Fullness On The Other Side Of Emptiness
"અપૂર્ણતાને પારની પૂર્ણતા"
- મીરાબાઈ સ્ટાર દ્વારા
વિશ્વના વિવિધ ધર્મોની રહસ્યવાદી પરંપરાઓમાં એક ગહન પરંતુ વિરોધાભાસી વિચાર જોવા મળે છે: ઈશ્વરને જાણવાની સૌથી વિશ્વસનીય રીત ઈશ્વરને "ન જાણવી" તે છે. ખ્રિસ્તી રહસ્યવાદમાં આને *વિયા નેગટિવા* (નેગેટીવ માર્ગ ) કહેવાય છે — જેમાં આપણને દૈવી રહસ્યને વ્યાખ્યાયિત કરવા માટેના કોઈપણ શબ્દો કે ખ્યાલોને સક્રિય રીતે અસ્વીકારવા માટે પ્રોત્સાહિત કરવામાં આવે છે. ઈશ્વરની અપાર લીલા સમજવાનો માર્ગ એ છે કે - આપણે સ્વીકારીએ કે આપણે તેમને સંપૂર્ણપણે સમજી શકતા નથી.
પરંતુ હું તમને બીજી દિશામાં વિચારવા માટે આમંત્રણ આપું છું. "ન જાણવું" જાગૃતિ ના માર્ગમાં જરૂરી છે, પણ ક્યારેક તે એક અધૂરો અભ્યાસ બની શકે છે, જે આપણને આપણા જીવનની પવિત્રતાને સંપૂર્ણપણે જીવવા ને બદલે વાસ્તવિકતા થી દૂર લઈ જાય છે (જેને કેટલીકવાર "અજ્ઞાત અતીંદ્રિય અનુભવ" કહેવાય છે)
ચાલો આ પ્રયાસ કરીએ: આરામદાયક સ્થિતિમાં સીધા બેસો, આંખો બંધ કરો, બે-ત્રણ ઊંડા અને ધીમા શ્વાસ લો, અને પોતાની જાતને પૂછો "હું કોણ છું?" આ પ્રશ્નનો જવાબ નકારાત્મક રીતે ન આપો, પરંતુ જે પણ જવાબ આવે, તેને "હા" કહો.
હું માતા છું, પુત્રી છું, બહેન છું, પ્રેમિકા છું — હા
હું સુથાર છું, માળી છું, સામાજિક કાર્યકર્તા છું — હા
હું ભાવુક છું, ક્યારેક નાટક કરું છું, મુંઝાયેલ કલાકાર પણ છું — હા.
હું તે પણ છું જેની પાસે લોકો ત્યારે વાત કરવા આવે છે જ્યારે તેમનું હૃદય ભાંગ્યું હોય, કારણ કે હું પ્રેમથી સાંભળું છું — હા
હું આ વિશાળ બ્રહ્માંડનો ભાગ છું,ન વધારે મહત્વપૂર્ણ, ન ઓછો, એક વૃક્ષ જેટલો જ — હા
હવે થોડું સર્જનાત્મક બનો: હું પાણી પર પડતો સૂર્યપ્રકાશ છું, પવનનો એ ઝપાટો જે વાળને સ્પર્શી જાય, અડધી રાતની શાંતિ છું, એક સંગીત રચના છું — હા.
તમે આ બધા છો અને તે બધાથી પર છો. તમે વિશાળ પણ છો અને વિશિષ્ટ પણ છો, નિરાકાર પણ છો અને સુંદર સ્વરૂપમાં ઘડાયેલા પણ છો. જ્યારે તમે તમારા માનવી અસ્તિત્વના દરેક નાના-મોટા, ગૂંચવાયેલા-ચમકતા પાસાઓને સ્વીકારો છો અને એ માની લો છો કે વિરોધાભાસી લાગતી વસ્તુઓ પણ એક સાથે સાચી હોઈ શકે છે ત્યારે તમે તમારી અંદરનો તે અવાજ શાંત કરો છો જે કેટલીક વસ્તુઓને પવિત્ર અને કેટલીકને અપવિત્ર કહે છે. તમારી જાતને સંપૂર્ણપણે સ્વીકારવાનો સંકલ્પ લો અને તમે જોશો કે તમારું જીવન કેવી રીતે ધીરે ધીરે મુઠ્ઠીની જેમ, એક ફૂલની જેમ, એક દરવાજાની જેમ ખુલ્લે છે.
