Darkness At Noon

Monday, April 19, 2010, 11:02

An article based on the teachings of Ramana Maharshi.

The lid of satisfaction

Noon is when the sun is at its brightest. To talk of darkness at that time sounds crazy. How can there be darkness when the sun is blazing away? One feels that one is talking through his hat, in making such an absurd combination of words. It beats one"s logic, one"s rational mind if one says that such a pair of opposites can or does exist and that too in each and every person"s life. The sun of consciousness is shining in its resplendence, by itself, all the time, in each and every one"s heart. But alas! It does not exist for most of us. How is one to test the veracity and the correctness of this statement?

The only sure test can be one"s own life itself. True. No two individual lives can be the same, or two minds agree and so on. The mental world of each and everyone is totally different. But there is a common denominator. Our lives centre is 'I am this" and 'I am so and so", a particular name and form. Life is only a series of events linked to this centre. I am happy; I am in distress; I love my wife; I must educate my children; I must take care of my relatives and friends and so on. My successes are due to my super-duper intelligence, 'My", 'My", 'My", and so on, ad-infinitum.

Until one discovers that the 'I am so and so" itself is an illusion, a mere idea, which is superimposed on the truth. Then only one would be aware that he has been enticed by an illusive concept, which can last only till one is exposed to the truth about the real nature of the 'I". The truth is that the nature of the 'I" is existence without a break, consciousness which is unitary and not splintered and bliss, which has no ebbs and flows.

In contrast, the illusory 'I am this" has a rising and setting each day. It arises on waking, changes in dream and is non-existent in sleep. But then, who wants to go into all these questions? The lid of satisfaction puts a quick end to all investigation. Any enquiry into the nature of the 'I" is well and truly buried. Let sleeping dogs lie. Why disturb oneself? Because someone labels the core of one"s life as a mere illusion. Why care? But the ego-ghost never loosens its grip until one is ready to enquire about the true nature of the 'I" and not be caught by the lightning – like speed of thought founded on the illusion 'I am so and so".