“We have to learn”
GREAT SAGES are born in all the nations of the world. And, if we aspire to become a master ourselves, we should seek inspiration from all these ancient masters.
If we want to become SEEKERS OF TRUTH, we should listen carefully to the great teachings of the great teachers of the whole world.
We have to learn from a SOCRATES. We have to learn from a JESUS CHRIST. We have to learn from a BUDDHA. We have to learn from a ZOROASTER. And, we have to learn from a CONFUCIUS.
“Confucius .. the scientist-sage”
CHINA is a land of great wisdom, a land of many many Sages e.g., LAO TZU, CHUANG TZU, MENG TZU and so forth. The great land of China is so full of Sages .. and the foremost of them being, ‘CONFUCIUS’.
CONFUCIUS lived around 5th – 6th century before Christ .. the same time as Buddha, the same time as Socrates. When these two lived in India and in Greece respectively, CONFUCIUS lived in China.
As the Bhagwad Gita is un to India, the following which is called as “THE GREAT LEARNING” by CONFUCIUS, is un to China.
“Peaceful repose”
Let us listen to the words of CONFUCIUS :
“Only after having been calm, can one be tranquil. Only after having achieved tranquility, can one have peaceful repose. Only after having peaceful repose, can one begin to deliberate.”
“Tranquility of mind”
How can we become truly calm ? How can we achieve great tranquility ? How can we have un-broken peaceful repose ? How can we logically deliberate ?
Although CONFUCIUS had not given the specific technology of meditation, he did emphatically mention about “CALMNESS AND TRANQUILITY OF MIND”.
CONFUCIUS did not talk about “MEDITATION” per se, but he must have been a great adept in meditation, if he has spoken these words.
Unless one achieves calmness in one’s own self, how can one prescribe calmness to others ?
“The great learning of China”
Following words of CONFUCIUS are known as “the great learning” in China.
Those who wished to manifest clear character into the world .. would first bring order to their states.
Those who wished to bring order to their states .. would first regulate their families.
Those who wished to regulate their families .. would first cultivate their personal lives.
Those who wished to cultivate their personal lives .. will first rectify their minds.
Those who wished to rectify their minds .. would first make their wills sincere.
Those who wished to make their wills sincere .. would first extend their knowledge.
The extension of knowledge consists in the investigation of things.
When things are investigated .. knowledge is extended.
When knowledge is extended .. the will becomes sincere.
When the will is sincere .. the mind is rectified.
When the mind is rectified .. the personal life is cultivated.
When the personal life is cultivated .. the family will be regulated.
When the family is regulated .. the state will be in order.
When the state is in order .. there will be peace throughout the world.
“Regulation of families”
If we want to show the greatness of our country to the world at large, what should we do ? We should first put our states in order.
If we want to put our states in order we have to take care of the tribes, the joint-families. In olden days there were only huge joint-families. However, in current times we have only families, there are no joint-families. So, our family has to be regulated.
And, unless we give a personal example, our family is not going to be regulated. So, if we want to regulate our family, what we must first do is cultivate our personal life impeccably. We can’t give advices to other members of our respective families, without being perfect ourselves.
We can’t have right effect on our family, our surroundings, unless we are perfect in ourselves. Perfection means being one in thought, word and deed.
So, cultivating the personal life becomes the true basis for healthy community development. It is the ‘dharma’ of every socially responsible human being to cultivate one’s own personal life to the fullest extent possible. This calls for a tremendous amount of sincerity, seriousness and discipline of mind.
“Sincerity and seriousness”
Sincerity is a life-long commitment. A part of each and every day must be set apart for sincere cultivation of personal life. And, that is called as “seriousness”.
Like we set apart a certain amount of time each and every day to earn money, to earn our daily bread, in the same fashion, every one of us has to set apart a certain amount of time for cultivation of personal life.
And what is the “modus operandi” whereby personal life can be cultivated ?
“Personal life is cultivated when the mind is rectified”
Our personal lives are truly in a ruined state, because we are stuck up with a false mind .. a negative mind, an insincere mind, and an essentially material and worldly mind. This mind has to be rectified.
We are stuck up with a mind which always abuses others. And, we blame others for whatever befalls us. Or, we throw the blame on some imagined invisible power, for each and everything. We never blame our own selves. We do not own our responsibility. A very insane state of mind indeed.
“Rectification of mind”
If we would like to cultivate our land, if we would like to grow some crop on it, then we must clean our land of all the stubbles and all the stones .. and we must plough it enough .. to keep it ready, fit for sowing the seeds.
Similarly, if we want desperately to become a Sage .. if we would want to truly cultivate our personal lives .. we have to make the faulty, negative mind free of all defilements and all negativities.
The way a farmer cultivates his land that is the same way a Sage cultivates his own personal life.
. . .
All the ancient Sages knew about the “SCIENCE OF MEDITATION” , about the science of rectifying the mind. That is how they did cultivate their personal lives.
A rectified mind is the basis of absorption of truth. Where the mind is sane, scientific, then only can truth be seen and listened to.
“Making the will sincere”
However, rectification of the mind is possible only when the will is sincere.
“To rectify your mind, you should make your will sincere.”
Making our will sincere is a very, very crucial point.
