer Question: What is the difference between a reformer and a saint? Answer: A reformer is concerned with outer changes: a saint with the inner spirit.
THE BEAUTY OF
Bhakti SADHU VASWANI
19
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
A reformer's methods are propaganda and legislation: a saint lives the new life and through his life influences others. A reformer talks of principles and the cause: a saint puts life before cause. A reformer generates heat and may descend even to the plane of dwesha (discord): a saint has in his heart nothing but love. He loves all life. The Beauty of Bhakti Question: Why is bhakti (devotion) emphasised in the teachings of rishis and saints? Answer: Bhakti quickens evolution. How? Bhakti or love-emotion links us with the great soul – Krishna, Buddha, Christ. Being linked up with a great one, you receive his vibrations, his influences and inspirations. And so, gradually, through bhakti, you are blended with the Beloved Lord. I Do Not Relish Prayer Question: I do not relish prayer. Things of the earth have an immense attraction for me. What shall I do? Answer: A sick man does not relish food. His tongue is coated with a bad, bitter coating. It stands between the tongue and the food We do not relish prayer, for the things of the earth stand as a coating, a kosha, between us and the spiritual ideal. The attraction (moha) for things of the earth must go.
20
It will go, gradually, (1) through sadh-sang, fellowship with the pure, and (2) through practice of silence. When the coating goes, we shall taste and know how sweet are the things of the Spirit. How to Overcome Doubts Question: Doubts assail me, again and again –doubts as to the meaning of life. And, again and again, doubts create depression. What shall I do? Answer: • Don’t worry! Doubts, too, are a stepping stone to wisdom. • Do not let the world hold you captive. In the midst of doubts, see that you do not surrender to attraction of money or pleasure. Be like Mitya of whom we read in the great Russian book, the Brothers Karamazov, that he was “one of those who don’t want millions but an answer to their questions” (re: the meaning of life.) • Seek sadh-sang, that is contact with a dedicated life. Practise Silence Question: I have read many books concerning mystical life but they have led me nowhere. Tell me what I may do to grow in the Life Divine. Answer: Practise silence and look for inward illumination. How Long? Question: How long may a man sit in silence? Answer: Sit in silence until it rings in your ears!
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
28
THE
TEACHER IS A
SCULPTOR J. P. VASWANI
A sculptor wields the chisel and the stricken marble grows to Beauty… So runs an old poem. The art of sculpture is indeed fascinating: with his chiseled touch, the sculptor hews a living shape out of old, lifeless stone, shaping, moulding, carving a thing of beauty out of cold marble. The educationist and philosopher, Bertrand Russell, makes a very interesting observation about ‘individuals’. He says that an individual is rather like a billiard ball – which only knows how to collide with other billiard balls! The point he is trying to make is that too much of ‘individualism’ only * September 5 is Teacher’s Day.
sets men on a collision course against each other. A man who believes in his own individuality will find it difficult to cooperate with others and work with them for a common goal. Therefore, our spiritual teachers believed that true growth comes from moulding personality rather than just individuality. Sanskrit and Hindi use two modified forms for individuality and personality: vyaktitva stands for individuality, while vikasita vyaktitva stands for personality. When young people from diverse backgrounds come to your class, many of them are yet to develop a sense of individuality. Teachers first
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
need to give them this sense of individual worth and dignity. But if we stop at this stage, our work will not be complete: an individual is likely to remain rigid, self-opinionated and selfcentred for life – a billiard ball, ready to clash with other billiard balls. May be this is what is happening in this so-called age of LPG – an age of materialism, sought to be achieved through Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. We are ready to stress our rights and fight for what we feel is our due. But we lack social responsibility, civic awareness and emotional maturity. These qualities can only come from the development of personality – and therefore, I emphasise the teacher’s role as a sculptor who shapes and moulds the individual into a wholesome personality. From vyaktitva to vikasita vyaktitva, the transformation is achieved through the shaping, moulding power of education. As an individual, a young man or woman is apt to imagine that he or she is at the centre of the Universe, and everything and everyone must dance to his or her tune. It is the teacher’s duty to humanise such youngsters, to make them realise that life is not just taking, receiving, grasping, gaining and ordering others. Growth is not just physical expansion or even intellectual expansion, but spiritual growth, through assimilation of values. This, no text book or degree can
29
