Our life is a continuous struggle to hold back objects. All objects have a name and a form or nama and rupa as in vedanta. We get lost in form. A passing cloud when it has a form attracts us. When it disappears we are sad. We think the cloud has died. A person is born and has a form. Once he dies the form is lost. We lament the loss. Aren't we grieving over the loss of form?. Our attachment to forms comes from our own identity called ego which says that our identity is the form called our body.
But if we look closely enough, we would see that the cloud never dies. It gets transformed into rain which flows as a river and gives life to plants. The cloud is smiling at us when the rain water drops are falling .The cloud itself is not a beginning. It resulted from water from the sea. So the flow of forms is always there in the universe. The interplay of appearances which is usually an arising , manifestation and dissolving can be seen of all forms. Underneath these flow of appearances lies the truth. There is an essential existence which is manifesting itself and knowing these manifestations. If we get lost in the forms , we loose this deep knowledge.
We see the same interplay or leela of forms in our thoughts , emotions and sensations. A thought arises , it manifests and dissolved. But we get lost in the form of the thought. The form of the thought springs us into action and this gets into the inner folds of our subconscious. The more intensely and repeatedly we do such actions , the more strong our tendencies become. He returns to the same thought patterns again and again. It is also true for people who have strong attachments. They repeat the same intense thought patterns again.
It may be strange to recognize this. But all our ambitions and dreams are also to hold on to many forms. We want a beautiful house and expensive cars. We want our body to be handsome. We want money for various purposes in our life. All these when analyzed are holding onto the form of the objects and appearances. When we start questioning all these , the thoughts and desires associated with them also starts diminishing. Getting lost in the name and form is what life is.
Looking deeply we see that the message of impermanence is always there. However it is not one of sadness. It says when the conditions are right, things manifest. When the conditions change they hide waiting for another instance. When there is sunlight, the flower blossoms. When the winter comes the flower disappears. Nothing comes nor goes. Only there is change all around. Impermanence asks us to look deeply. For one there is a deeper essence which is allowing the impermanence to manifest. Second it shows that all things are closely related and there is no dying or birth. Only a change of form. If we can think beyond the apparent forms, we can start seeing what is really the essence of all appearance.
In Zen, there is a question. "How did you look like before your grandmother was born?". You can see that birth is a continuation of changes just like the cloud. Only when you give importance to the name and form are you born. When you see that life is just a dance of appearances and you are the permanent essence behind these, you get the correct knowledge that you are always here. You are not this name and form called your body. You are the knower of all these appearances and every appearance is happening in you the background awareness. The body and mind is just an appearance in this background of consciousness which is our true nature.
Moving away from the name and form and concentrating on the underlying essence is the true purpose of spiritual life. Sadana in the form of meditation helps us to see this more and more clearly. The more our concentration on name and form, the more our desires are. More limited we feel as a separate person, the more we are troubled by the changes.
Sogyal Rinpoche asks a flame "Where were you before i lighted you up?".
The flame replies" I was always here. When the conditions were right i manifest. When they are not correct i change my form. There is no creation or destruction. Only appearances".
When you run your fingers over a sheet of paper , aren't you touching the trees that gave birth to this paper, the clouds that came down as rain to nurture these plants, the soil and the wind that grazed them?. Yes . All appearances including the body minds are just appearances that come and go in the real self .When conditions are right they manifest, and when they are not they disappear for a while.However the reality always shines illumining these appearances.
But if we look closely enough, we would see that the cloud never dies. It gets transformed into rain which flows as a river and gives life to plants. The cloud is smiling at us when the rain water drops are falling .The cloud itself is not a beginning. It resulted from water from the sea. So the flow of forms is always there in the universe. The interplay of appearances which is usually an arising , manifestation and dissolving can be seen of all forms. Underneath these flow of appearances lies the truth. There is an essential existence which is manifesting itself and knowing these manifestations. If we get lost in the forms , we loose this deep knowledge.
We see the same interplay or leela of forms in our thoughts , emotions and sensations. A thought arises , it manifests and dissolved. But we get lost in the form of the thought. The form of the thought springs us into action and this gets into the inner folds of our subconscious. The more intensely and repeatedly we do such actions , the more strong our tendencies become. He returns to the same thought patterns again and again. It is also true for people who have strong attachments. They repeat the same intense thought patterns again.
It may be strange to recognize this. But all our ambitions and dreams are also to hold on to many forms. We want a beautiful house and expensive cars. We want our body to be handsome. We want money for various purposes in our life. All these when analyzed are holding onto the form of the objects and appearances. When we start questioning all these , the thoughts and desires associated with them also starts diminishing. Getting lost in the name and form is what life is.
Looking deeply we see that the message of impermanence is always there. However it is not one of sadness. It says when the conditions are right, things manifest. When the conditions change they hide waiting for another instance. When there is sunlight, the flower blossoms. When the winter comes the flower disappears. Nothing comes nor goes. Only there is change all around. Impermanence asks us to look deeply. For one there is a deeper essence which is allowing the impermanence to manifest. Second it shows that all things are closely related and there is no dying or birth. Only a change of form. If we can think beyond the apparent forms, we can start seeing what is really the essence of all appearance.
In Zen, there is a question. "How did you look like before your grandmother was born?". You can see that birth is a continuation of changes just like the cloud. Only when you give importance to the name and form are you born. When you see that life is just a dance of appearances and you are the permanent essence behind these, you get the correct knowledge that you are always here. You are not this name and form called your body. You are the knower of all these appearances and every appearance is happening in you the background awareness. The body and mind is just an appearance in this background of consciousness which is our true nature.
Moving away from the name and form and concentrating on the underlying essence is the true purpose of spiritual life. Sadana in the form of meditation helps us to see this more and more clearly. The more our concentration on name and form, the more our desires are. More limited we feel as a separate person, the more we are troubled by the changes.
Sogyal Rinpoche asks a flame "Where were you before i lighted you up?".
The flame replies" I was always here. When the conditions were right i manifest. When they are not correct i change my form. There is no creation or destruction. Only appearances".
When you run your fingers over a sheet of paper , aren't you touching the trees that gave birth to this paper, the clouds that came down as rain to nurture these plants, the soil and the wind that grazed them?. Yes . All appearances including the body minds are just appearances that come and go in the real self .When conditions are right they manifest, and when they are not they disappear for a while.However the reality always shines illumining these appearances.
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