If we want to become a great musician like Pandit Ravi Shankar, our whole life has to be directed along that music-pathway alone. We cannot afford to indulge in other activities other than music. And, we must set apart so many hours to practice and practice and practice.
Similarly, if we want to become a great Sage, of course, we will have to practice meditation for hours and hours and hours. We have to practice and practice and practice. And, this is called as “SINCERITY OF WILL”.
“Those who wish to rectify their minds will first make their will sincere.”
CONFUCIUS is a great Sage. He gave us all the technology we need if we are fond of becoming a Sage.
We must be very, very clear .. pretty much clear in mind .. as to what we want to particularly achieve, in our current life-time. Making clear to ourselves what we want to achieve in this life- time is called as “making our will sincere”.
“Seriousness and enlightenment”
All the wisdom of the Chinese Sages can be condensed in one simple statement :
“Sincerity breeds seriousness, and seriousness breeds enlightenment.”
Be it the field of music, be it the field of science, be it the field of spirituality .. whatever may be the given field of activity .. we need to be absolutely sincere in whatever we are attempting to do.
“Extending our knowledge”
And, how are we going to make our will sincere ? Which is the way ?
CONFUCIUS provides the answer :
“Those who wished to make their wills sincere would first extend their knowledge.”
“KNOWLEDGE” is the key factor which stands in between insincerity and sincerity, in between SAGE HOOD and otherwise. The way of the world is to go for money; the way of the Sages is to go for knowledge.
Worldly people think that with more money they will be better off and the Sages know, for a certainty, that with more knowledge they are better off. So, If we want to make our wills sincere, then we are required to first extend our knowledge, beyond our known frontiers.
. . .
“KNOWLEDGE” is extended easily when we meet and interact with people of greater knowledge. This, of course, is called “Sajjana Sangatya”.
The other way to extend one’s knowledge is to read books by GREAT SAGES and GREAT SCIENTISTS. This, of course, is called “Swadhyaya”.
“Swadhyaya” and “Sajjana Sangatya” form the two most important points in the syllabus for extending knowledge.
“Investigation of things”
“When things are investigated .. knowledge is extended. When knowledge is extended .. the will becomes sincere.”
Extension of our KNOWLEDGE is the goal. KNOWLEDGE is everything. KNOWLEDGE alone empowers us.
The more KNOWLEDGE we acquire, the more our wills become sincere. The more our wills become sincere .. the more the mind is rectified. The more our mind is rectified .. the better our personal life is cultivated.
“When things are investigated .. knowledge is extended. When knowledge is extended .. the will becomes sincere.”
How is knowledge extended ? The answer provided by CONFUCIUS .. “Investigate things”.
A SCIENTIST investigates into the things of the matter. A SAGE investigates into the things of the HUMANITY. A SAGE investigates into the things of ETHICS and PROPER BEHAVIOR. A SAGE also investigates into the things of the SOUL.
“Matter and spirit”
These are the two things, these are the two issues .. MATTER and SPIRIT .. BODY and SOUL .. KINGDOM OF THE WORLD and the KINGDOM OF GOD.
EINSTEIN investigated into the matters of the matter .. atoms and molecules .. electrons and positrons. EINSTEIN became a SCIENTIST and BUDDHA became a SAGE.
SOCRATES, in Athens, investigated into things pertaining to the SOUL. At the same time, in another part of the world, in the far away China, CONFUCIUS .. also was investigating into the things of the SOUL.
“Superior men are sincere”
Sage CONFUCIUS spoke extensively about the “SUPERIOR MAN” :
The “SUPERIOR MAN” cultivated his personal life carefully.
The “SUPERIOR MAN” took pains to rectify his mind.
A “SUPERIOR MAN” is one who always investigates into things.
If a person investigates into the things of matter, he becomes a SCIENTIST .. and if a person investigates into things of SOUL, he becomes a SAGE.
“Peace throughout the world”
Let us remember again the great words of CONFUCIUS :
When things are investigated .. knowledge is extended
When knowledge is extended .. the will becomes sincere
When the will is sincere .. the mind is rectified
When the mind is rectified .. the personal life is cultivated.
When the personal life is cultivated .. the families will be regulated
When the families are regulated .. the state will be in order
When the state is in order .. there will be peace throughout the world.
The goal is to establish peace throughout the world. Everybody should be peaceful and happy. Everybody should be giving and loving.
Everybody should have sincerity and clear character.
“Scientists and sages”
SCIENTISTS have made material life more comfortable. SAGES endeavour to make our lives happier and more meaningful.
Questions like : “Who am I ?”, “What is the purpose of life?”, “What is the truth?”, “How to live happily?”, “What are the causes of diseases and misery?” etc., etc. ought to be the concern of every superior thinking man.
As one investigates .. one finds answers.
“Practice of meditation”
The real mode of investigating into the nature of SELF or the nature of the SOUL is not through any mental questioning. Real investigation on the path of life is possible only through the process of meditation, making our mind calm and tranquil and remaining with peaceful repose.
Again, the words of CONFUCIUS :
“Only after having being calm .. can one be tranquil. Only after having achieved tranquility .. can one have peaceful repose. Only after having peaceful repose .. can one begin to deliberate.”
What great words.
The way to become calm is meditation. The way to become tranquil is meditation. The way to achieve permanent peaceful repose.
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