The Question Of Being, by Adyashanti

अस्तित्व का प्रश्न
- आद्याशांति (१२ सितंबर, २०१८)

डेलफाई के ओरेकल के प्रवेश द्वार के ऊपर यह शब्द लिखे थे, “खुद को जानो (Know yourself). ” फिर येशु आये और उन्होंने इस प्राचीन विचार में उसे जल्दी करने और उसे करने के परिणाम जोड़ दिए जब उन्होंने कहा, "यदि आप जो आपके अंदर है, उसे बाहर लाते हैं, तो जिसे आप बाहर लाते हैं वो आपको बचा देगा। यदि आप आप जो आपके अंदर है, उसे बाहर नहीं लाते, तो जिसे आप बाहर नहीं लाते वो आपको नष्ट कर देगा।"

येशु कह रहे हैं कि आध्यात्मिकता गहन काम है, जो गहन नतीजे लाता है। आपका जीवन दुविधाजनक तरीके से संतुलन में खड़ा है, एक बेहोश नींद में चलने वाली अवस्था और खुली आँखों वाले आध्यात्मिक ज्ञानोदय की अवस्था के बीच लड़खड़ाता। यह सच कि ज़्यादातर लोग जीवन को इस तरह नहीं देखते इस बात का साक्षी है कि वो कितनी गहरी नींद और नकारात्मक अवस्था में हैं।

तो यह क्या है जिसे हमें बाहर लेकर आना है?

हम सबके रूपों के अंदर अस्तित्व सम्बन्धी रहस्य है। हमारी शारीरिक उपस्थिति, व्यक्तित्व, लिंग, इतिहास, व्यवसाय, आशाओं और सपनों, आने और जाने की गतिविधियों के अलावा, वहाँ एक भयानक चुप्पी, शांति की एक खाई है जो आकाशीय उपस्थिति से आवेशित है। छोटी-छोटी चीज़ों के साथ होने वाली हमारी सारी उत्सुकता और जुनून होने के बावज़ूद, हम पूरी तरह से अपने मूल में होने वाले इस काल्पनिक सार को नकार नहीं सकते। और फिर भी हम इसकी स्थिरता, इसकी चुप्पी, इसके स्पष्ट खालीपन और चमकदार अंतरंगता से दूर रहने के लिए कुछ भी करते रहते हैं।

अपनी गहराई में हम सभी को संदेह है कि जिस तरह से हम जीवन को देखते हैं उसमें कुछ बहुत गलत है लेकिन हम उसे न देखने का पूरा पूरा प्रयास करते हैं। और जिस तरह से हम अपनी भयंकर हालत से आँखे फेरते रहते हैं वो है अस्तित्व को एक जुनून और नकारने के रोग के माध्यम से - जैसे कि अगर हम सत्य के शुद्ध प्रकाश का सामना और भ्रम के लिए अपनी भयभीत पकड़ को खुलासा कर देंगे तो कुछ भयानक भाग्य हम पर काबू पा जाएगा।

......... हम सभी अस्पष्टता में छिपे हुए पैदा हुए हैं। हम अस्तित्व की पारदर्शिता को एक नन्हे बच्चे की आँखों में पहचान सकते हैं, लेकिन वो चीज़ खुद के बारे में सचेत नहीं है। यह आत्म-जागरूकता की अनुपस्थिति में छिपी हुई है। नन्हे बच्चे अचेतन अस्तित्व की एक जादुई दुनिया में रहते हैं, जबकि वयस्क अहंकारपूर्ण जुदाई और अस्तित्व के नकारत्व में जीते हैं। अस्तित्व के असली प्रभुत्व और संप्रभुता को सुधारना और बहाल करना, आध्यात्मिक जागरूकता से संभव है।

अस्तित्व का प्रश्न ही सब कुछ है। इससे अधिक महत्वपूर्ण या परिणामी कुछ भी नहीं हो सकता - कुछ भी नहीं जहां बहुत नुक्सान होना सम्भव है। अस्तित्व की ओर अचेत रहना अपनी खुद की सच्चाई की ओर सुप्त रहने जैसा है और इसलिए सम्पूर्ण सच्चाई की और सुप्त होने जैसा। चयन आसान है: अस्तित्व की ओर जागृत हो जाओ या एक अंतहीन नींद में सोते रहो।

विचार के लिए के लिए मूल प्रश्न: आप इस धारणा से क्या समझते हैं अस्तित्व के प्रश्न से ज़्यादा कुछ भी महत्वपूर्ण या परिणामी नहीं हो सकता? क्या आप कोई व्यक्तिगत अनुभव बाँट सकते हैं जहाँ आपको अपने जीवन को एक बेहोश नींद में चलने और पूरी तरह खुली आँखों वाली आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान की अवस्था के बीच लड़खड़ाते होने का अहसास हुआ हो ? जो आपकी गहराई में है उसे बाहर लाने में आपको क्या मदद करता है?

