expressions i

7/30/2019 Expressions I

1/19

EditorialEditorialEditorialEditorial

_______________ A song of sorrowA song of sorrowA song of sorrowA song of sorrow.ah! Life so beautiful and tempting yet

it has its own share of gloomy moments.

.what a beauty life holds in its swarms

and in the isolation. A lone tree on an

isolated mound in a remote far-off land

knows this; a tiny flickering candle

glowing in an immense darkness knowsthis too.

.the living ones hold a frightening sense

of existence! With all the lonely

emptiness of the void they hold in their

terribly weak heart, they are condemned

to live in this barren endless eternity.

They live on awfully shaken, consuminghalf-filled desires, shedding wasteful

degraded life moment by moment. Their

lone joy is to search for meaning in this

meaningless world.

(Contd. Next page)

No. 1/2012 . SPIRITUALITY OF SORROW July-August 2012

Visit BlogVisit BlogVisit BlogVisit Blog: http://thetrueself.wordpress.comhttp://thetrueself.wordpress.comhttp://thetrueself.wordpress.comhttp://thetrueself.wordpress.com

Above all things let us never forget that mankind constitutes one great brotherhood; all born

are to encounter suffering and sorrow. Therefore we are bound to sympathize with eachother.Albert Pike


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.a flock of birds flies high up in the air and in the evening return with

vacant bellies and look for next morn sun enclosing young ones under

their cold wings. Skinny herds of cattle abandon dried up meadows and

move miles on in the blazing sun looking for fresh green grass andwaterholes.

.desires swarm up and flourish in the hideous chambers. Before that

they have stomached horrible loneliness to the extent of annihilation.

Now they are greedy enough to suck up the last drop of charm from

the broken vessel of life.

.a little life germinates in the putrid drain and yet happy to survive

consuming half-decayed matter. It survives in its vain hope for the daywhen it will get liberation from soggy surrounds.

.Beauty delights every other. Beauty they say is the life of life! Yet

bleak sorrows survive in the most beautiful minds. The beautiful minds

are forever condemned to be alone. Masses of people most often

swarms up around ugliest expression of desires. They never value

aesthetics of immaculate beauty yet nevertheless crowd up for

sensuous delights.

.a little joy wells up in a dreary mind. A flying eagle of misery comes

down and catches hold of it. Happy she is to eat the joy and waiting

for the next joy to come to life.

.feelings in the long run create indifference to their own beings. Old

worn out emotions dont live long. They merely produce masked faces.

Some truly great emotions have atrophied themselves for the want of

proper expressions.

.liberation of the souls is in the hands of those who first discipline

the souls. They first put heavy chains to many innocent natural needs

of the soul then ask her to say I am free.Dr. Swaran J. (Bulletin

Editor) A Cup of TeaNan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor

who came to inquire about Zen (Japanese Philosophy of balanced mind). Nan-in served tea.

He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the

overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!""Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I

show you Zen unless you first empty your brain?"


3/19

On Joy and SorrowKahlil Gibran

Your joy is your sorrow under the maskAnd the very same wells from your laughter

was often times filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.Is not the cup that holds your wine

the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit,

the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

Kamilah, Kahlil's mother. Painting by Kahlil GibranWhen you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find

it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that

in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, "Joy is greater thar sorrow,"

and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come,

and when one sits, alone with you at your board,remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

About this author

Khalil Gibran (born Gubran Khalil Gubran; January 6, 1883 April 10, 1931) also known as KahlilGibran, was a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer. Born in the town of Bsharri in modern-dayLebanon (then part of the Ottoman Mount Lebanon mutasarrifate), as a young man he emigrated withhis family to the United States where he studied art and began his literary career. He is chiefly knownin the English speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet.


4/19

THE CAUSE OF SORROW

J. KrishnamurtiJ. KrishnamurtiJ. KrishnamurtiJ. Krishnamurti

All men desire to discover for themselves, with certainty, what is the purpose of life. This discovery

can only be made by living and not by mere intellectual theorizing. After the discovery of thatpurpose they can work for it one-pointedly. But to do this they must be rid of all philosophies,

dogmas, creeds, religions, particular rites -everything, because no one can, for a single moment,

discover his true purpose in life, or life itself, with all these encumbrances. When man has

completely detached himself from all unessential things, he can begin to discover what it is that he is

seeking. It is as an individual, that he must make the discovery.

