In Pursuit Of Happiness Part 5

 Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2017/05/in-pursuit-of-happiness-part-4.html

We can only know Him with the help of the Vedas. The Vedas have been accepted as true by many intelligent sages like Sage Vasishta, Veda Vyasa, Parasara, Valmiki and many great philosophers like Sri Sankaracharyar, Sri Ramanjacharyar and Sri Madhvacharyar. We are in no way more intelligent than any of the above people and nor do we have the proper training to discover God on our own. We accept many scientific theories without any question. For instance, we accept Bohr’s atomic model without question. How do we know that it is the most accurate model of an atom? Have each and every one of us seen an electron in orbit? We accept the model because it has been accepted by other scientists. We know that we don’t have the training/intelligence to discover the atomic model on our own. Similarly, we have to accept the Vedic teachings about God because it has been accepted by the many sages and philosophers. The Vedic teachings are millions of years old and are not created by any individual person. The Vedic hymns were heard by the ancient sages and hence the names came to be called as “Shruthi” in Sanskrit meaning, those that were heard.

Now that we have accepted the existence of God, why are we created? Who is responsible for our fate? What is the purpose to be achieved by us in life?

We know that we don’t take birth just because our parents desired to have children as there are many childless couples in this world who wish to have children. There are also many couples who do not want children but are blessed with children. Hence, our birth is not because of our parents’ wish to have a child but, because the Lord caused us to take birth and assigned our parents to us. We are created as a sport by the Lord. The act of creation, destruction and preservation is but a game to Him!

If He wants to play, why should He use us as a toy? Think of the number of natural calamities like tsunamis and earthquakes which cause sufferings. Think of the day to day sufferings faced by a physically handicapped person, people struggling to get a meal and people trying to endure the aches and pain caused by diseases. These are also the result of His creation and how could He make us suffer just so that He can play His game? It is because of the above sufferings that most people believe that God is non-existent.

The Vedas state that He is always happy. Thus, even when we suffer, He is happy. Doesn’t this make Him cruel?

There are two types of happiness.  We are happy when we are satisfied. The second kind of happiness is when we laugh mockingly at someone. The Lord experiences both these types of happiness. When we follow His rules and strive to reach Him He is happy because He is satisfied with us. When we go against Him and harm other people, He is happy because He makes fun of us because like an elephant throwing sand on its head after a bath, we work foolishly to harm ourselves. For example, there was a servant who worked for a landlord. The servant was foolish but wished to obtain a raise. His friend advised him to approach his master when the master was in a good mood. One day the master asked the servant to purchase some oil. In those days people had to take a container with them and fill it with oil at the store as oil didn’t come prepackaged in bottles and cans. The master saw the servant leave with a sack.

‘Where are you off to with the sack?’ asked the master.

‘to get oil,’ replied the servant.

The master started to laugh loudly mocking the servant’s foolishness. Whoever heard of filling a sack with oil! The servant thought that the master was happy and approached the master that instance for a raise. We can all imagine what happened next! Like the master laughing at the servant, the Lord laughs at us when we keep getting stuck in this material existence called the ocean of samsara.

God is not cruel because He doesn’t give us a random body and a random life. We are assigned a body, a family, an occupation, wealth, health etc. according to our past karmas.  If He assigned our subsequent births at random then He will be at fault.  He will then have the fault of troubling us and He will be cruel because we suffer. As He doesn’t assign our subsequent births at random, He is not cruel. We get rewarded for our good deeds and are punished for the bad deeds. When we suffer, the sins earned by us are spent thus reducing the amount of sins in our karmic account. Every time we are happy, the merits accumulated in our karmic account are spent. The sins and merits do not cancel each other; they have to be spent separately in order to bring the karmic account to zero.

Even in a common game like cricket there are rules to be followed. A batsman is rewarded six runs or four runs for hitting boundaries and is called out if the ball is caught by a fielder. Why do we need rules in a game? Why can’t the batsman be allowed to play even after he had been called out? Why should each team play with 11 members in their team? If a worldly game like cricket should have rules including reward and penalty why shouldn’t the Lord’s game of creation have the same?

Continued On:http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2017/06/in-pursuit-of-happiness-part-6.html

In Pursuit Of Happiness Part 4

Continued From:  http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2017/04/in-pursuit-of-happiness-part-3.html

Does God Exist?

Science propounds the big bang theory to explain the origin of the Universe and states that everything will sink into a black hole and be reduced to a point form at the time of dissolution. Creation cannot begin by itself without a creator as mentioned by the big bang theory where there was a large explosion which set creation into motion. Clay doesn’t turn into a pot on its own. It is fashioned into a pot by a potter. Similarly, the Universe doesn’t appear in its current form with the various living and non-living matter in such an organised form without the hand of a creator. Everything in the natural world is controlled and organised. The ocean never breaches its shore, heavenly objects follow their orbit like clock-work, and there is a high level of organisation in the natural world. The creator responsible for everything we see around us in our Universe has to be very intelligent, powerful, talented and a knowledgeable being. Truly understanding our creator and the relationship we share with Him will bestow eternal happiness upon us.

