Fight For Reality - Not Each Other

 

Years ago, I read a  book entitled 'Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits', by Bill Porter (Red Pine).  Bill was convinced that there were still many Buddhist and Taoist monks living in the hills and mountains of China, in spite of the anti-religious sentiment of the Communist Chinese.  And so, at some risk, and with a few dead-ends, he seeks help, follows rumors, and ultimately is able to locate a number of hermits who have been living for years, hidden away in their mountain sanctuaries.  

One story particularly struck me, and it's been a few years, and I no longer have the book, so I'll do my best to paraphrase it.   Bill comes across an older monk, one who had been living in the mountains for like 50 years.  He asks this monk, what his thoughts were on the Cultural Revolution, which had taken place between 1966 and 1976, and was launched by Mao Zedong, with the aim of preserving Chinese Communism and purging capitalism and traditional elements from China - which would include the old traditions such as Buddhism.  

The monks response, was basically, "The what?"  He had no clue as to anything regarding revolutions that had taken place. In the years that he had been meditating in the mountains, an entire culture had changed, millions had been killed, and the hermit remained unaware and untainted by it all, continuing his simple and sacred life. 

I was reminded of this fascinating story because of what's happening in the world today, and 2020 in general.  While America appears practically on the verge of a civil war between Democrats and Republicans, along with high pitch rants on both sides regarding covid lockdowns, the disease's alleged fatality rates, an economy collapsing around the world, with millions out of work, an enormous rise in suicide rates.....I can't help but get pulled in to the quagmire of it all, considering who is right and who is wrong!  Which side holds the truth of the matter, and which side is either deluded, misinformed or outright lying.  And the problem is, that the whole thing is tantalizing to the mind, exactly like watching a car wreck that you just can't take your eyes off of.  And it just keeps going and going, with no end in sight.  Both sides of the various debates are unflinching, and who knows where it will ultimately end up - literal civil war? The end of government as we know it? Death and famine in the streets?   A New World Order?   Or perhaps nothing much at all?

And yet, for that monk in the mountain, and others like him, it does not matter. Whether he is still there, or he has been replaced by equally dedicated seekers, what happens in this world is of literally no importance. It is an ILLUSION - A story only that has no bearing on who he is and what he strives for.  It is a DISTRACTION!!!   And as the professional golfer, Tom Kite says, "You can always find a distraction if your're looking for one."  And that's exactly what we tend to do - seek something to distract us.  

"But what's more important than the world situation?" one asks.  Almost anything, I would respond - Love, Family, Friends - but especially knowing Who and What you truly are.  Why are you here? Is it to watch other people fighting over illusory rights and wrongs, or perhaps to join in the fight yourself?  Granted, when you see things falling apart around you, it's difficult not to care or get involved. But does that truly fulfill any meaningful purpose and especially the purpose of your life?  Or is it simply Maya's trick to keep you in illusion by identifying with your personal body and/or the body politic?  

For those who are sincerely dedicated to knowing a higher Truth...knowing Union or Yoga, Krsna states in Bhagavad Gita:

"One should engage oneself in the practice of yoga with undeviating determination and faith. One should ABANDON, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, all material desires born of false ego and thus control all the senses on all sides by the mind.  Gradually, step by step, with full conviction, one should become situated in trance by means of intelligence, and thus the mind should be fixed on the Self alone and should THINK OF NOTHING ELSE."  (BG 6.24-25) (Emphasis added....obviously) 

So what ARE those material desires born of 'false ego'? Essentially anything that has to do with your attachment and identification of YOU with the body, and everything related TO the body.  The body is a vehicle only, and one which you will be giving up anyway, in the not to distant future. It is impermanent! But YOU are not. You will continue to live. Gita says "ajo nityah sasvato 'yam purano" - You are Unborn, Eternal, Ever-Existing, Undying and Primeval."  And as long as we are forced to live in these bodies, we will continue to suffer birth, death, old age, and disease.  But when one can commit to the Realization of Self, beyond the false ego, then one achieves the Supreme Abode, far beyond petty politics or worldly affairs.  

So, as much as you can, and to your best ability, turn inward!  Abandon the bickering and fighting, out there and within your own mind, and seek real Truth. Let go of all those things which would distract you from Reality, and immerse yourself in the Self!  I'll try to join you there!

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In This Moment is available on Amazon Kindle. 

To check it out, please click on the book picture or go to

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P21N1T7/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_IV-UFb36CMVRW