bring about – but only a true teacher. This is the difference that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa pointed out between the ‘unripe ego’ and ‘ripe ego’, which he called kaccha ami and pakka ami. How will you shape, sculpt, mould the individual into a wholesome, vibrant personality? We speak a lot about Human Resource Development and HR Management today. Can I put it to you – the entire future Human Resource of this country is seated in the classrooms of teachers like you, across the length and breadth of this country! And it is you, the teacher, who is a living role-model before them. You can shape them for their benefit and the nation’s benefit. You can inculcate virtues and graces in them through precept and example. You can enrich their lives by giving them values. Education should not stop with promoting physical and intellectual growth; these must lead to character development – only then does the cold, lifeless marble, become alive, beautiful and striking! The ‘individual’ learns to devote his excess strength, knowledge and power, to serve the nation, to serve other people, to serve the world at large; he ceases to be selfcentered. He becomes servicecentered! Sri Ramakrishna narrated a parable to illustrate this distinction between kaccha ami and pakka ami. A father went to the market and brought two ripe, luscious fruits for his two
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
children. On returning home, he gave one fruit to each child. The elder child took the fruit, went straight to his room, closed the door, ate the fruit, wiped his mouth and then came out to play with his friends in the courtyard. As for the second child, he took one look at the delicious fruit, went straight out to his playmates in the courtyard and shared it with everyone present. The elder child was very ‘clever’ in the material sense, in the ways of this world. He was individualistic, self-centered; he was intelligent enough to look after his own interests. The second had a less selfish, more mature personality. He naturally thought of others and his first impulse was to share, to give. This is the kind of attitude we must inculcate in our children! The aim of education, Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani said, is not gains in silver and gold. It is cultivation of character, compassion and spirituality in the student. He went one step further and said to us: “India does not need leaders and masters, for there are many willing to take up that role; India needs servants and sipahis – and it is for this that we must train our students.” I know that it will not make me very popular to say this to you: but the great ancient ideals of this nation are service and sacrifice – seva and tyaga. It is these ideals that we must kindle in ourselves, and thereby light up the flame in the hearts and minds of our youngsters.
30
Our managers, authorities, administrators and leaders are already well-versed in the art and science of making money, of using, even exploiting people for their own benefit. What we need to teach the younger generation is the spirit of selfless service, the spirit of sacrifice. Please don’t shrink from the words sacrifice and service; they are not qualities reserved for ascetics and renunciates. They represent the finest virtues that a well-rounded human being can aspire to; they represent significant points in the spiritual growth of a person. They represent the higher levels of man’s evolution and the true progress of civilisation and culture. This is the most important task before teachers today: sculpting, shaping, moulding our youth into socially responsible citizens; making them good human beings imbued with the virtues of sincerity, commitment, dedication, service and sacrifice. A UNESCO Report of Education had the significant title: Learning To Be. Please take note – Learning To Be, not learning to do or learning to make – this constitutes the essence of true education: the art of living, the science of true life; not just the art of living in peace with yourself, but the art of living with people; serving people; helping people; and contributing one’s best to social and national growth. This is the essence of education as expressed by Swami Vivekananda: “Be and Make!”
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
31
LAUGH YOUR WAY TO HEALTH Doctor Bloomfield was known for his extraordinary treatment of arthritis. One day he had a waiting room full of people when a little old lady, almost bent over in half, shuffled in slowly leaning on her cane. When her turn came, she went into the doctor’s office, and amazingly, emerged within five minutes walking completely erect with her head held high. A woman in the waiting room who had seen all this rushed up to the little old lady and said, “It’s a miracle! You walked in bent in half and now your walking completely erect. What did the doctor do?” “He gave me a longer cane,” the old lady replied. *** Santa enters a store that sells curtains. He tells the salesman, “I would like to buy a pair of pink curtains.” He showed him several patterns, but Santa rejects
them. Finally, he selects a lovely pink floral print. The salesman asked what size curtains he needed. Santa replies, “Fifteen inches.” “Fifteen inches?” asked the salesman. “That sounds very small, what room are they for?” Santa tells him that they aren’t for a room, they are for his computer monitor. The surprised salesman replies, “But sir, computers do not have curtains!” Santa says, “Helllllloooooo… I’ve got Windows!” *** A five year old boy joined a new school. His n e w teacher asked, “Can you read and write?” He replied that he could write but not read. The teacher handed him a pencil and paper and told him to write his name. He looked at the paper for a few seconds before scribbling on one of the lines. “What does that say?” asked the teacher.
