A friend requested me to contribute an article to a journal called " SUFI WORLD " . I publish that article here in my blog.
SELF KNOWLEDGE BY RELEASE FROM ATTACHMENTS
PART-1
1. Everyone does not have the same outlook on life. Our circumstances of life are also
different. For many people, daily life itself is a great struggle . They have immense difficulties
in satisfying their basic needs. There are people who worry about their next meal. Many
suffer without shelter. A job is a dream for many. If I expatiate on Self Knowledge to such
people, it would be an insult adding to injury.
2. But quite a few of us are able to overcome all the difficulties enumerated above and reach
a stage when we can talk about happiness and the meaning of life. In such context, " Self
Knowledge " becomes relevant.
3. I have deliberately chosen the words," happiness " and " the meaning of life". The
discussion in this article would be focussing on these concepts. Further these concepts
will be linked to what we generally understand by " Self Knowledge ".
4. First one should be very clear about the meaning of the words used. Unlike exact
sciences, words used in spiritual discussions do not have unique definitions. Moreover ,
spiritual experiences can not be adequately verbalized . But we can not dispense with
words. They are indeed a necessary evil.
5. The word, " self" may mean different things to people. According to Oxford Dictionary,
Self Knowledge is " an understanding of yourself". There are several dimensions to human
personality such as body, mind, emotions etc. Delving into each of these is beyond the
scope of this article . Perhaps looking at the synonyms of the word," self knowledge "
may help us get an idea about its meaning.
6. I can think of 1) Realisation 2) wisdom 3) Anubhuti 4) Gnan 5) Nirvana 6) Moksha 7)
Mukti . I do not know the equivalent terms in every tradition . The term ," Self Knowledge "
Is generally used by philosophers and spiritual teachers. Whatever be your religion,you
won't deny that there are certain extraordinary human beings whom we don't hesitate
to call as prophets, saints, sages, jivan mukta, gnani, yogi , mahatma, paramahamsa,
fakir etc. Again , I have not exhausted the vocabulary . Such beings have appeared in every
culture throughout human history . They are light unto themselves and to others. Their
exemplary lives would be proof positive to show that they were established in wisdom
and self knowledge . Once we agree on this point, there is no need to discuss the semantics
of " Self Knowledge ". Surely the teachings of these enlightened are worth pondering
for attaining Self Knowledge .
7. Now let us examine our lives. What is it that we want? You may desire to amass wealth
to become a billionaire . No doubt that gives you happiness . Let us be frank and truthful .
A growing bank balance makes you very happy. I don't want to advocate the view " Money
is the root cause of all evil." Many people hunger for power. There is a constant struggle to
reach a higher position in society. One likes to become a high official , a minister, a chief
minister, a prime minister , president . The list is endless. Indeed, the pursuit of power
brings happiness to many. Some people thirst for fame. They want to be well known in
society. They leave no stone unturned to attain their goals. I am not criticizing them.
After all, they are pursuing happiness in this manner. I will cite no further examples. I
want to drive home the point that we are all pursuing happiness , albeit in different ways.
So happiness is an important ingredient of our lives. The point is whether our approaches
to find happiness are well founded and whether the so called happiness is real or an
illusion.
8. First let us examine the pursuit of wealth. Let us not deride wealth. Wealth has its place
in life. In the Indian scheme of life, " Artha" which means wealth is one of the ends of life.
But wealth has its limitations. One should not devote one's entire life in the pursuit of wealth.
and that does not guarantee unalloyed happiness . Let us examine the negative
consequences of a relentless pursuit of wealth. One gets attached to wealth. We are the
proud owners of properties. It is not long before the attachment turns morbid. One is
totally obsessed with his accumulations. Endless worries are the progeny of that morbid
attachment . There is fear about the safety of your wealth. Your sleep is the victim.
All that wealth tells upon your health. When you construct a house for your need, indeed it
is a need. None can fault you. But when you develop a mania for possessing more houses,
It is no longer a need but becomes greed. What is the cost apart from the money ? Your
peace of mind. The torment to which you are subjected to in acquiring and safeguarding
your wealth outweighs the happiness of possessions. Moreover , pursuit of wealth
beyond a limit is fraught with unethical practices. Your attachment to wealth is your
undoing and surely it does not lead to your happiness . This is sheer common sense
and does not require the authority of a scripture . Attachment to wealth is but one of the
several attachments which we have to unshackle. This sort of attachment makes you blind
in a figurative sense. You fail to appreciate the consequences and become miserable.
Whether you like it or not, an inordinate desire for wealth brings you misery.