We think that there is no God because we are unable to experience God with our senses. We are unable to use our senses to perceive the many things which are around us. We know that there is a limit to what we can see/hear in day to day life. There are millions of microorganisms around us and yet we are unable to see them with our eye. We cannot hear these organisms; we don’t normally smell many of these organisms either. And we certainly cannot feel their presence by touching them. Just because we are unable to use our sense organs to perceive them doesn’t mean that they do not exist. Similarly, we are unable to use our eyes to see the atoms or hear the ultrasonic noise. There is a certain spectrum of light which is also invisible to our eyes. High-frequency vibrations are invisible to our eyes. For instance, we do not see the individual rotating blades of a fan.

People experience many things without using their sensory perception. We feel love, worry, hate, sadness, anger and so on yet, we cannot describe the physical appearance of these emotional concepts. Lack of sensory perception doesn’t prove the nonexistence of an object or concept. The above emotional concepts we experience are beyond sensory perception and yet we acknowledge their presence. We say that we worry; who can tell if worry is tall or short, dark or white, sour or bitter? Is it soft to touch, mushy or hard?

Similarly, God is beyond our sensory perception. Just because we are unable to see Him, hear Him, touch Him, smell Him or taste him doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist. It is not possible to prove the non-existence of God. Someone cannot claim that “there is no God” as this is a general statement. They have to state the coordinate of time and space where they think God is not present. Once we bring time and space it becomes impossible for people to disprove the presence of God because they certainly wouldn’t have looked everywhere and at all times. If they say they looked today, did they look yesterday? If they say they looked here, did they look everywhere else in this vast Universe of ours? Hence, it becomes impossible to disprove God’s existence.

 If we cannot use our senses to perceive Him then how can we know Him? 

 

Continued On:http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2017/06/in-pursuit-of-happiness-part-5.html

In Pursuit Of Happiness Part 3

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2017/03/in-pursuit-of-happiness-part-2.html

Meditation is taught as a tool to understand our true self. The Upanishads are part of the Vedas. According to the Anandavalli Upanishad, a person who wants to attain eternal happiness has to understand the five layers of meditation. Each successive layer is subtler than the previous. The innermost layer is the layer of bliss. In order to arrive at this layer, one has to go through the lower stages (layers) of realisation. The Upanishads call this the “Pancha Kosam” or the five layers. Like a banana, we keep removing the outer peel in order to reach the juicy centre. The first layer is called as “Anna mayam” or the layer made of food. This layer refers to our body which is strengthened by the nutrients obtained from food. This is the outermost layer. This is the layer which is visible to us. This is the layer we perceive, the layer we understand. Anything beyond this layer is incomprehensible to the common man. It is not easy to arrive at the next layer.

The second layer is called as “prana Mayam” or the layer of gas (life breath). There are five types of prana which together is the life force in our body. Pranayama and breathing exercises help us to realise this layer. We know that breath is not present in a dead body. Is it breath which is the source of life we call as the “soul”? We know that not all organisms breathe the way humans breathe. Some bacteria can even breathe iron. As bacteria are also living organisms, they too must have a soul. Therefore, it is clear that “life breath” is not the soul.

The Upanishad takes us beyond this layer to the layer of mind or “Mano Mayam”. We associate mind with the origin of thought. The mind is linked with the presence of intelligence. It is powered by something else which we call as the soul. As we delve deeper than the layer of mind, we reach the fourth layer called “Vignana”. The vignana is another name for the individual soul.  Once we reach this layer we would have travelled quite deep and would have truly understood the true nature of our self. We have arrived quite close to the centre but this is still not the juicy crux.  Beyond the layer of the individual soul is the core called “Ananda Maya”; the layer of bliss. Understanding this layer shows us the path to attain everlasting bliss.

The centre core of the above five layers of meditation is God. The individual souls can be compared to pearls and God to the strand of thread which supports the pearls in a necklace. He is the inner controller who controls and directs the souls. He is the bestower of bliss and hence termed anandamaya. What is bliss? Bliss is defined as the lack of desire. When we desire something, we start to feel sad when our desire is not satisfied. On the other hand, if we are devoid of desire, there is no room for dissatisfaction. Everlasting bliss is attained when we attain God. We desire only Him and turn away from material pleasures. This is the natural state of the individual soul. We exist to serve God. Service to God is the one desire which bestows upon us everlasting bliss by cutting the barbed wire which ties us down to material existence.

