The Christian word 'conversion' means exactly that: turning back. Conversion does not mean a Hindu becoming a Christian, or a Mohammedan becoming a Christian. Conversion means Adam becoming Christ. It has nothing to do with Christianity; it has something to do with Christhood. itself. Bt becoming a Christian you dont become converted, nothing changes. You were a Hindu and you were rushing into the world of desires, then you become a Christian and you go on rushing into the same world -just the label on you changes. Now you are no more call Hindu, you are called a Christian. Or you can be a Christian and get converted to being Hindu - that is not convertion either.
Conversion means a hundred and eighty degree turn - Adam turning back, the way back.
Buddhist have an even more beautiful word for it. It is called PARAVRITTI - that exactly means about-turn and exactly one hundred eighty degrees. Less that that won't do. If you miss even by a single degree, you will still be rushing into the desires world.
And 'the rest' means our short human life, so short that rain or wind , grief or passion, are of little moment or meaning.
Our human life is so momentary. there is no point in getting disturbed about it. Somebody has insulted you and you make so much fuss - and it is so momentary! It is not going to stay. All is going to be lost. Or somebody has succeeded and goes mad. Or somebody has accumulated much wealth and cannot walk on the earth, starts flying.
In ancient Rome, there was a tradition, a beatiful tradition. It should be followed in every country. Whenever a Roman conquerorwould come back - he had conquerored a new countries, had been a great soldier, was coming with great success and victory - the massess, the crowds, the mob, would shout in joy. He was greeted like a God. The tradition was that a servant used to walk justbehind him and continuously remind him: Don't be deceived by the people. Don't be deceived, sir, by the people! Don't be deceived by the fools, otherwise you go mad." A servant, a slave , had to repeat it continuously just at the back of the conquerorso that he would remember. Otherwise it is very easy: when success comes one goes mad.
This should be followed in every country. A person should follow Jimmy Carter, just reminding them that "Don't be deceived by the success. It is momentary; it is just a bubble, a soap bubble. Don't let it get to your head."
Success get into your head - and so does failure. It hurts. And all is momentary. This Rest is momentary. Just think of the infinities... before your birth there was infinity, beginningless time preceed you; and after your death endless time is going to succeed you. And between these two infinities, what are you? what is your life? A soap bubble , just a moment's dream.
Don't allow it to affect you. If one can keep aware, and is not affected by success and failure, praise and insult, enemies and friends, then one is moving back to the original source. One becomes a witness.
You don't get disturbed about it. Ponder over it, contemplate over it - it is a great secret, one of the great secret of Buddhas. Just to be alert that all is trivial, momentary, midsummer dream. It is going, it is already going. You cannot hold onto it. There is no need to cling to it, there is no need to push it. It is going of it's own accord, good or bad, whatsoever it is, it is going. All is going. The river is flowing. You remain undisturbed, detached, just a witness. This is meditation.
A rest on the way back,
From the Leaky road,
To the never leaky road,
If it rains, let it rain,
If it blows, let it blows.
Myself of long ago,
In nature Non-exixtent,
Nowhere to go when dead,
Nothing at all.
Again, Try to understand each word: Myself of long ago....... Before birth we were non-existent, and so we will be again after death. No self was there, and no self is going to be there after death.
Buddha insist very much on this vision of no-self, because all our desires hang around the concept of the self. I am. If I am, then a thoussand adn one desires will arise. If I am NOT, then how can desires arise out of nothingness?
This is one of the greatest contributions of Buddhas to the world. As far as the idea of no-self is concerned, he has surpassed asll other masters. He has surpassed all.
Next Chapter 4
Conversion means a hundred and eighty degree turn - Adam turning back, the way back.
Buddhist have an even more beautiful word for it. It is called PARAVRITTI - that exactly means about-turn and exactly one hundred eighty degrees. Less that that won't do. If you miss even by a single degree, you will still be rushing into the desires world.
And 'the rest' means our short human life, so short that rain or wind , grief or passion, are of little moment or meaning.
Our human life is so momentary. there is no point in getting disturbed about it. Somebody has insulted you and you make so much fuss - and it is so momentary! It is not going to stay. All is going to be lost. Or somebody has succeeded and goes mad. Or somebody has accumulated much wealth and cannot walk on the earth, starts flying.
In ancient Rome, there was a tradition, a beatiful tradition. It should be followed in every country. Whenever a Roman conquerorwould come back - he had conquerored a new countries, had been a great soldier, was coming with great success and victory - the massess, the crowds, the mob, would shout in joy. He was greeted like a God. The tradition was that a servant used to walk justbehind him and continuously remind him: Don't be deceived by the people. Don't be deceived, sir, by the people! Don't be deceived by the fools, otherwise you go mad." A servant, a slave , had to repeat it continuously just at the back of the conquerorso that he would remember. Otherwise it is very easy: when success comes one goes mad.
This should be followed in every country. A person should follow Jimmy Carter, just reminding them that "Don't be deceived by the success. It is momentary; it is just a bubble, a soap bubble. Don't let it get to your head."
Success get into your head - and so does failure. It hurts. And all is momentary. This Rest is momentary. Just think of the infinities... before your birth there was infinity, beginningless time preceed you; and after your death endless time is going to succeed you. And between these two infinities, what are you? what is your life? A soap bubble , just a moment's dream.
Don't allow it to affect you. If one can keep aware, and is not affected by success and failure, praise and insult, enemies and friends, then one is moving back to the original source. One becomes a witness.
You don't get disturbed about it. Ponder over it, contemplate over it - it is a great secret, one of the great secret of Buddhas. Just to be alert that all is trivial, momentary, midsummer dream. It is going, it is already going. You cannot hold onto it. There is no need to cling to it, there is no need to push it. It is going of it's own accord, good or bad, whatsoever it is, it is going. All is going. The river is flowing. You remain undisturbed, detached, just a witness. This is meditation.
A rest on the way back,
From the Leaky road,
To the never leaky road,
If it rains, let it rain,
If it blows, let it blows.
Myself of long ago,
In nature Non-exixtent,
Nowhere to go when dead,
Nothing at all.
Again, Try to understand each word: Myself of long ago....... Before birth we were non-existent, and so we will be again after death. No self was there, and no self is going to be there after death.
Buddha insist very much on this vision of no-self, because all our desires hang around the concept of the self. I am. If I am, then a thoussand adn one desires will arise. If I am NOT, then how can desires arise out of nothingness?
This is one of the greatest contributions of Buddhas to the world. As far as the idea of no-self is concerned, he has surpassed asll other masters. He has surpassed all.
Next Chapter 4
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