9. As I already told you, pursuit of various activities in search of happiness results in our
getting attached not only to wealth but also to persons, certain ideas and very many other
things. All attachments are obstacles to our real happiness . Though we pursue many
activities in search of happiness , what they yield finally is only a crop of miseries. It is easy
to understand that attachments are our own creations. They are chains which bind us in
various ways and bring us untold sufferings. After committing many foolish things,we want
to escape from their consequences. The simile of a prison is apt. Your unwise actions lead
you to a prison of your own making and at some point of time,you would like to get out of
the prison. In other words, you want release, which is total freedom. So real freedom is
release from all attachments.
10. So dear friend, it is good that you are aware of your status of a prisoner . Are you not
asking these questions ? Has life no meaning ? Is it just suffering ? Where is the happiness
that I yearned for ? Why am I bound to a prison life ? How can I get a release ? When do I
get a favorable judgement ? What am I expected to do now ? At the beginning of this article
I mentioned , " the meaning of life" and " happiness ". Now ,when you are suffering due to
your attachment , the time is ripe for reflecting on the meaning of life.
PART-2
11.All cultures have produced sages,prophets,saints,yogis whose teachings hold the key
for attainment of " Self Knowledge ". We need not get confused on account of a plethora
of spiritual paths. Every religion teaches us the existence of a Supreme Being or Power.
The words used may be different but they all indicate the same Supreme Being. The Holy
Koran says,
" There is no deity , but God "
The oneness of God is emphasized. God is denoted by different religions. It does not mean
the existence of plurality of Gods. Just as water is known by different names in different
names in different languages , God has different names. The underlying unity of all religions
have to be understood and appreciated . That puts an end to all quarrels in the name of
religion and God.
12. All theistic religions insist on surrender to God. In Holy Bible, it is said , " The fear of
The Lord is the beginning of knowledge ; but fools despise wisdom and instructions.( The
Proverbs Ch 1. Verse 7). Islam means surrender to Allah. It is basic to Islam that every
believer surrenders absolutely to God. When a person surrenders absolutely to God,all
inessential things automatically drop away . All attachments are cut asunder. Such a person
is really on the path of self knowledge . I find the following exhortations of Jesus Christ ( St
St Mathew ch 6 verses 19 to 34 ) very illuminating .
{6:19} Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: {6:20} But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: {6:21} For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. {6:22} The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. {6:23} But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness! {6:24} No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. {6:25} Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? {6:26} Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? {6:27} Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? {6:28} And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: {6:29} And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. {6:30} Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? {6:31} Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? {6:32} (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
. {6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {6:34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
What beautiful verses ! Elsewhere Jesus says , " It is easier for a camel to pass through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the gates of Heaven.
13. Now I am reminded of a young boy Nachiketha and his encounter with Yama , the god
of death. This is narrated in Katha Upanishad . Narration of the story in its entirety is beyond
the scope of this article . Suffice it to say that Yama grants Nachiketha three wishes. The first
two wishes are granted easily. But the third wish poses problem. What is the third wish?
" Give me knowledge of life after death " Yama does not grant the third wish so easily.
He wants to test if the receiver of Knowledge is worthy of it. He tempts Nachiketha with
offer of all worldly pleasures instead of teachings on Immortality . The boy , was very
steadfast in attaining his goal. Nothing could stand in the way of his quest for self
Knowledge . Worldly pleasures can not bind him. He rejects all such offers and insists
only on the teaching on Immortality. Nachiketha chose what is beneficial rather than what is
pleasant .( Wikipedia entry on Katha Upanishad )
14. Listen to what Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says, " Utter the word Gita in quick
succession , a number of times ." Gi-Tagi-Tagi-Tagi " . It is virtually pronounced as
Tagi, Tagi which means one who has renounced the world for the sake of God. Thus in one
word Gita teaches ," Renounce ye world bound man . Renounce everything and fix the mind
on The Lord .
15. Wealth and Family may be an obstacle to spiritual life. The following extract from ," The
Gospel of Islam" by Duncan Greenlees published by the Theosophical Publishing
House, Adyar page 154 is very relevant .
Woe to every slanderous backbiter who has gathered wealth and stored it up,thinking
that his wealth will give him security . Avarice distracts him until he reaches the tomb.(102:1-
2). And as for one who hoards and thinks himself independent and denies the good ,we shall
hurry him on to adversity and his wealth will not save him when he is perishing . (92:8-11).
But as for the one who gives away and is righteous and admits the good ,we shall hurry him
on to ease. ( 92:5-7). And the raiment of righteousness that is good. (7:26).
16. Prasannotra Ratna Malika which means a Garland of Questions and Answers is a small
beautiful Sanskrit work of Sri Sankaracharya. Let me quote four of these questions with the
answers . Very relevant for all spiritual seekers.
6. Who is the blindest among the blind ?
One who is subject to attachments.
12. What is happiness ?
The state of complete non attachment to everything .
41. What makes a man fearless ?
The state of non attachment
What causes fear?
