The Monk VIII — Delayed, But a Realisation

Today, we had a stay-back so I reached at home around 3:30 p.m. Yesterday also, I was late and reached around 4:40 p.m. When Physical tiredness amalgamates with mental fatigue, writing becomes not just challenging but a painful exercise too. However, a writer must write no matter what. So, I re-scheduled the 8th part of The Monk series for today after 4 p.m. and just pondering what should I cover in this post. But due to consistent back pain, I am unable to write and frame it properly today even.

Today I realised something very deeply 

--- body and mind are not two different entities. We think they are separate, but in reality, they are one. They just seem different.

When the body suffers, the mind suffers too.

When there is pain in the back, you cannot think clearly. You cannot frame sentences spontaneously and effortlessly. You cannot align your thoughts. You have ideas in your mind, but you cannot bring them to paper. The pain pulls your attention again and again towards itself.

This is the interconnection.

We often say --- "If mind is powerful, you can overcome physical pain." It is true to some extent. But when pain is consistent, the mind also gets tired. Concentration breaks. Patience reduces. Even the will to write, which you love, feels heavy.

And the reverse is also true. When the mind is disturbed, anxious or tired, the body also feels heavy and exhausted.

They influence each other every moment.

Perhaps this is what monks understand early. You cannot train the mind by ignoring the body, and you cannot heal the body by ignoring the mind. Both need to be taken care of together.

So today, instead of forcing myself to write The Monk VIII, I am observing this pain and this restlessness. Maybe this observation itself is a part of the monk's learning.

Will be back soon with the next part --Learn from All, but Stay Aware of their Flaws.

Thank you for understanding.

Writing Requires Consistency and Alignment of Thoughts

Today, the 8th part of The Monk series is scheduled. But due to travelling and fatigue, I couldn't frame it properly. 

It's bit challenging to maintain Blog when you are a teacher and have a small group of viewers. See, writing is not that much rewarding, so motivation doesn't work here. You should be little bit of Karma Yogi type and less Emotional too. Only then you can write consistently.  

Right now, I am just trying to align my thoughts with my next topic of the monk series --  The Monk VIII -- Learn from All, but Stay Aware of their Flaws. 

But I am unable to.

Perhaps, that's why, it's said that life is not a pre-planned event. It's just like an extempore and that's what I am doing -- trying to write though I am feeling difficulty to write.  My mind is just wrestling with its own thoughts. What's next? 

What to write? 

What should I cover in the next part?

And then somehow, I framed the title. 

Actually, this title is bit challenging because I have to see both positive and negative at the same time along with my own creative expressions juxtaposed with my life experiences on it.

And then Mom said, vegetables aren't there. Go and bring some. 

Thought chain broken..

So, I start again and this time, Astha said, "Deepak Jalado, time to gya hei."

"Papa ko Park se le aao."

So where I was?  

Yes I got.

We all analyse and observe our society and we all look positive and negative simultaneously. However, sometimes, we get struck -- what to write? And is it right? 

Values are More Important than Marks

It was the time when I was in Class 11. I was not very good in academics. I hardly read my course books. I preferred reading books that were not in my syllabus — sometimes stories from Panchatantra, Jataka Tales, stories from the Mahabharata, biographies of Swami Vivekananda and Dayanand Saraswati Ji. I read that kind of stuff.

And then our Half-yearly exams started.

And to others' surprise, I did exceptionally well in all subjects except Maths. I got only 41 out of 100 in Maths. Then I became a topic of discussion among students.

How?

Haha, because I was hardly ever seen reading course books, so how did I get good marks?

That day we were shown our answer sheets. In our time, teachers hardly increased marks, and if you went to them repeatedly, they deducted marks. But my case was different. My actual marks in Economics were 51, but my teacher, Sethi Sir, had given me 61. I went to his chair and said, "Sir, there is an error in totalling. My marks are 51, but you have mistakenly given me 61."

He smiled and said, "Well done, beta. I like your honesty." Then he appreciated me in front of the entire class. It was the first time I was appreciated by any teacher. Otherwise, I was always scolded or beaten for not doing Homework on time. Specifically, I got beaten by our Punjabi Teacher because I never learn the homework he gave. But those words from Sethi Sir left a deep impact on my heart. I learned that honesty is more important than marks, and therefore I should focus more on honesty.

A simple gesture taught me a life lesson and a value.

And now at this moment when I am writing this, I think about our present time. Parents are hardly concerned about values. Sorry to say, but it is true. As a teacher, I have not seen any parent who asks me how his child behaves in class. They never ask if their child respects elders or not. Their only concern is marks, success and achievements.

Don't they think that success without values will only create a chaotic and self-centric society?

Please do appreciate your kids when they do household work, when they respect an elder. Celebrate that too just like the way you celebrate when your child got 1st position or good marks in Board class. 

Let's bring the change.

The Monk VII — Politics Beyond Public Interest

Monk VI ended with one question.

House sells breath. It has big books of meditation but it never says -- you are already free.

Why is house scared to say you are free?

It is because free man does not come back tomorrow.

What is purpose of coming if you are already liberated, if you already got salvation.

Is there any purpose?

If boy understands Vipassana -- it's just breathing technique. He is free. He will not pay to learn names of technique.

If free man is free, he will not clap for Mother/Guru Ji on stage. He will not stand in line for king on road.

So house has fear.

Real liberation makes customer free. And 'Free customer is a bad customer'.

So here enters politics.

Politics Beyond Public Interest also has same fear. King also does not want free man. King wants man who claps. Who stands. Who counts.

