Case 1: A man felt hungry and ordered a pizza, which was delivered. However, when the man opens the pizza box, he discovers only the pizza base and no toppings. The angry man contacts the pizza restaurant, blasts insults, and sues the owner.
Case outcome: The Pizza owner made him recognise that he had opened the package the wrong way. This is our state; the delivery guy brings a square box containing a round pizza that was supposed to be eaten in a triangular shape, and to make it more complex we open it the wrong way.
Case 2: Swami Chinmayānand once lectured at the United Nations in New York. After the lecture, the organisers took Swāmi ji on a tour of New York. Swāmi ji expressed excitement about seeing new things. The organisers encouraged Swāmi to purchase items that would make him happy.
Case outcome: Swāmi expressed his surprise and joy, stating that despite not experiencing the things he was seeing for the first time, he has managed to maintain his happiness over the years. A complete 180 degree view of what the organisers thought of the reasons of Swāmi ji’s happiness and what they actually were.
I heard the previously mentioned incidents/cases firsthand from Pujya Gurudevshri Rakesh ji in Leicester. He described the above two cases/situations in such detail that I can claim to have witnessed the events described above from the witness box.
Pujya Gurudevshri Rakesh ji was in Leicester to meet with and address the local community. The talk had no defined title, and it was an impromptu address in which he wanted to communicate and interact with the audience in a lighthearted manner.
The lecture began with a slightly heavy topic, which to me was more about a religious belief on the significance of human birth, why every human should see it as an opportunity to free themselves from the cycle of birth and death, and the reason for identifying the purpose in life for which each individual has taken birth..
However, the mood changed suddenly when he began outlining the cycle of happiness and misery that every human being is caught in. The momentary joy that we seek, for example, a simple parking spot in a town centre might make us incredibly happy, yet a pizza delivery person can make us miserable by delivering only bread (as above). The examples were really relevant and struck a chord with the audience.
Pujya Gurudevshri stated that human desire progresses through four stages: craving (તૃષ્ણા), excitement (ઉત્તેજના), desire (ઈચ્છા), and contentment (સુખ). Unfortunately, once we reach the fourth stage, the cycle repeats. However, as excitement grows, so does the desire for a different flavour. Craving the same thing causes boredom.
He stated that this can be addressed if we attempt to understand our personalities. People are often categorised into four kinds.
- Lazy: This is the sofa guy. He is so lethargic that he never makes plans and always procrastinates. This causes him distress and pain (દુઃખ).
- Busy: The busy fellow is always thinking about the outside world. He suffers from grief because he never takes the time to think on himself. He is continually running away from himself. This affects his health and relationships.
- Crazy: The crazy person is the one who is hurt by the smallest thing. This is the kind that is restless, quickly offended, reactive, and argumentative. This nature invites grief into his or her existence.
- Easy: Easy are those that are wonderful in their jobs but are distant. They are easygoing, calm, and always refreshing.
The key to living a happy life is to be like the Easy guy. But how can one change their existing state to become more at ease?
Pujya Gurudevshri stated that there are three dimensions to “I”. Each dimension has its own set of demands and needs, and we’re going about trying to please them.
- Body (શરીર): The body requires consistency, such as eating, drinking, and sleeping on a regular schedule. If we don’t meet these demands, it will cause us distress (દુઃખ).
- Mind (મન): The mind adds a “adjective” to the demands made by the body. For example, when the body craves food, the mind wishes for “good” food. Not just any food, but a variety, like pizza! While the body seeks consistency, the mind desires variation. It cannot be fulfilled with the same pizza, which does not qualify as “good” after a while. Not meeting the needs of the mind does not make us sad; it is about missing on the potential to provide happiness, which is just momentary in nature.
- Soul (આત્મા): The soul simply wishes to return “home”. It has been roaming around for many births/years in search of moksha, or returning to where it began. However, it continually cycles between creating resolutions to do something (સંકલ્પ) and seeking options (વિકલ્પ). Meditation is beneficial in this situation since it is the sole way to nourish the soul. Not nourishing one’s soul may increase desire and cause more misery in life.
Pujya Gurudevshri suggested that to restore balance in all three dimensions and feed the soul, only two fundamental steps are needed:
- Be mindfully present in all you do. This means being in the now, not in the past or future..
- Just be the witness (સાક્ષી) to the demands of your body and mind. Distance yourself from your body and mind. The witness is called to the witness box because they were present at the occurrence, such as a crime scene, but were not participating. When a person becomes involved, he or she cannot be a witness; he is either the victim or the perpetrator.
Pujya Gurudevshri stressed the need of living in present without the baggage of the past. The problems we have in our lives is because of the “conditioning”, we live in a framework, instead we need to live in the present with fresh perspectives. Why to constantly fight with the mind (સંગર્ષ), if we live in the present then we are ready for acceptance (સ્વીકાર), bringing peace to ourselves.
Pujya Gurudevshri stated that while watching one’s own body demands and mind’s desire may appear strange and challenging at first, with practice, it may quickly become a habit. Regardless of the religion one follows or does not follow, the two mentioned above contribute to peace.
Bring purpose in your life, bring passion, commit to practice, leading you to perfection, this will bring meaning to life.
Summary
Pujya Gurudevshri’s words speak for themselves. He emphasised the importance of listening the lecture and not passing judgement on the speaker or content. You can do this once we’ve finished our talk.
I followed the master’s rules and paid close attention during the lecture. And now, after 24 hours of reflection, I can say that it was one of the best speeches I’ve heard in Leicester.
It was simple to comprehend, delivered in Gujarati, which is the mother tongue of the majority of the attendees, with occasional wit prompting laughs and an easy message to take away: be mindful and watch the mind from the witness box.
I’ve read J. Krishnamurti but haven’t heard or met him in person. Quite a few of the concepts passed on in the lecture by Pujya Gurudevshri, such as allowing thoughts to pass by, being an observer, not attempting to stop thoughts, mediating and observing thoughts, the concept of conditioning, and so on, exhibit the fingerprints of Krishnamurti.
It was great to listen to him and his ideas. It was even amazing to meet him in person especially because his thoughts aligns to J. Krishnamurti, who I admire a lot and he has a lot of respect for Gandhi ji, who is one of my favourites.
Whether Krishnamurti was inspired by Jainism or whether Pujya Gurudevshri, who is well-read, agrees with Krishnamurti’s ideas is unimportant, possibly they both have been influenced by the Advait philosophy.
The important point is that all rivers (dhārā) meet in the ocean and serve exclusively to benefit us.
Jai Jinendra.
Bhavin Shukla 
Leave a comment