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
“How would I know, I can’t read!” exclaimed the boy. *** A farmer was driving along the road in his truck loaded with fertiliser. A little boy, playing in front of his house, saw him and called, “What’ve you got in your truck?” “Fertiliser,” the farmer replied. “What are you going to do with it?” asked the little boy. “Put it on strawberries,” answered the farmer. “You ought to live here,” the little boy advised him. “We put sugar and cream on ours”. *** A Lady lost her handbag in the bustle of Christmas shopping. It was found by an honest little boy and returned to her. Looking in her purse, she commented, “Hmm….. That’s funny. When I lost my bag there was a 100 rupee note in it. The boy quickly replied, “That’s right, lady. The last time I found a lady’s purse, she didn’t have any change for a reward.” *** A woman went to a doctor’s office. She was seen by one of the new doctors, but after about four minutes in the examination room, she burst out, screaming as she ran down the hall. An older doctor stopped and asked her what the problem was, and
32
she explained. He had her sit down and relax in another room. The older doctor marched back to the first and demanded, “What’s the matter with you? Mrs Gupta is 63 years old, she has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?” The new doctor smiled smugly as he continued to write on his clipboard. “Cured her hiccups though, didn’t it?” *** A Lawyer named Strange died, and his friend asked the tombstone maker to inscribe on his tombstone, “Here lies Strange, an honest man, and a lawyer.” The inscriber insisted that such an inscription would be confusing, for passersby would tend to think that three men were buried under the stone. However he suggested an alternative: He would inscribe, “Here lies a man who was both honest and a lawyer.” “That way, whenever anyone walked by the tombstone and read it, they would be certain to remark: “That’s strange”.
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
35
SIMPLE RULES OF HEALTH THE FIVE CONTEMPLATIONS A GIFT OF THE EARTH The first contemplation: This food is a gift of the Earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work. The first contemplation makes us aware that our food comes directly from the Earth and sky. It is a gift of the Earth and sky, and also of the people who prepared it. There is a lot of loving work that goes into making a meal. This contemplation puts you in touch with the insight that the one contains the all. When you pick up a carrot, you can see right away that the Earth, the sky, and the whole universe have come together to make that wonderful carrot. Many people have done a lot of loving work and many elements have come together to bring that carrot to your plate. When you put it in your mouth, you can be in touch with the whole universe. A bunch of beets, a head lettuce, and a loaf of bread all help you to be in touch with the love, hard work, and difficulties that brought the food to you. Even if you are eating by yourself, you are not alone. You are part of a larger community that helped grow your food. In your food you can see the
precious presence and work of so many people. GRATITUDE: The second contemplation: May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food. The second contemplation is about being aware of our food’s presence and being thankful for having it. We can’t allow ourselves to get lost in the past or future. We are there for the food and our food is there for us; it is only fair. Eat in mindfulness and you will be worthy of the Earth and the sky. When we look deeply at the work that goes into growing and preparing our food, gratitude comes naturally. So many hands have been part of bringing our food to the table. Eating mindfully is a way of showing appreciation for all the hard work that has gone into manifesting this meal. EATING WITH MODERATION The third contemplation: May we recognise and transform unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation. The third contemplation is about becoming aware of our negative tendencies and not allowing them to carry us
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
away. We need to learn how to eat in moderation, to eat the right amount of food. It is very important not to overeat. If you eat slowly and chew very carefully, you will get plenty of nutrition. The right amount of food is the amount that helps us stay healthy. The Buddha was always reminding his monks to eat with moderation. To eat with moderation means to have a light, healthy body. Many illnesses come to us through our mouths. So we want to look into what we eat, and know what we should eat and what we should not eat. Look with the eye of the Buddha. The quality of the food and the quantity of the food is very important. Every monk and nun traditionally has an alms bowl, which is called “the vessel of appropriate measure”. It helps them know how much food to take. When they’re offered too much food during the alms round, they give some of it to others. So the bowl helps a lot. We know exactly what quantity of food we want to consume, as well as the quality. EATING TO REDUCE SUFFERING The fourth contemplation: May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet. The fourth contemplation is about the quality of our food. We are determined to ingest only food that has no toxins for our body and our consciousness, food that
