UG
UG offered simple one-liners to deal with the many complexities
of life. To a friend who was contemplating a career change despite a decent job,
his advice was, “Don’t seek, don’t reject!”
UG’s recommendation for all
those feverishly ‘engaged’ in search of truth, reality, enlightenment came in
two simple words, - ‘Do Nothing!’
'Do
Nothing’ like Wu Wei of Taoism, Chumma Iru
of Sri Ramana has been the mantra of sages from time immemorial to lead a peaceful, burden free life. Our lives have been hijacked by thinking, as it
were. ‘Do nothing’ is the ‘art of doing’ what needs to be done, and not doing what
one wants to do or likes to do. ‘Do nothing’ is essentially to carry nothing
(forward), thus setting aside the burden of ‘doership’ or ownership. Doership is such a huge psychological
burden, an Albatross around one’s neck.
Any intent or motive for
profit, gain, glory or outcome plays a crucial role in perpetuating the ‘doer’
or the ‘self’. Intent forms the glue that binds a million thoughts into the autobiographical
‘self’ or ‘agent’ or ‘thinker’. Doership legitimises the 'doer'.
“Your right is to work only but
never to the fruits there of ” is
the clarion call of the Bhagvad Gita. It exhorts us to simply do or execute the
task at hand. This is doing what comes our way, what is inevitable and
conscionable. This simple remedy discounts all the psychological buildup or the doership.
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The excessive or neurotic
thinking that goes into planning what we should do or what we should not do with
its cultural, moral, ethical undertones or overtones, is a debilitating burden on
biology.
The relentless, needless analysis
of what has already happened adds to the existing clutter, commotion and chaos.
Thinking about the future
or the past is the single most factor in not living our lives. All acts
of thinking and worrying guzzle away huge reserves of life energy and destroy vitality.
UG’s constant refrain was - ‘Stop
Thinking, Start Living!’
UG’s simple remedies set
aside the huge psychological burden and the pain of excessive thinking. We are
left with only what is essential, what comes our way and what needs to be done.
The problem with us is we have
placed such a high premium on thinking. Yet thinking cannot and will not solve the
real problems of living – the problem of love, hate, jealousy, anger, greed,
human misery.
This is not to discount the
power of thought or thinking. It does help solve complex technical problems - how
to send a probe to the moon, how to build the fastest jet, how to earn a
livelihood. But its usefulness ends right there.
Life has its own flow, its
own rhythm.
Thinking is but a mere
shadow that can never catch up with the mighty flow of life. It is very difficult
to see or realise the runaway dangers of thinking.
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