Each man is seeking to free himself from sorrow. Desire is life, and that desire is constantly battling

against limitations. It seeks to be free. In search for happiness it is constantly breaking away from

limitations.

Men are all the time looking for perfection. Imperfection is a limitation, and the individual life, which

begins in limitation, which goes from corruption to corruption, is ceaselessly seeking incorruption and

freedom. So long as there is limitation there is sorrow, and it is from sorrow that all men would

escape. They are trying to find a way out of suffering, out of their entanglement in the wheel of

sorrow and pain. In the attainment of perfection is liberation to be found, and in nothing else.

Seek perfection therefore rather than philosophies, theories, dogmas, religions and objects of

worship -which are all unreal, childish, unessential. Men, distracted by all these, do not attack the

one problem which lies at the root of all that suffocates them, which creates havoc in their self-

expression, in their individual growth.

Do not waste time with shadows, which vanish as the morning mist.

So, we come back to that dynamic thing which is desire. You may worship false gods -and all gods

are false- you may cling to the unreal, but desire will grow and overwhelm you, unless you

encourage that desire towards perfection. With the thought of perfection alone you must dwell,

because that is life; that alone will overcome the chaos, the unrealities to which men cling, instead of

to the real.

What is the cause, therefore, of sorrow? With that we must concern ourselves. Sorrow and joy, pain

and pleasure, light and shade, are the same thing. Sorrow must exist, as pleasure must exist. It isuseless to try to escape from either. Only when you are absolutely undisturbed by either will true

perfection abide in your heart and mind.

The self is ever climbing towards perfection by self-assertion. It asserts "I am" as it climbs the

mountain of experience. That self-assertion of "I am" creates echoes and those echoes return as

sorrow, pain, pleasure. That self-assertion of "I am" is inevitable. You cannot escape from it. Self-

assertion in imperfection creates individuality. You are all the time asserting "I am", "I" think so and

so, "I" feel this, "I" am much greater than someone else. The "I" is all the time creating this vast

whirlpool of echoes, which return to you and bind you. But when you have attained the fulfilment of

life, your "I am" will no longer create echoes, no longer create whirlpools. In the process of self-


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assertion, the love of life, which is the whole -to which all life, individual or universal, must come- is

forgotten.

What is self-expression? You express yourself not knowing your true self. You express whatever

comes into your mind, and hence there is this combative chaos of the different selves. As a tree in

the forest steals the light of its neighbour, so do you in your self-expression steal the light, the

understanding, the happiness of another, and so create sorrow, misfortune, and weariness. True

self-expression must be the outcome of the love of life, which is freedom, which is perfection. Then

you cannot come into conflict with another. Then you will have true friendliness for your neighbour.

Then you will know that unity of which you speak so glibly. The moment you lose the love of life and

interpose your self-expression between you and the eternal, in your limitation you are bound to

suffer, to create pain for yourself and others. For that reason you should know what is the final

fulfillment of all life. When once you have a vision of perfection, as part of yourself, in translating that

vision -which again is self-assertion- lies true creation. Creation to most people means buildinghouses, painting pictures, writing poems. That is not true creation; that is only the creation of the self

in limitation. True creation is the outcome of that harmony which is perfection, the delicate poise of

reason and of love. Life itself is creation; life itself is the greatest artist. Directly you are able to attain

perfection, you are also becoming the true creator because you are one with life itself.

You cannot escape from self-assertion, because existence itself is self-assertion. But the self must

be made perfect through self-assertion, through the realization that as long as that self-assertion is

within bondage, within limitation, it is bound to create sorrow and pain. When you break down that

limitation, because you have understood, you will have fathomed the love of life.