36
keeps us healthy and nourishes our compassion. When you eat in such a way that you can keep compassion alive in you, that is mindful eating. Sometimes, even if we’re not hungry, we eat to cover up the suffering inside. We can eat in a way that doesn’t cover up suffering but acknowledges it and helps it transform. You may even smile to your own suffering, because suffering has a role to play in helping us transform. Awareness of suffering plays a very important role in helping us to understand suffering and generate the energy of compassion. With mindfulness we’re no longer afraid of suffering and pain. We learn how to make good use of the mud of suffering to fabricate lotus flowers. NURTURING ALL BEINGS The fifth contemplation: We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our community, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings. The fifth contemplation reminds us to be aware that we receive food in order to realise something. Our lives should have meaning, and that meaning is to help people suffer less and help them to touch the joys of life. When we have compassion in our hearts and we know that we are able to help a person suffer less, life begins to have more meaning. This is an important source of nourishment for us and can bring us a lot of joy. One individual is capable of helping many living beings. This is something we can do wherever we are.
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
37
Recipes For the Month MOONG DAL UTTAPAM
Breadcrumbs.................................................... 2 cups Mayonnaise..................................................... ½ cup Mustard sauce.................................................. 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup............................................... 1 tbsp Iceberg lettuce leaves...........................................4-5 Tomatoes, sliced.........................................2 medium Onion, sliced..............................................1 medium Cheese slices............................................................4
Ingredients: Split Bengal gram (Moong Dal), soaked......... 6 tbsp Ginger, juliennes............................................... 1 tsp Green Chili, slit........................................................1 Coriander Leaves, chopped...........................1½ tbsp Sunflower Oil..................................................½ tbsp Salt................................................................ to taste Method: 1. Grind together Split Bengal Gram (Moong Dal), ginger, green chili and coriander leaves with salt and little water to make uttapam batter. 2. Heat oil on a griddle. 3. Spread a ladleful on batter on hot griddle and cook on low flame. 4. Sprinkle coriander leaves on one side while cooking. 5. When air bubbles appear, flip uttapam and cook the other side. SOYA BURGER Ingredients: Soya granules, soaked.......................................1 cup Whole wheat burger buns.......................................4 Oil 1 tsp+ for shallow-frying Potatoes, boiled and peeled......................3 medium Chopped garlic................................................. 1 tbsp Onion, finely chopped................................1 medium Salt................................................................ to taste Crushed black peppercorns............................ to taste Rolled oats, roasted........................................2 tbsps
Method: 1. Squeeze and put soya granules in a bowl. 2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick pan. 3. Grate potatoes into the bowl. 4. Add garlic in the pan and sauté till fragrant. Add onion, mix and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. 5. Add salt, crushed peppercorns and oats to the bowl and mix well. 6. Spread breadcrumbs on a plate. 7. Add sautéed garlic and onion to the bowl and mix well. 8. Divide the soya mixture into equal portions and shape them into medium size patties. Coat the patties with the breadcrumbs. 9. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. 10. Slice burger buns horizontally into halves. 11. Place the patties in the pan and shallow-fry till golden and evenly done from both sides. Drain on absorbent paper. 12. Toast the buns in the same pan. 13. Combine mayonnaise, mustard sauce and tomato ketchup in another bowl and mix well.