God as the fifth and central core of meditation represents God as our inner controller. We do not have to search for God outside since He exists within us. There are Vedic hymns which teach us that God exists within us. There is a beautiful hymn which compares the human body to a tree. On this tree reside two beautiful birds. One bird eats the fruits on the tree but, grows weaker. The other bird watches His friend eat the fruits and remains strong. The bird which eats the fruit is us, the individual soul called the jivatma. The other bird which stays strong is God who resides with each one of us in our body. The fruits represent the fruits of our action or karma. Even though God resides with us in our body, He is unaffected by the karmic fruits which manifest on our body tree. He sits on this tree as our witness. He stays with each one of us patiently waiting for that moment when we may turn our attention away from the fruits and direct it upon Him and realise that He is our true friend. He causes the fruits to appear on the tree according to the deeds performed by us and makes us enjoy the fruits of our action. God is our soul. He is hence called as the Supreme Soul, Paramatma.

We can see that we the soul bear our body. It is us who controls our body. From within our body, we give our body the power to move, eat, sleep etc. The moment we leave our body, the body falls down because it is no longer supported by us. Like a tent which lacks the tent pole, the body without the soul falls down. Thus, we can see that the definition of the body-soul relationship illustrate the soul as the controller and the body as the object which is controlled. This same relationship exists between us and God. He controls us. He supports us. Without Him we can never exist. We are the object which is controlled and supported by Him. In this sense, we are termed as His body. The word body in this sense doesn’t refer to a body with eyes, nose, legs, hands etc but it refers to an object which is under the control of someone else. We the individual souls belong to God. We are under His control and we exist to serve Him. Realizing the true purpose of our existence bestows everlasting bliss upon us.

 

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2017/05/in-pursuit-of-happiness-part-4.html

In Pursuit Of Happiness Part 2

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/07/in-pursuit-of-happiness-part-1.html

Happiness is unfortunately intertwined with sadness in this world. Each and every one of us has to pass through peaks and valleys in life. The amplitude of the peaks and valley may vary for each one of us but, the fact remains that each one of us has to endure the cycles of pain and pleasure. We are forced to experience the twins of night and day, hot and cold, wealth and poverty etc in this world. When we enjoy something we know that it is only temporary. In this world, happiness is short-lived. Is it possible to feel happy forever and ever? How can we reach a state where we feel happy and that level of happiness can never diminish?

Before we can figure out how to reach the permanent state of bliss, we have to understand about our Universe. Our Universe is our home. The Universe is shrouded in mystery. It is diverse, active and ever changing. On one end of the spectrum we have microbial life forms, subatomic particles and on the other end we have stars, constellations and galaxies. The microscopic to macroscopic, the Universe is beyond our understanding. There is order and discipline inherent in the Universe. The Sun and the Moon rise and set every day like clockwork.  Planets go around the Sun in an orderly fashion. Galaxies spin around a point in the Universe. Nothing normally goes haywire. When we fully try to comprehend this Universe, we truly understand how insignificant we really are. We look at the star-studded sky at night and wonder about our existence on earth. We are born, live and someday, we will die. Why are we born? What is the purpose for which we should live and what happens to us after death? What is the purpose of our existence? Where do we fit in this giant Universe? What is our role? Where does happiness fit in the cycle of our existence and why do we obsess about happiness? Who are we? Why are we here and what do we seek from our existence?

We can categorise everything we see around us into three categories which are the building blocks of this Universe; living beings, matter and God. The matter is insentient and is called as achit. Our body is insentient which is why it eventually turns to dust. We are different from our body. We are living beings; the sentient beings that experience this Universe. You and me are living beings. So is our dog or cat, the earthworm in the garden, the robin on the tree, the tree, the coyote and the rabbit. Microbial life forms like bacteria to animals, humans, birds, plants and insects are all living beings. The living beings are called as “chit” by the Vedas. The chit is the individual soul. There is equality amongst the individual souls. All souls look alike like grains of rice. There is no status difference amongst the soul. Any differences we perceive in life arise due to the body taken up by the soul. One soul wears the body of a woman while the other a body of a dog. The dog may seem inferior to a human being but, in reality, it is in every way equal to a human. Both are souls and there are no differences of caste, creed, or gender which can make one soul superior to the other.

It is the nature of the individual soul to be always happy. The soul experiences sadness only when it is tied down to this material world. The individual souls are all identical to each other. They are smaller than the smallest particle known to man. The soul is enshrined in a body. Why does the soul descend into this material Universe? Why can’t it attain its natural state of happiness? Why must it endure birth and death? Why must it face sorrow and pain? What is the true identity of the soul?

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2017/04/in-pursuit-of-happiness-part-3.html