Leave me be

Sorrow, sorrow why must you take me so

Why have you left me in such a big hole

Sorrow, sorrow when will you leave my soul

And let me finally breath so

There is nowhere to go

If you keep beating on my heart so

Sorrow, sorrow its your time to go

Let your heart leave from my soul


6/19

Philosophical themes- a new series [III]

Existentialism

Jean Paul Sartre: Pioneer of existential philosophyHuman beings perhaps are the only animals who define themselves through the act of living. Without life there can be

no meaning; the search for meaning in existentialism is the search for the self. In other words, we define ourselves by

living; suicide would indicate you have chosen to have no meaning.

Existentialism is about being a saint without God; being your own hero, without all the sanction and support of religion

or society, so says Anita Brookner (b. 1938), British novelist and art historian. Existentialism is not dark. It is not

depressing. Existentialism is about life. Existentialists believe in living and in fighting for life. Sartre, Camus, and even

Nietzsche, pioneers of existential philosophy were involved in various wars because they believed passionately in fighting

for the survival of their nations and peoples.

Existentialism believes that mankind has the free will. The man once separated from its creator is free, free to choose

and free to accept the tension and responsibility of his choices. Life is a series of choices and our choices create stress.

For existentialism, responsibility is the dark side of freedom. When individuals realize that they are completely responsiblefor their decisions, actions, and beliefs, they are overcome by anxiety. They try to escape from this anxiety by ignoring or

denying their freedom and their responsibility. The existentialists insist that individuals must accept full responsibility for

their behavior, no matter how difficult.

If an individual is to live meaningfully and authentically, he or she must become fully aware of the true character of the

human situation and bravely accept it. Existentialism assumes we are best when we struggle against our nature. Mankind

is best challenging itself to improve, yet knowing perfection is not possible. Religions give us rules, yet the believers in

religions know they cannot live by all of those rules. The sin-free life is beyond human nature. Is that any less reason to

live and to try to be good, generous, caring, and compassionate? Perfectionism is considered unhealthy both by

psychiatrists and existentialists. Existentialism requires the active acceptance of our nature. There are certain things whichare absurd and without explanation.

Professor Robert Olson noted that we spend our lives wanting more and more. Once we realize the futility of worldly

desire, we try to accept what we have. We turn to philosophy or religion to accept less. We want to detach from our worldly

needs but we cannot do so. It is the human condition to desire; to want, to seek more, even when that more is more of

less. There is a desire to prove something to ourselves, as well as to others.

Olson writing in Existentialism [p. 14] says further, The existentialists mock the notion of a complete and fully

satisfying life. The life of every man, whether he recognizes it or not, is marked by irreparable losses. Man cannot help

aspiring toward the goods of this world, nor can he help aspiring toward the serene detachment from the things of this

world which the traditional philosopher sought; but it is not within his power to achieve either of these ambitions, or having

achieved them to find therein the satisfaction he had anticipated.


7/19

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nsk esa cgrh gS tks xaxk og gS D;k\

og ikuh dh /kkjk gS ;k Kku dh\ HkbZ nksuksa gh rks cg jgh gSa lkFk lkFk] krkfCn;ksa ls! vkt bDdhlohakrkfCn esa ysfdu n`; dqN vkSj gS- bl egku~ nsk dh nks egku~ /kkjk;sa vc kkor ugha] kq} ugha] ey jfgrugha- /kkjk esa Qalk gS Kku ;k Kku esa Qal xbZ gS /kkjk! dkSu tkusa fdl us fdl ds cgko dks vo:) fd;k\

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ekuoh; dzwjrk dk vFkkg eyekuoh; dzwjrk dk vFkkg eyekuoh; dzwjrk dk vFkkg eyekuoh; dzwjrk dk vFkkg eyvc Kku rksa Kku dh Hkzkafr gS ek=! Kku dk voks"k gS dsoy!


