Thank you Raneesh. I thought it might resonate with you. Read the others as well. I am giving a lecture in Chennai on 13 March. Will be great to see the two of you there.
Lovely read and thought provoking. The present moment as it unravels increasingly seems to be my point of focus. Staying as an observer serves well. Blessings.
All eastern traditions point to the same truth. Pay attention now. I find it fascinating at how transient even now is, since it is receding even as I find it.
Swaranji that song from "Guide" has always felt like a quiet mirror to me. Each time I hear it, I am reminded how often I drift toward “there.” I wonder what first drew you to connect this song so deeply with the witnessing space?
Dear Bharat, thank you. The song has meant something different to me in each decade of my life; a sure sign of a great work of art. What draws me most about the song is that it asks a question. I have always been sceptical of philosophies and religions that provide answers. True wisdom is knowing how to ask the right question and then finding an answer that works for you. Being Sakshi to myself has taught me that I will not find one true answer, but the search for the answer will bringing increasing peace. Each answer reveals another, but each deeper layer brings rest and tranquility.
Swaran, thank you for this thoughtful response. I love what you said about it being a great work of art, asking questions rather than offering answers.
Your reflection on being Sakshi and how each layer of inquiry brings its own quiet feels very close to what I have been exploring in my own writing. In my weekly writings, I am less interested in conclusions and more in creating space for that kind of inward questioning. It is reassuring to see how these threads converge across different paths. I am grateful to you for this exchange.
Nice one, Swaran. In Tamil, there is a verse written in an anthology called purananooru (400 poems about the world) - in Sangam times - one of them verse 192 is my favourite. It says life is “யாற்று நீர்வழிப் படூஉம் புணைபோல” i.e. life is like the small circular boat that goes in the direction of the stream that carries it. It has a boatman, he can guide it and often he may feel he is in charge, but it is the direction of the stream that decides where it lands. In fact the word for boat more aptly refers to a buoy, much less agency there!
Thanks Lena. Rivers and streams are powerful symbols of flux and impermanence. In the final pages of Siddarath by Herman Hesse, mentions something very similar. Not about the boat but the river of life. Rinxai the Japanese Zen monk often used river and boat as metaphors for life. There is a very funny but wise anecdote about loading a boat in Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat. A very wise reflection. Strongly recommended if you haven’t read it
Thank you Raneesh. I thought it might resonate with you. Read the others as well. I am giving a lecture in Chennai on 13 March. Will be great to see the two of you there.
Lovely read and thought provoking. The present moment as it unravels increasingly seems to be my point of focus. Staying as an observer serves well. Blessings.
All eastern traditions point to the same truth. Pay attention now. I find it fascinating at how transient even now is, since it is receding even as I find it.
Swaranji that song from "Guide" has always felt like a quiet mirror to me. Each time I hear it, I am reminded how often I drift toward “there.” I wonder what first drew you to connect this song so deeply with the witnessing space?
Dear Bharat, thank you. The song has meant something different to me in each decade of my life; a sure sign of a great work of art. What draws me most about the song is that it asks a question. I have always been sceptical of philosophies and religions that provide answers. True wisdom is knowing how to ask the right question and then finding an answer that works for you. Being Sakshi to myself has taught me that I will not find one true answer, but the search for the answer will bringing increasing peace. Each answer reveals another, but each deeper layer brings rest and tranquility.
Swaran, thank you for this thoughtful response. I love what you said about it being a great work of art, asking questions rather than offering answers.
Your reflection on being Sakshi and how each layer of inquiry brings its own quiet feels very close to what I have been exploring in my own writing. In my weekly writings, I am less interested in conclusions and more in creating space for that kind of inward questioning. It is reassuring to see how these threads converge across different paths. I am grateful to you for this exchange.
Nice one, Swaran. In Tamil, there is a verse written in an anthology called purananooru (400 poems about the world) - in Sangam times - one of them verse 192 is my favourite. It says life is “யாற்று நீர்வழிப் படூஉம் புணைபோல” i.e. life is like the small circular boat that goes in the direction of the stream that carries it. It has a boatman, he can guide it and often he may feel he is in charge, but it is the direction of the stream that decides where it lands. In fact the word for boat more aptly refers to a buoy, much less agency there!
Thanks Lena. Rivers and streams are powerful symbols of flux and impermanence. In the final pages of Siddarath by Herman Hesse, mentions something very similar. Not about the boat but the river of life. Rinxai the Japanese Zen monk often used river and boat as metaphors for life. There is a very funny but wise anecdote about loading a boat in Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat. A very wise reflection. Strongly recommended if you haven’t read it
Wonderful sir