{"id":7455,"date":"2009-07-10T06:50:31","date_gmt":"2009-07-10T05:50:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=7455"},"modified":"2009-07-10T06:50:31","modified_gmt":"2009-07-10T05:50:31","slug":"light-as-a-feather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=7455","title":{"rendered":"Light As A Feather"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jagabandhu das<\/strong><\/p>\n

I owe what I know about humility and false ego to the extremely beneficent influence of my gurus (combined with my own experiences). What starts as spiritual inspiration to dissolve the false ego can translate easily into any environment. When store clerks politely ask me how it’s going—I generally mirthfully reply with a twinkle in my eye, “There’s nothing wrong with anyone but me. I can’t complain. Who’d want to hear it anyway & what good would it do?” They are usually refreshed and charmed by this universal good cheer and smile in unspoken agreement.<\/p>\n

After writing “Insignificance<\/a>,” I considered that it might not completely answer my good friend’s question about humility. I think what his very nice question really pertains to is overcoming our individual insecurities which have been created by the various conditions of our existence; both past (as in other lives also) and present. So the solution is to become more strong and secure from within while remaining outwardly yielding in an often brutal and bullying world. It’s helpful to consider that our very insecurities themselves are actually based on misconceptions and illusions which we have allowed our minds to become conditioned towards and attached to, much to our own intrinsic disadvantage. As is the case with all our attachments (whether subtle or gross) it becomes encumbent upon each of us to relinquish our own attachments in our ostensible attempt at erstwhile subjective progress.<\/p>\n

Please consider that that the true sadhus have no need to become humbler than a blade of grass because this is their natural state. Also to become more tolerant than a tree means that there will always be annoyances to tolerate or tolerance can have no meaning (just as light has no meaning without darkness). So actually we might consider that the advice in Mahaprabhu’s Third Beautiful Precept isn’t so much directed towards those already absorbed in transcendence.<\/p>\n

However, my friend’s question of how to deal with mundanity prior to achieving full transcendence is pertinent and appropriate. Please know that I write from the experience of living in the world and working amongst coarse people who have completely neglected and forgotten their eternal spiritual heritage with no inclination or desire to pursue re-awakenment.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it can be very helpful if we merely learn to not take ourselves so seriously. Self-humor is nonetheless appreciated in almost any sphere. In fact, many comics (like the late Rodney Dangerfield) have used it in their routines to entertain others and make them laugh. In some ways making fun of myself is my religion. This crosses many boundaries in reaching out to others. It’s actually quite simple in that I must merely not think highly of myself and be humorously self-effacing, which helps to greatly relieve the burden of false ego, which then begins to cease reaction to perceived affronts. Such levity is very healthy for the mind and can help to make me feel as light as a feather while simultaneously overcoming pre-conditioned insecurities and fears. As I honestly examine myself I have to have the courage to face my own faults. And laugh at my own foibles. The false ego reacts with alarm, “Am I really this messed up?!!!” To which the intellligence guides the mind to instinctively respond,”Oh. You’re way more messed-up than that but so what. Get over your self and move on!”<\/p>\n

Really the soul must evolve to have an ultimate sense of innate self-worth based on intrinsically, irrevocable eternal existence which causes one to experience a sort of inner solidity or firmness of being which does not require any sort of external validation whatsoever because of the soul’s great inner strength which effortlessly translates as outward reserve. Balance is also a very important part of the equation. Consider how an ice skater (or especially a hockey player) has to have such a good sense of inner balance and firmness that they will easily repel aggressive contacts without losing\/sacrificing personal stability. And that it’s possible to practice humility while simultaneously experiencing the true confidence primally inherent to all souls as infinitesmal sparks of the Supreme Spirit.<\/p>\n

For a more neutral example of how to be humble and yielding without arrogance or false ego, please consider the Chinese martial arts masters who although extremely powerful—are devoid of arrogance so that they are able to co-exist within the world without a “chip on their shoulders” negatively influencing them to always fight with others. In fact, the true martial arts masters avoid contention and consider it a personal loss when a quarrel occurs that ensues in aggressive conflict. Even if they “win” and “defeat” their opponent. However, they are able to avoid contention because they exude inner strength and self-confidence without vanity.<\/p>\n

Regarding assertivity in the mundane realm: does the Lord not tell us in Srimad Bhagavad-gita that we are not the doer? Therefore we must act\/fight for the sake of fighting without any sense of false proprietorship or considering the mundane dualities of loss or gain\/victory or defeat.<\/p>\n

Much of this might be considered as common sense. In the world of ahankara (false ego) I might be able to control my own false ego or that of a few close friends or associates. But this world is comprised of an intricate web of countless false egos combining in proximous confluence to create the field we play on. If I realize this I will consider the notion of control to be a myth and a feeble course of contrived existence. Therefore a certain surrender to the inevitablity of my own minute influence will compell me to conclude that internal adjustments and abatement of my own false ego is the only control any of us can really have. <\/p>\n

As I mentioned previously: scathing self-analysis\/self-abnegation to the exteme (atma-nikshep) isn’t really such if it causes me to become neurotic or morbidly morose. Rather the true practice of this results in great inner strength and fearlessness which are useful qualities in any realm of existence, mundane or otherwise. Such inner strength and courage are also very helpful in causing me to functionally diminish my unique subjective vanities in order that it will become easy for me to no longer require others’ respect while simultaneously retaining the ability to offer all respects to others.<\/p>\n

We must all overcome our fears by diving deep within ourselves to become the souls we really are—after all. Insecurities. Fears. They’re really the same type of negative attachment. And each of us must overcome our own fears by becoming awakened as souls. Possibly for some the biggest fear of all is the fear of the death of false ego: because of thinking that if we give up our false sense of identity we’ll be left with no identity at all. But this is not Krishna’s own version of Reality the Beautiful and soulscience as described in Sri Gita. If we simply harmonize with His conception of our true eternal identity: it will do much to help us overcome all fears and insecurities. Each of us might have many issues to resolve within ourselves, but so long as we’re truly progressive—as eternal souls we have forever to learn and grow in our positive life eternal…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jagabandhu das<\/strong><\/p>\n

When store clerks politely ask me how it’s going—I generally mirthfully reply with a twinkle in my eye, “There’s nothing wrong with anyone but me. I can’t complain. Who’d want to hear it anyway & what good would it do?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7455\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}