મનન માટેના બીજ પ્રશ્નો:
1. શું તમે માનો છો કે તમારા અસ્તિત્વના વિશાળ અને વિશિષ્ટ બંને પાસાઓને સ્વીકારવું, તમને ઊંડી આધ્યાત્મિક સમજ તરફ દોરી જાઈ છે?
2. શું તમે કોઈ વ્યક્તિગત અનુભવ વર્ણવી શકો છો જ્યારે તમે તમારા વિરોધાભાસી પાસાઓને સ્વીકાર્યા હોય અને તે અનુભવે તમારો દૃષ્ટિકોણ બદલી નાખ્યો હોય?
3. તમારી અંદરના દરેક ભાગ — ભલે તે ગૂંચવાયેલો હોય કે શાનદાર હોય — તેને સ્વીકારવાની આદત વિકસાવામાં તમને શું મદદ કરે છે?
Mirabai Starr is a contemporary translator of sacred literature, speaker, and teacher of contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What do you make of the notion that embracing both the vast and particular aspects of your identity can lead to a deeper spiritual understanding? Can you share a personal story that highlights a moment when you allowed yourself to accept seemingly contradictory aspects of your identity, and how that experience transformed your perspective? What helps you cultivate the habit of welcoming all parts of yourself, both scruffy and magnificent?
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11 Past Reflections
On Nov 26, 2025 Usha wrote :
I feel when a person wants to reflect they will always find a way to reflect. This reading is absolutely good for the ones who should get inspired and accept what they are. (if they are good person) What about those people who accepts am selfish, greedy and there is nothing wrong hurting others if it serves me good? Will they ever reflect themselves. During the counselling sessions I come across so many twisted minds. It is good to accept positive and negative so that one can bring about a change to be better person. Without change 'accepting' is useless. Besides, after accepting they should find it immoral to do wrong things, which is very difficult. Even after explaining what they have done wrong - "They say that as a counsellor I cannot understand their perspective".
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On Jun 4, 2025 prakash patel wrote :
यह लेख मेरे दिल को छू गया। पहले मैं सोचता था कि अध्यात्म का रास्ता खुद को मिटाने का है, लेकिन अब समझ आता है कि खुद को पूरी तरह अपनाना ही असली अध्यात्म है।
जब मैंने अपने भीतर के विरोधों – जैसे कि कभी शांत तो कभी क्रोधित, कभी आत्मविश्वासी तो कभी डरपोक – को स्वीकार करना शुरू किया, तब मेरे भीतर की गहराई खुलने लगी। मैं अब सिर्फ 'कुछ' नहीं हूँ — मैं सब कुछ हूँ। मैं माँ भी हूँ, साधक भी, प्रेम में प... [View Full Comment]
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On Jun 3, 2025 Dinne wrote :
I have only a response. I think this is a wonderful method, to embrace all, dismiss nothing.
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On Jun 3, 2025 Lulu wrote :
I am resilient, hopeful, open.
Receptive and deeply sensitive and so much more…
Thank you for this writing. It brings tears to my eyes. So much transformation during this dark time. May we have the hearts and spirits to embrace what we cannot see in the present moment.
Receptive and deeply sensitive and so much more…
Thank you for this writing. It brings tears to my eyes. So much transformation during this dark time. May we have the hearts and spirits to embrace what we cannot see in the present moment.
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On Jun 3, 2025 stream wrote :
Wind Song
Blow Kamakani , blow!
Take away my fears and worries,
take away these pains.
Oh great spirit of the East, elemental air,
breath of the universe
refresh this body, breathe me
leave me with only your lightness of being
expand my cells, expand my mind, expand my soul.
just “ as pieces of cloud dissolve in sunlight” ( Rumi)
let all that is not love die
and allow this eye that is I to see and experience
the only reality ,
this vast expansive oneness
of the cerulean sea of bliss.
Blow Kamakani , Blow!