आद्याशांति द्वारा लिखित 'द वे ऑफ़ लिबरेशन’ से

From 'The Way of Liberation' by Adyashanti

Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion that nothing could be more important or consequential than the question of being? Can you share a personal story of a time you became aware of your life teetering between a state of unconscious sleepwalking and eyes-wide-open spiritual enlightenment? What helps you bring forth what is deepest within you?

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Add Your Reflection

8 Past Reflections

Susan

Sep 18, 2018

To me we are all at different places in our walk in this life. I was put off the article by the authors writing,

"The fact that most people do not see life this way testifies to how deeply asleep and in denial they truly are."

It is a judgment statement.

As I am living and being in a different country, in a different culture, people do things differently. I am finding we are basically the same, just different. Everyone's journey is different and self discovery for each of us will be different...

Don

Sep 14, 2018

At times I long for true- authentic being- (like now as I sit enraptured by a beautiful song and I contemplate this passage). But I fade, float, get distracted and lazy so easy. Oh to have a sustained, free sense of deep being.

Sunil, Bangalore

Sep 12, 2018

The very purpose/essence of this invaluable human birth is to find one's true self, the eternal lifeforce within to become soul conscious. And to experience the perinial spring of kindness, love, peace, purity,power and all that is holy n worthwhile.Otherwise it is a waste of the lifetime n energy by loosing the golden opportunity.Meditate by the Kabir's Surat-Shabad Yoga helps.

Pius Thekmury

Sep 11, 2018

I was waiing for a very important reply. Each day I felt a deep melting of my identity as the reply did not come. Then I remembered whatJesus said: I am not what I do, or what others say or think of me or what I possess. Deeper than that, I am a particle of God, the beloved of God (Luke 4,1-13; Luke 3,21-21). Also everything works togeher for good if your open to th divine "Masterplan" (Romans 8,28). Human responses are bubbles in the river of life. My essence is the undercurrent, the Source, the Fountain, where I am part of Pure Being.

Deepak Sethi

Sep 11, 2018

Being reflects who you are from the soul within you . It is an inner expression of who you actually are . If one does not does not express from the level of being , then the ego comes in between and one only expressses oneself at the surface level and not from the level of being .it takes considerable amount of courage and express oneself at the being level .

david doane

Sep 8, 2018

We're all asleep and in denial in some ways and to some extent. The essence of me is my soul, which isn't really mine and it's more accurate to say I belong to it rather than it belongs to me. This soul that I call mine is the extension of Soul or Being and is the essence of me. Busyness more than anything gets in my way of focusing more on my soul. I'm too often busy doing instead of being. A baby is simply and purely being. Little children are good at being. I believe that's why Jesus said unless you become like little children you won't enter heaven, which is here and now to the extent we are being. Being is most important and whatever helps one awaken to Being is important to do. I was in a state of unconscious sleep walking through my teens, unconsciously abiding by the rules and beliefs about life that I had learned, and in my early twenties I began to what I believe was to see what is, see beyond the shoulds and illusi... View full comment

Jagdish P Dave

Sep 7, 2018

Know thyself or who am I is a question, an inquiry that I find in all wisdom tradions. What is really Real? Whai is Reality, my individual Reality and Universal Reality? Am I Sleeping or Awake? What happens when I sleep and keep on sleeping or wake up for a while and go back to sleep? I have been tackling these basic questions of living for quite some time. The first step for me is to recognise and be aware of my sleeping. The second step for me is to remain awake and not to go back to sleep. This has helped me in making wise choices. Remaing awake is a serious business with serious consequences. It affects not only me but people connected with me and even people far away from me. We see how the egocentric behaviors of the people in power are affecting the lives not only of people but also the whole planet.

Two days ago I was counseling one of my clients who has been going through a lot of anger, resentment, frustration anguish and hurt by what her thirty five years old son has been doing-acting selfishly many many times. I helped her to be aware of how she was letting her hands burnt over and over by not learning from her painful experiences and by holding onto something beyond her control and hurting herself by not letting go of the thoughts and feelings of anger and hurt she has been holding on inside herself. What is inside of us comes outside of us. I asked her to be calm and still and feel the presence of Jesus in her heart and listen to Jesus's words of wisdom to heal her wounding heart. It was an awakening experience for her and I was happy to see her awakening and being at peace with herself. This experience filled my heart with light of love and gratitude.

I have learned the necessity of deligently and consistently practicing to be mindful of myself to remain awake when I start going to sleep. The wise words of Jesus need to be used as a mantra for awakening. Awakening saves us and others and sleeping destroys us and others.

May we walk on the path of awakening for our goodness and for the goodness of others in our life!

Namaste!

Jagdish P Dave

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Rajesh

Sep 7, 2018

This is such a beautifuil passage. The quote “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” resonated very deeply within me. It has felt very true to me for several years now. In my experience, this is a very formidable challenge that is put forth and has been a hard one to meet. Meeting it means sustained inner work and going into inner territories that might absolutely frighten you. But the polarity of the choice as described in the quote is so stark that you have no choice but to attempt to meet it. Else it will destroy you. It is indeed serious business with serious consequences.