It seems all- this life, this career, this job, this home, this family, is about money. The present Indian generation has tasted success outwardly. Outward is obvious; the senses pour out naturally; it’s easy to see others; it’s more convenient to judge others. The vibrant economy; the global village has added to their glory; the lower needs apparently seem to provide more satisfaction; where is the time and more importantly inclination for higher needs; when the judgment day arrives we will see; Do not disturb- the placard to soul.

 

The human being is primarily now being guided by his mind and this phenomenon is here to stay. The mind only concentrates on past or future. What is life as governed by mind; some happy or bitter memories of past; some dreams of future. The monkey mind cannot stay in present; on the contrary it avoids present – the gift to mankind. The cherished mode of its operation is greed and fear; the material self interest being the core; it’s not without lures; the majority is with us; the majority is proving it right. On the face of it, it looks more logical – the mind leads to more efficiency – the sure shot sign of a go getter; practice makes you perfect. So you follow it; you are more efficient; you make more material and so remain materially comfortable.

 

Are we tending to forget the truth. In the earths history of billion of years what is our life span, not even a drop in the ocean; hence what can our so called enjoyment quotient be; not even billionth of a percent. Does drop has an option. Can you create your own ocean.

 

And then suddenly someday some accident happens; you may fall in love or out of it; your mind goes blank as all logic fails; you go beyond time and space; the present becomes most important, Meera may love Krshna separated by five thousand years; so mind accepts defeat and gives a chance to unheard heart – the ladder from lower to higher starting with the unconditional love; the loved one elevated to God like, which may be so God less. For the first time you start behaving like human; the way you are supposed to.

 

What Maslow missed between lower to higher is the heart because west always thought it akin to the pumping organ; not realizing that what we are talking is something deeper not visible; beyond the mind’ eyes, like the seven chakras. The heart is the ladder. Put heart between ego- the conditional love and unconditional love the precursor to self actualization and everything falls in place; the link between lower to higher established. Once again India has to give zero for value addition.

 

So what motivates people in today’s environment – Money or Core Actualization. Those who remain engrossed in dreaming and acquiring what does not matter will keep getting motivated by money; once small car obtained, next bigger car; now one house purchased, next a house in the hills, next at sea shore; always living in past and future, always missing the present and thus creating a hell around them; always surrounded by problems to be solved because of not knowing what to do when there is no problem. So creating hell of present, we sow seeds of hell for our future. To soothe our self, we also keep doing some pseudo charity, hoping we will go to heaven. Paying money in charity or homage to your imaginary god is easy; you have money; you can hire people to sing hymns for god; that’s what our priests are; you can go to temple everyday; you can recite namaz five times; poor don’t have this luxury; should they work in field or work in factory or go to temple; so money keeps giving pseudo satisfaction and pseudo motivation; then one fine day your real eyes open up and you come to know you have come on this mother earth, the reverent earth where all land is holy; why you were only removing shoes in temples, now there is no time to repent; you are not there but in a subtle sense you are there for the first time. Now you know why you were given life; now you know what is life; you pray to attempt again; you are reborn; you are born in the upper half; then one fine day life takes over; you fall from upper to lower half; from unconditional love to conditional love; you have literally fallen in love; again mind takes over; your previously planted seeds bear fruit; you again settle for much less than your capability; why you are repeating this unfruitful process. You are responsible for your deeds; you can’t blame anyone or circumstances.

 

Wake up, be aware; it’s not about money.

 

Convinced; then what is the way; how can I say I am aware that I have finally woken up; finally I am home. Trick is simple, so don’t get fooled that when the time comes you will follow it; the behaviors come from deep seated habits, so at judgment time you may not be able to even realize it as you have got into the dreaming habit. What are your senses providing you – outward perceptions. Do you see yourself ever; isn’t it pathetic, you see the whole world less you. And there lies the trick – Start seeing yourself, Implant it as a habit; and then when this body finishes its task; you will see it, because it is not you who is dying; now you will understand when Krshna says that you live for ever, the body is like a piece of cloth, which now you are changing.

 

Not that money is not necessary; unless you earn it, how will you know what is its worth, when Buddha tells you material achievements are futile, you may believe him as he is very convincing and influential, but will you be able to convince your core, if it is not your experience; remember Siddhartha was a prince, you were not, you did not had all those luxuries; if with all those he could see their worth or no worth and leave them; you can’t borrow his experience, you cannot see its futility. Then what will happen that on the face of it you will agree with him but inside trembling continues and results in stress. You will believe in him as you believe in your religion, your god; just as a convenient hypothesis.

 

Not that senses are not necessary; but you have eyes and you can’t see him, not that your eyes are faulty; you do not have enough eyes; what your eyes see your mind does not see or what your mind wants to see, eyes do not show. With your senses you have made your own world. You live in your world, your wife lives in her world, your son lives in his world. There are as many worlds as people. When seers say this world is an illusion, you think of this nature; they are actually referring to your created world. You have to come out of this box; that is what is out of box thinking - the actual world. Your ego is your biggest enemy; sometimes it is overt, sometimes covert; even if you plan to be humble, ego says you should be the most humble person in the world; thus creating another illusion. Drop all doings and just exist; just be aware.

 

So when you do not run after money; not after material possessions, not after problems; what will you do; going for so called higher order maslowian thoughts will still create an artificial world; so in the final analysis, stop all such thoughts; stop all doing; he is the creator; the thinker; the doer; the achiever. But he is not of same form like us; that is our perception; so when form of formless is revealed, we are aware we are nothing but expression of his goodwill. Lets be him but in being so not do something to be him; then, there lies the salvation; then whether you call it moksha or nirvana or enlightenment or just being a just human being, it does not matter. Does drop has an option. The only option probably - No greed, No fears. Does ocean has an option; Probably; even without a drop, it is still an ocean; but drop by drop ocean is built; how many it can neglect.

 

 

 

Col Sanjiv Bhutani, a retired but not tired soldier, constantly waging war in the box to facilitate people to come out, is a diehard HR Catalyst and Trainer, dedicating these thoughts to The Great Soul who has awakened us - the HR fraternity and will remain in our words and actions.