Finally, it is

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Karma - The Poet's interpretation

After writing the post on my interpretation about Jay's poem "Karma", Jay sent me his interpretation about the poem. It is really deep and enlightening. We both found some new ideas from these interpretations. I thought of sharing it with you all.

With the basic truths revealed
Wounds deep within are healed

whenever there is a shift in consciousness, a shift in perception happens. Existence feels simple and clear. Deep wounds in the psyche are effortlessly healed as the unconsciousness that was keeping it alive comes to light.

Bathing silently in effortless grace
the mind is absent without a trace

an expression of how it feels to be conscious without thoughts....

Again it comes with a fiery tale
Fast and strong shots in a hail
Drawn in a second, by tumultuous thoughts,
The existence feels full of knots.

Soon our discovery of "truth" seems doubtful, as the mind comes back with a different force. And it seems all the same again...lack of clarity (a sign of unawareness) returns. What was clear and obvious now seems like a dream as it no longer matches the current experience.

Why? I wondered, did the soothing breeze
Turn to shabby air, full of disease.

This is a basic tendency of the mind to hold on to experiences. Instead of allowing every moment to be as it is, it analyses and labels it. Mind loves to put everything in boxes of concepts and put labels on them. (It feels like knowing everything.... :))

"Karma" I thought, was at work,
My own choices, giving a rebuke.

Here a truth expresses itself through thought. All the mind activity is self created. Either due to wanting something or due to not wanting something. (Rag and Dwesh). At the start of each thought there is a force, the force of ego or unobserved mind. It keeps firing thoughts after thoughts. So that it is never observed. This points to observing the basic force behind thoughts rather then fighting them.

What Now? Is life to be,
By karmic fate or choices free,
Each thought, an endless tree,
Who am I? Amongst thee.

This is the position of someone in the middle......has glimpses of freedom from mind. But is not fully conscious yet. Sometimes observes the thoughts and allows them to pass (and hence dissolve the karma that the thoughts were expressing) and sometimes get identified with them and act them out.

Don't Fight, watch through,
These thoughts are not you,
Let them come and float by,
Floods don't leave marks in the sky

another expression of truth and a powerful feeling of self. Of being untouched like a sky amidst tumults of any order. I picked this from a beautiful verse of Astavakra Gita (forgive if it’s inaccurate):-

Maya Megho Jaganniram
Varshate YathaTatha
Mahakasho Kim Hani
Kim Labham iti Vidhyate

(The clouds of maya now and then showers the rain of the world, what’s the loss to the infinite (Maha Akash, the great sky....the cosmos) and what’s the gain. (Implying there is no loss or gain)

The flute makes beautiful sound
Hollow within, it is never bound,
Infinite blows through, in rhythm divine,
The discords are all, chokes of mine.

Another fundamental lesson is learned. As one begins to be more in this connectedness, he/she feels an unseen force guiding and taking them through the course of events. The discords of life are recognized as endless repeats of the mind's perspectives.

With this all redemption starts,
All the past karma departs,
The Karma passes without repeats,
The witness is, as it is.

Here is the key to freedom. One discovers that mind has many layers. And each layer represents a set of belief systems rooted into the mind without question or analysis. Being conscious of a layer starts to dissolve its belief system. And one feels free and calm.......till the next layer comes through. But as these layers pass, the key is to witness all that happens. Dissolving layers is not something that one does.......it’s not an act or a long path that one has to travel. It can happen in a second or can take years, its independent of the time dimension. As our deeper layers dissolve we feel more connected or aware in our everyday lives.

O Master eternal, my holy shrine,
Please look at me, not thoughts of mine,

this is a prayer to the Guru...........
The way of praying is unique though. The Guru knows who you are beyond thoughts. You don’t need to tell them to look at you and not your thoughts......that’s what you have learned from them. But it is an implicit way of invoking grace so that I may realize it.

Hanging on without support,
Thy eyes are my only hope.

As our deep beliefs dissolve, it sometimes feels empty as mind finds it hard to get things to hold on to. It is not a time when one needs theory, in theory its all clear, but the practical seems difficult. One turns to the Guru to seek existential help.

In your presence, all fades away
No need for a path or a way.
In the light of your effortless grace,
The Karma dissolves, without a trace.

And it does come. In the presence of a Master, everything clears up. we go there seeking for a path to reach somewhere, but discover us sitting at our destination.....all seeking for the right path ends. This is a grace/healing/help that happens in presence of a true Guru. Even without their talking....

"Aap tasali na do, sirf baithe hi raho,
mehefil ka rang badal jayega, murja hua dil bhi savar jayega"

Truly it is the grace of such Masters that we are able to take our baby steps towards awareness.

OM...

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