So what happens?

House and king do a trade. House says to king -- I will give you my number. My people will clap for you. They will keep house quiet for you. King says to house --- I will give you my protection. If a body is found inside your centre, if a death looks suspicious, I will keep road quiet for you.

No paper is signed. Just smile in front, keys in the back.

This is what you called in V -- "She smiles in the front. And gives keys in the back."

Same smile now. Only keys are bigger.

In V, keys were for rooms.

In VII, keys are for police file, for mic, for channel, for Districts, for States, for Countries.

And what is lost in middle?

Public interest. Yes.

Earlier politics was -- how to make man free from hunger, fear, water. Now politics is -- how to make man busy with name, so he never asks -- why am I not free even after paying?

This is rise of demon, monk says.

Demon is not with horn. Demon is when human is made purposely unfreed so that two shops keep running -- one shop of breath, one shop of chair.

Monk does not fight either shop. It is not his nature.

He keeps one small room clean. No name for sale. Only real eating -- to explore true-self. Only breathing. No Mother on stage. No king on road.

Just Vipassana

Just Aana-apana Yoga.

And that breathing is still free.

The Monk VI — Failure of Spiritual Institutions

Monk V ended with Vipasana meditation and how those who practice it hardly know what it is actually. In the house, big words were perfect, but breath was not real.

Monk sat and thought -- this house is now like many big spiritual centres in India.

What is happening inside these centres now?

Two things monk sees again and again.

First thing — Chair needs chair.

A spiritual centre should be far from king. It should be like an open space, an empty space forcing us to feel the inner vastness of the sky. And it should be open for all.

But now centre needs protection. So centre goes near politicians. Centre says -- we support this party. King of the nation says -- we support this centre.

Big book in morning says -- no politics. All are one.

Evening says -- come, minister is coming. Sit. Clap.

Breath is now for vote. Prasad is now for vote.

When spiritual chair sits near political chair, both chairs forget breath.

Monk saw this from shadow. When house goes near king, house forgets small boy saying Vipasana.

Second thing -- Death inside house.

This is more painful.

We hear news. Inside a centre, a sadhu found dead. Sometimes they say suicide. Sometimes body is found in suspicious condition. Sometimes young sadhu, sometimes old. There are many spiritual centres full of such news. News comes for one day. Then house paints wall. Then big book is opened again.

No one asks -- how can a house where breath is taught, have so much death inside?

If breath was real, why would someone inside want to end breath?

Monk thinks -- because breath became board work. Seva became pressure. Centre became house, not park.

When house needs money and needs king, it needs silence inside. Real questions are not allowed. Small boy who asks real question is told -- go out.

So inside house, some people break. And we hear -- suicide, suspicious body.

Big centre says -- police will see. But monk says -- police can see body, who will see system that broke him?

In Monk V, monk left house because house had no air.

Monk VI is continuation.

Monk understood -- corruption is not just taking money. Corruption is when spiritual centre starts supporting political party to save itself.

And corruption is when death happens inside centre and centre still opens shop next morning like nothing happened.

That is why spiritual institutions fail.

Not because outsiders attack. Because inside, breath is gone.

Monk did nothing big.

He kept one room clean. One room with no politics. No king photo. No death hidden. One room where a small boy can come and say Vipassana twice, wrongly, but breathe freely.

One clean room is enough to ask question to whole big centre --

If there is liberation, why is there so much fear inside you? 

Why?

The Monk V: The House

The Monk went back to the same house. The house was same. The keys were not. Some keys were with people who teach meditation. Some keys were with people who sell. At morning, near the big book, the Mother of the house came. She is nice to see. She talks sweet. She put her hand on two people. Both have shops.

The Monk had a question from a child in his hand. No one saw his hand. The Monk saw -- in this house, the stairs are more loved than the books of meditation.

Thre are two plates.

One plate is yours. Another is of your team.

People show the first plate and get more keys.

In one room, children learn to say the names of different techniques of meditation. They pay money to learn the name. Only names! Strange! They think if they say "food" they will not be hungry.

They write "food" where they should write "I am hungry and this is why."

The monk gives zero. Not because he is bad. Because you cannot eat a name. Names can't be eaten. However, they are indoctrinated that names alone can fill their stomach.

The children think the monk is bad.

The Mother knows who sells the name. She knows they take money. She still gives them more rooms.

Why?

Because people who sell names keep the house quiet.

So she smiles in the front. And gives keys in the back.

No one fights now. The Monk does not fight. He never. It's not his nature.

He knows -- when you give keys to sellers, you cannot call them thieves.

How can you?

He keeps one small room clean. No names for sale. Only real eating to explore their trueself.

At night, a small boy sleeps. He says one word two times. Vipassana, Vipassana.

He does not know about keys. He does not know about plates. He only knows it's a breathing technique.

If you read this and felt hurt, I did not hurt you. Your own key hurt you. And if you don't feel hurt, congratulations, you are dead. But this death, the monk will never appreciate.

Now it's Your Time to Play With the Kid!

Literacy and numeracy

Astha calling Parth cracy

You study not

You fear not

You care not

So dare not

Dare not to touch mobile

Dare not to take a ride

Running, mudding

Shouting out

Escaping, racing 

There is no crowd

Park park, 

I want to go to park

Parth says he wanna go to park

Jumping jumping

friendly fights

I can't be quiet

I can't be quiet

I'm sitting in a corner

Watching all this.

Astha is saying

Now it's your time 

To play with the kid!