Blow Kamakani , blow!
Take away my fears and worries,
take away these pains.
Oh great spirit of the East, elemental air,
breath of the universe
refresh this body, breathe me
leave me with only your lightness of being
expand my cells, expand my mind, expand my soul.
just “ as pieces of cloud dissolve in sunlight” ( Rumi)
let all that is not love die
and allow this eye that is I to see and experience
the only reality ,
this vast expansive oneness
of the cerulean sea of bliss.
Blow Kamakani , Blow!
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On Jun 3, 2025 Christine wrote :
yes. this infinite love i am in allllll its glory-usness
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On Jun 3, 2025 Susan wrote :
This is a timely reading for me. The Starr writes about being open as our self is revealed to us when we ask, and reflect (and accept) on the answer to the timeless question, Who am I?
I was struck at how the answer is broader the older we get, and the more aware we are of the world around us. The answer is most certainly and obviously that we are not a solitary being, but rather we are all these things, as the author points out. This recognition, the re-connection to this fact, does bring fullness and wholeness and a sense of completion and belonging along with it.
The writing caused me to reflect on the idea that we as the author says we are 'all' these things, the sunlight on the water, the breeze that lifts our hair. In this time of global warming, and also of war when we connect our self to all these things we also realize the accountability we have for supporting and taking care of all these things. A bit like self-care when we actively care for our community, and more. ... [View Full Comment]
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On Jun 3, 2025 Giovanni Munay-Ki wrote :
I just spent some time in a Zen monastery. One of Zen main concept is Emptiness, so your post resonates a lot with my recent experience.
What the zen teacher explained us, though, is that "emptiness" is just a word. The invitation of Zen in general is really to go beyond any mental concepts. Once I get to that Space, the Beyond, I see that Emptiness may more easily be described as Fullness, the All There Is, Was, and Will Be. It's the Space of All Possibilities.
Another nice Zen concept is the "return to the marketplace." I can experience the Transcendent, and yet--sooner or later--I will be back to the "normal world" (the marketplace). Ultimately, there is where my "enlightened beingness" is going to be "tested" :)
What the zen teacher explained us, though, is that "emptiness" is just a word. The invitation of Zen in general is really to go beyond any mental concepts. Once I get to that Space, the Beyond, I see that Emptiness may more easily be described as Fullness, the All There Is, Was, and Will Be. It's the Space of All Possibilities.
Another nice Zen concept is the "return to the marketplace." I can experience the Transcendent, and yet--sooner or later--I will be back to the "normal world" (the marketplace). Ultimately, there is where my "enlightened beingness" is going to be "tested" :)
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On May 30, 2025 David Doane wrote :
I agree that embracing both the vast and particular can deepen spiritual understanding. Rumi said, "You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop." I am all that is and I am the particular expression and extension of all that is. That notion was contradictory and difficult for me to accept for a long time, and when I saw and accepted that I am all that is and am the particular, I was transformed, that is, my awareness of my being changed in a way that felt expanded and positive. What helps me accept all of me is seeing 'aspects' of me rather than 'parts' of me. There are no parts; all is one expressing in a zillion different ways. It also helps me to see all of me as me, as one whole, and not define some aspects of me as scruffy and other aspects as magnificent. It helps me to see some of me as somewhat known and the great majority of me as unknown.
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On May 30, 2025 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
Who am I? This is a core question asked by philosophers, spiritual seekers, mystics and scientists. Do we have oneself or multiple self? Do we have oneness in manyness? Can we transcend the dualistic, either- or -mindset and realize the Oneness of Self? We need to keep our mind and heart open to realize the underlying oneness in manyness. Sadly we have been conditioned to believe that our spiritual path is the only true path or is superior to other spiritual paths. Sadly such a mindset has caused alienation and enmity and battles in the world we live in.It is time for humanity to transcend this divisiveness and appreciate unity in diversity; oneness in manyness.
It is easy to talk about spiritual unity. Implementing it in our daily life is not that easy. I was born and raised in a family in which my friends from different religious traditions were welcome. As I grew up I studied and learned spirituality from spiritual books, spiritual teachers, spiritual mystics and from weekly ... [View Full Comment]