Wealth indeed .
51. Who is endowed with abundance ?
A Sannyasi or one who has renounced everything.
( source : Prasnottara-Ratna -Malika translated by Swami Tapasyananda
Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras)
17. The Ancient Tamil Classic Thirukkural has a lot to say about giving up attachments
and embracing a life of renunciation . Let me quote some couplets from that immortal
Classic .
RENUNCIATION
341. From whatever ,aye,whatever man gets free
From whatever , aye , from that no more of pain hath he.
( whatever thing a man has renounced by that thing he can not suffer pain)
346. Who kills conceit that utters " I" and "mine"
Shall enter realms above the power divine.
(He who destroys the pride which says "I", "mine" will enter a world which is difficult even for
Gods to attain )
347.Who cling to things that cling and eager clasp, Griefs cling to them with unrelaxing grasp. (Sorrows will never let go their hold of those who give not up their hold of desire)
KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE
360 When lust and wrath and error's triple tyranny is o'er, Their very names for aye extinct, then pain shall be no more.
( If the very names of these three things, desire, anger, and confusion of mind, be destroyed, then will also perish evils (which flow from them)
THE EXTIRPATION OF DESIRE
363 45 No glorious wealth is here like freedom from desire; To bliss like this not even there can soul aspire.
(There is in this world no excellence equal to freedom from desire; and even in that world, there is nothing like it. )
( source : Project Madurai online translation of Thirukkural by G U Pope )
Remember that in the Indian scheme of life, renunciation is an important stage for all. How
long you can cling to desires which lead you to a bottomless pit of sorrows?
18. Let us reflect on what Thomas a Kempis says in his remarkable work , " Imitation of
Christ "
Jesus has many who love His kingdom in Heaven, but few who bear His cross. He has many
who desire comfort , but few who desire suffering . He finds many to share His feast ,but few
His fasting . There is no other way to life and to true inner peace than the way of the Cross
and of daily self denial.
19. Now I give an extract of chapter 2 Sufism and Sufi literature authored by AA HATAM.
Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam . It has its roots in Koran and the Islamic tradition, but
at the same time encompasses the universal mysticism that we see in other spiritual
traditions. The essence of Sufism is the simple path of loving God. The Sufi Masters sing of
all pervading love which inundates their being when they become one with their " Beloved".
If there is just one goal of Sufism , it is to overcome the binding ego and attain liberation
through one's identity with God. And thus the Sufi poets speak of dying to be born again,a
concept similar to other mystical traditions such as transmigration in Hinduism .
20. The nineteenth century mystic Sr Ramakrishna Paramahamsa dedicated his whole life
to God. He inspired millions of seekers all over the world. The most remarkable thing about
him is that he practiced various forms of worship / religious system and found that all paths
are equally valid and lead to the same goal. During conversations with seekers , he used to
warn them of " lust and gold " which are enemies of self knowledge. He would never be
comfortable with material wealth. It is said that once he could never sleep and the reason
was that there was a coin under his bed. Ramakrishna , by telling simple parables as we find
them in the Holy Bible instructed his followers.
21. Another remarkable figure in the religious history of the world is Sri Ramana Maharsi .
At the age of ten , he enacted a death scene which enabled him to attain Self Knowledge.
Even as a boy, he renounced everything and sat in rapt contemplation of The Lord . A great
teacher of Non - Dualism , he emphasized on Self Inquiry or Surrender for attainment of
Self Knowledge. While concluding this article , let me share some of his teachings with the
readers .
a). Realization of Self is the greatest help that can be rendered to humanity. A self realized
being can not help benefiting the world. His very existence is the highest good.
b) The mind is only a bundle of thoughts. The thoughts arise because there is a thinker.
The thinker is the ego. The ego if sought will vanish automatically . The ego is the root
thought from which all other thoughts arise.
c) Happiness is inherent in man and is not due to external causes. One must realize
Self in order to open the store of unalloyed happiness.
d) It is wise to drop the sense of responsibility and free will by regarding ourselves as the
ordained instruments of the all-wise and all powerful and to do and suffer as He pleases.
He carries all burden and gives us peace.( Source : Daily quotes from Talks with Ramana
Maharsi - compiled by Sanjay Lohia - Ramana Maharsi Centre for Learning , Bangalore )
Conclusion
Man does not live by bread alone. When we pursue wealth,power,fame and other
worldly things, real happiness eludes us. Great prophets and sages have shown the way
of release from sufferings by removal of all attachments. Their teachings show us the way.
It is for us to live the teachings .
Written by
T. K . Jayaraman
A005, Renaissance Park-3
Subrahmanya Nagar,
Malleswaram west
Bangalore -560055
Email: tkjcustoms@yahoo.com
Cell 9538533363