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
14. Spread a spoonful of mayonnaise mixture on the underside of the base bun halves. Put torn lettuce leaves and top with a patty, 1 tomato slice, 1 onion slice and 1 cheese slice and cover with the upper bun halves. 15. Place the burgers on a serving plate, secure with a toothpick and serve immediately. SAVOURY PASTRY
Ingredients: Spring roll sheets.....................................................8 Butter ..................................... 2 tsps + for brushing Finely chopped garlic......................................2 tbsps Onions, finely chopped..............................2 medium Finely chopped button mushrooms...................1 cup Blanched spinach...............................................1 cup Salt................................................................ to taste Crushed black peppercorns............................ to taste Grated processed cheese.................................4 tbsps Method: 1. Preheat oven at 180ºC. Line a baking tray with a silicon sheet. 2. Halve spring roll sheets and put them in batches of 3 on the baking tray. Brush in between and on top of them with butter. Put the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. 3. Heat 1 tbsp butter each in 2 non-stick pans. Add 1 tbsp chopped garlic each in both pans and sauté till fragrant. Add 1 chopped onion each in both and sauté for 1 minute. 4. Add mushrooms in pan 1, mix and sauté for 1 minute. 5. Roughly chop spinach and add to pan 2. Mix and sauté for 1 minute. Add salt and crushed peppercorns, mix well and cook for 1 minute. 6. Add salt and crushed peppercorns to the mushrooms, mix well and cook for 1 minute. 7. Place 5 baked spring roll sheet halves stacked
38
on a serving plate. Spread cooked mushroom mixture on it and top with 2 tbsps grated cheese. Place another 5 sheets stacked on it, spread cooked spinach mixture on it and top with remaining cheese. Cover with the remaining sheets stacked on it. 8. Serve immediately. TANDOORI GOBI Ingredients: Cauliflower....................................................1 whole Paneer (crumbled).......................................250 gms Yogurt.............................................................. 2 tbsp Oil Lemon juice..................................................... 2 tbsp Red Chilli powder.............................................. 1 tsp Ginger (chopped).............................................. 1 tsp Raisins.....................................................................8 Garam masala powder....................................... 1tsp Salt................................................................ to taste Cinnamon...................................................... 2 Sticks Green Cardamoms...................................................3 Black Cardamom.....................................................1 Cloves.......................................................................3 Bay leaves................................................................2 Coriander leave (chopped).............................. 2 tbsp Method: 1. Heat three cups of water and add salt, cinnamon, green cardamoms, black cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Allow it to boil and place the cauliflower into it. 2. Cover and cook the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes on medium flame till it gets properly cooked. 3. Mix the paneer, yogurt, oil, lemon juice, ginger, red chilli powder, raisins, garam masala powder and salt together. 4. Once the cauliflower gets cooked, take it out of the water and allow it to cool down. 5. Fill the insides of the cauliflower with the prepared paneer masala and smear the rest of the mixture over the cauliflower. 6. Pour about two tablespoon of oil over the cauliflower and put it in a deep bottomed pan. 7. Cover and cook on low flame for 20 minutes. 8. Once done, switch off the flame and sprinkle the coriander leaves over the cauliflower.
SEPTEMBER 2016
EAST AND WEST SERIES
Children’s Corner RIDDLES 1. Round as a ring. Deep as a cup. Twenty thousand elephants can’t pick it up. What is it? 2. Mr. D, Mr. I, Mr FFI, Mr. C, Mr. U, Mr. LTY. What is it? 3. Why doesn’t the sun go to college? 4. What flies around the K.G. class at night? 5. What object is the king of the classroom? 6. Why did 6 hate 7? 7. What is black and white and read all over?
MATHEMAGICS MAGICAL 37 37 x 3 = 111 37 x 6 = 222 37 x 9 = 333 37 x 12 = 444 37 x 15 = 555 37 x 18 = 666 37 x 21 = 777 37 x 24 = 888 37 x 27 = 999
MAGICAL 8 1x8+1=9 12 x 8 + 2 = 98 123 x 8 + 3 = 987 1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876 1234 x 8 + 5 = 98765 123456 x 8+ 6 = 987654 1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543 12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432 123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
39
Answers: Riddles: 1) A Well. 2) The word ‘Difficulty’ 3) Because it has many degrees. 4) The alpha-BAT 5) Ruler 6) Because 789 (seven ‘ate’ nine) 7) A newspaper
East And West Series
A Monthly Journal for Self-improvement, Self-knowledge, Self-realisation
Annual Subscription In India: Rs. 100/Outside India: Snail Mail: $ 10 or £ 7.50 Air Mail: $ 20.00 or £ 15
Contact: East And West Series, 10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune - 411 001, (India). Tel: 020-40064450 Email: eastandwestseries@sadhuvaswani.org In India, cheques at Par will only be acceptable & subscribers can subscribe through our online website ─ www.dadavaswanisbooks.org