Pensive Thoughts

Living in the illusory world

“There are no accidents”. Everything happens for a reason which is vindicated some time later during the course of this long mystical journey called life. Sometimes it may take multiple lifetimes for things to start making sense, to fall back into place and to hold substantial meaning in them.

Most of the times, it becomes rather difficult to understand the meaning of life in its entirety as the hoe-poll-oi continue to live in dark chambers of ignorance deriving illusory pleasures from petty materialistic gains. A sudden awakening or realization, either fortuitously (because of some good deeds committed in past life) or as a result of deep penance (in this life), dawns upon only a few inhabiting this illusory world. These are ordinary people but it is due to their knowledge of the ultimate truth that they acquire enlightened minds and unblemished souls, thereby exuding greatness and an unparalleled wisdom.

Immense greatness does not come without a price and has its own demands attached to it as well. “With great power comes great responsibility”. A prince had to renounce the worldly riches as well as the opulence and comfort of his palace before he set foot on an untraveled path to scour some elusive answers on the obscure and arcane truth of life. His arduous and punishing journey through the unknown lands was perilous and not without its share of numerous trials and tribulations but he finally reached the zenith by being the sculptor of his own destiny. He is revered and remembered by countless souls in their thoughts and prayers as Lord Buddha and his worshipers have come to be known as the Buddhists. Likewise, there are innumerable anecdotes of similar events in which something incredible happened and a great man was born.

Having a precocious thinking and a sharp perspicacious mind, enlightened souls are able to connect the dots, to read the omens and all the myriad ramblings that life throws at them. The bottom line is that they accomplish a feat that makes them privy to the secret of the ultimate truth and a cornucopia of other enigmatic mysteries of the universe. Possessing a calm and peaceful countenance besides having a pure, placid and positive aura all around them, they unwittingly drive people from all regions to live with a belief that it is the Almighty himself disguised as a humanly figure. It is obviously hard for people to fathom the inconceivable idea of attaining enlightenment in a manner similar to acquiring pedantic knowledge from books. People shower unstinting love, devotion and adulation on this holy figure, consummating their relationship by a complete submission to his pious feet. Meanwhile, the God like figure being an epitome of humility and pure grace continues to call himself a servant of the all pervasive and omnipresent creator.

An ordinary iron rod sinks whereas a wooden block can easily stay afloat. If this iron rod is encased in the wooden box, only then can the iron rod stay afloat, otherwise it is deemed to sink into the abyss- never to be found again. Likewise, enlightened souls light up the path and show their ardent acolytes just the right direction leading them to salvation and emancipation from the worldly bondage. Thereby, they try to pass on their precious elixir of knowledge before departing so that all those still incarcerated and manacled in heavy chains of ignorance could be enlightened as to what the universe wants from them and what they ought to want from it!