Apathy and Spiritual Realisation

I feel quite excited and ecstatic to jot this blog for today. As like yesterday, today’s session by Swamiji was easily understood by me. The fact that the concepts of Vedanta and Advaita philosophy being repeated continuously could be a reason behind my gaining some sense of the same. 

The enlightened souls and the masters tell us that the concept is not hard at all, in fact, once you get an inkling of it, it gets so easy and amiable that you would want to read it throughout the day, be smitten by it as if there is some intoxication. 

I wouldn’t deny the intoxicating bit, as yes, I could feel it. Perhaps this is one of the few reasons why I would want to cling onto Advaita more and more, and want to get hold of it early in the morning. Vedanta isn’t averse to the idea of one refraining from action, in fact, it tells people to act and be engrossed in actions exactly in the way it’s expected of him but the difference now would be that one would perform their actions with vigour, strength and detachment. 

In today’s lecture, Swami Sarvapriyananda mentioned the nature of consciousness - it’s nirakara, meaning formless, nirvikara, meaning without any change, and it’s not wounded by sin. Now, we might argue that since this Self isn’t affected by any sin, then we might just commit murder and say that we are unattached and that it cannot affect us. Well, the intellectuals say that it’s true that the consciousness wouldn’t be affected by it, but at the level of the body and mind, you might have to be behind bars. 

Swamiji even adds that when one has religious company and when one realises his true self, his real nature, he can never commit sin. Why do people commit sin? It’s either due to weakness or greed. When you’ve neither, you’d never do something unethical nor even have the urge to do so. 

Next, someone from the audience asked Swamiji if unattachment or detachment is the key to success in spiritual life. Swamiji mentioned that we are detached already. Could we say any of our pleasures or pain have stayed with us forever? It has all gone. 

He even says that it’s great to practice the spirit of detachment, this way you yourself would be free from Maya. Normally, the human mind has a tendency to hold onto things it finds favourable and let go of things that aren’t favourable to him. While this might seem to be pleasant at one go, but in the long run, it’s quite detrimental…

Now, does detachment mean apathy? Swamiji says no. In fact, the spiritual seekers are the ones that have the most empathy and love for others. And, that love and care is preserved for everyone, without any discrimination whatsoever, but with a firm conviction of detachment…

We have to realise that we are peace, prosperity and power within our own selves. Everything appearing inside or outside is us, and everything not appearing outside or inside of us is also us. He mentions that the Samsara would not exist without us, it’s in us, and it’s because of us, us that gives meaning, light and reality to Samsara. 

The whole play goes on in us, because of us, and yet we are completely unattached. 

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