I am penning this piece
on the banks of the holy Ganga in the sacred land of Sages and Rishis on the
foothills of the Himalayas.
I feel blessed as I am
attending an international festival of yoga in Rishikesh. Around me are more
than a thousand yoga gurus and yogis from more than a hundred countries. It is
but natural to feel high on yoga, meditation and spiritual discourses from 4 am
to 10 pm.
Last night was a restless
one for me. Thoughts moved as fleeting clouds the whole night in my mind. Is
nirvana a necessity or a luxury? Is it for real? Or, is it an illusion,
delusion, confusion, or hallucination created by the spiritual guys?
I am an old man now by
worldly standards. Even then, I stand on the crossroads like an Arjuna on the battle
ground of Kurukshetra, with no Krishna around.
All my life, I tried
all the available faiths and doctrines by hit and trial. I did not find much
solace anywhere. Finally, I saw a silver lining – the path of the Buddha.
Meditation is the quintessence of his teachings. I started practicing it.
I am just a step away
from nirvana. Nirvana looks down upon me and gives a wry smile. I feel I am not
interested in taking the next step. It seems futile. What will anyone else gain
if I am enlightened?
I have seen the glow in
the eyes of spiritual persons at the sight and smell of dollars. And feel
saddened when they ignore us who have the most valuable currency – authenticity
and happiness. It really hurts.
I do have a few vices
remaining – ego which erupts from time to time, aversion towards those who play
games, and craving for the beautiful ones. I sometimes feel that I am a sexual
volcano on a human, spiritual journey.
I tried to attain all
the perfections and succeeded to some extent. I admit that I have not been able
to develop patience, temperance and humility. Why should I be polite to the
hypocrites, scoundrels and rascals?
As I told you, I am
almost in the neighborhood of Nirvana but I am not interested now. I feel
disillusioned by the very concept of nivana.
Nirvana is non-productive.
It makes people idle and alienates them from real world and their duties. To be
here and now in the present moment, I feel one should be totally engaged in
work, play, love and relationships. That is true happiness!
I feel the best form of
spiritual life is serving for a social or humanitarian cause. One should strive
to be a Mother Teresa, a Gandhi, a Martin Luther King, an Abraham Lincoln or a
Malala or Satyarthi, instead of chasing a mirage called nirvana.
Jagat Singh Bisht
Master Teacher
Happiness & Well-Being
+917389938255
