Life

 Can a fearful mind have love and compassion? Most people would say yes. We have fear because we love our families. Therefore, we are afraid for our family members. children, their security, and their future. Is it true? We just need to introspect. What is love and compassion? Love and compassion are feelings of being connected. Where is that feeling of "being connected" coming from? This question is quite crucial. Is that feeling coming from a deep fear of being lonely and vulnerable? Can we see now that it's just the opposite? We don't fear because we love our family, friends, and relatives; rather, we "love" them because we are afraid of loneliness. We feel fragile when we are lonely.  When we "love" somebody because we want to cling to that person due to the fear of being lonely, we would like to keep that person safe, take care of that person, and also make them comfortable. But we will do all these things with an expectation of reciprocation....

When Buddha talks about the middle path, does that mean control? Does that mean balancing? Control is quite stressful, and balance is quite difficult. How would a person be at ease and maintain equanimity while he is doing something stressful and difficult? After all, equanimity is at the core of the teachings of Buddha.  When we drive a car on the highway, driving the car too slowly is difficult because the cars behind will blow their horns and will not let us drive slowly. Similarly, if we drive a car too fast, that will be quite dangerous and we will be prone to accidents. It is effortless to drive a car at nearly the speed limit. That's natural. That does not require balancing or control. Similarly, when we have to complete an assignment, by being too slow and lazy, we will not be able to complete the task and waste our precious energy. Similarly, by being too desperate, we will become anxious, and then anxiety will take over, and we will again not be able to complete the task....

Our brains are conditioned from childhood to draw conclusions. We observe a food item and quickly conclude whether it is tasty or not. We encounter a person and quickly conclude whether he is good or not. We undergo some experience and quickly conclude whether that experience was good or bad. Our brain constantly categorizes everything into good or bad, right or wrong, depending on our conditioning. We are in such a hurry because we have defined the purpose of life in terms of certain achievements, and any and everything that supports those achievements is good, and the rest are bad.  When conclusions become primary, observation becomes secondary. We are always in a hurry to conclude and therefore miss the most crucial part of the observation. Why Ravana is not able to listen to Vibhishana is because his mind has already concluded that he is not going to let go of Sita. His mind wants to possess Sita at any cost. That's why his mind just closes down on any advice to let go of Sita....

Gandhi ji went to London to become a lawyer by choice. He started practicing in South Africa like a normal lawyer to earn money. Then, what changed when he was thrown off the train? Exploitation of the blacks and racism existed before he was thrown off the train, as well as after that. Then why did it change the course of his life? Maybe a realization as to how important freedom is. Maybe the understanding that in the absence of freedom, the whole of the wealth of the world and the best of the comforts, and the best of the ecosystem are useless. While many Indians were busy tying up with the exploiters, to get something or the other in return, Gandhi ji dropped everything to confront the British rulers. It's highly uncertain. You may be killed at any moment. You may be put in jail and tortured. Leaving the comforts of family and kids, wealth and comforts, and travelling across the country to listen to the people, inspire them, and stand against the mighty is not easy. That requires...