The Grandest Of All Truths-Part IV (Contd)

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Anger and Fear

Anger and fear arise invariably in every desire-filled mind. When obstacles come to the satisfaction of OP's desires, he gets angry. This anger is manifested externally if OP is strong enough to overcome the obstacle. If the obstacle is too formidable, OP seethes with anger within. Strong or weak, OP cannot avoid being filled with anxiety about the unknown hurdles that lie ahead and with fear that somehow or other the object of his desire and attachment may never be his or it may desert him or be snatched away. It's a wretched existence really. That is OP's lot.

NP is free from both anger and fear. Having the truth of his own death firmly impressed on his mind, he finds it so pointless and foolish to be angry with anybody for any reason. We don't generally get to see a man on his deathbed blowing his top. That's the time to forgive and forget. And that is what NP does, although he is not on his deathbed. The mistakes that the dying man seeks to rectify during the final moments, are rectified by NP even when he is in the best of health. Not only does he not get angry, he does not also fear anything. Having encountered the truth of death day after day, month after month, NP is free from fear. What everyone is afraid of most is death, and the thought of death has become NP's sought after companion. So where's the question of fear?

Delusion

A life without a worthy ideal is a life of delusion. The only ideal that OP has in mind is to satisfy the desire that is uppermost in his mind at any given time. This ideal is not only worthless but also unattainable. It defies all logic. One would think that satisfying a desire would get rid of that desire. Oh no, it doesn't, it only strengthens the desire by producing another desire to repeat the experience. So OP lives an unfulfilled life.

NP's life has attained a measure of stability, because his ideal is to know the truth that transcends death. The uncertainties, incongruencies, and the hollow values of material life do not throw NP off his balance. The persistent thought of death invariably produces the thought of what transcends death. It is this constant plumbing of the depths of his mind by the thought of the transcendent that lifts a person from the morass of delusion and gradually transforms him into an NP.

Thus we see that while OP is bogged down by attachment, desire, anger, fear, and delusion, NP is absolutely free from them. This freedom leads to, as Vivekananda said, awakening of the inner spirit, disappearance of meanness, practicality in work, new vigour in body and mind, and power to uplift others.

These are great assets, no doubt, but they are not the goal. The goal is to know the mystery of death.

To Be Continued