8/19

^vHkh vkSj fdruk Mkyksxs vkSj fdruh lfn;ksa rd- esjs vkj vkSj esjs ikj clus okys esjs cPpksa dks Kku dhugha Kku ls fudkyus dh t+#jr gS---*

/kkjk esa Qalk gS Kku ;k Kku esa Qal xbZ gS /kkjkkkjk esa Qalk gS Kku ;k Kku esa Qal xbZ gS /kkjkkkjk esa Qalk gS Kku ;k Kku esa Qal xbZ gS /kkjkkkjk esa Qalk gS Kku ;k Kku esa Qal xbZ gS /kkjk

Kkuh pqIi! Xakxk mls ,sls lacksf/kr gksxh! fnXHkzfer! grizHk!! ---tUetkr xwaxs lk!!! ,d ,d kCn tksM+ dj

dgrk gS-^vkg! xaxs D;k dg fn;k! D;k dg jgh gks--*

xaxk th dh chekj okf.k&^ikl vkvks rks dqN dgwa- cw


9/19

xaxk dgrh jgha&Kkfu lqurk jgk

^rqe bruk rke&>ke djrs gks! bruh ;krk;kr] bruh lapkj O;oLFkk! bruh eksVj xkfM+;ka! ykmM Lihdj! esjsikfu;ksa ij] esjs fdukjksa ij mu vutku HkDrksa dks ykus ds fy;s! t+jk lkspks ,d fnu esa fdrus! ,d lky esa

fdrus!

diV vkSj Kku ,d lkFk dSls jg ysrs gSa ekuo eu esadiV vkSj Kku ,d lkFk dSls jg ysrs gSa ekuo eu esadiV vkSj Kku ,d lkFk dSls jg ysrs gSa ekuo eu esadiV vkSj Kku ,d lkFk dSls jg ysrs gSa ekuo eu esa

vkSj fdruh lfn;ksas rd! esjs cPps! dsoy ekuo ey dh ckr ugha dj jgh] mls eSa ke! bruh IykfLVd! brus fn;s!bruh ckfr;ka! brus Q+y&Qwy iwtk lexzh! gLrfufeZr nsoh nsoksa dh izfrek;sa! bu lc ls eSa ekurh gwa fd:Brh gaw! eSa :Bwa rks D;k ck esa cls esjs izkf.k;ksa dk\ Hkkjr Hkj esa gh ugha] foo Hkj esa eSa ejrs izkf.kdh I;kl cq>krh gwa! ij eSa Lo;a izkf.k dh e`R;q dk dkj.k cuwa! eq> vkHkkfxu dks D;ksa ikiksa dh Hkkfxu cukrsgks\

ewd xaxk dh okf.k Kkuh lqurk jgk- ml ds dkuksa esa jl ugha fi?kyk lhlk My jgk Fkk] kk;n! Tkks ns jgk Fkkmls vlguh; nnZ!

xaxk dgrh jgha&^vkSj rqEgkjs Kkuh x.k dsoy ikjczg~e dk jkLrk gh ugha crkrs- ftl ikjczg~e dk efUnj flQZ vkRek gksrh gS

/kjrh ij os crkrs gSa efUnj ;gka ugha ogka cusxk! vkSj ;gka ls mB dj fdl nskh fons kh Hkxoku dk ?kj rksM+ukgS- fdrus fnyksa dks rksM+uk gS- lc dk fglkc cuk j[kk gS lc O;oLFkk dj j[kh gS- ekuo ey dk cks> eSa


10/19

dqN cksyrs u cuk- ogka ls mB [k

mls Mj yxus yxk fd ogka cSBk

xaxk th esa ?kqyus ds fy;s!vHkh rd dqN /kkjk rks cph gS&lk

vHkh rd dqN Kku rks cpk gS&kqekuoh; dq.Bk;ksa] ekuoh; vge~]mrjk vkSj tSlk vk;k oSlk ckaV fn

ij dqN dgrs u cuk- ogka ls mB

igyk izopu fn;k&pfy;s kkor xaxk dh [kkst djsa^pfy;s kkor xaxk dh [kkst djsa-xaxk- vth--- vki gfjn~okj ds ikdkjksckj! vkb;s FkksM+k mRrj fnkk---- xaxks=h ;k xkSeq[k rd! xaxkkkor ugha-;gka Hkh cjru Mqckrs

vklekvklekvklekvklekLQsn #bZ lh cQZ! ;k cj[kk dhmij vkleku dh vksj ns[ksa! vklvkleku ls mrjrh xaxk! LoxZ lslR; ;qx dh dfy;qx esa cgrh xa;g LoxZ ls vkrh xaxk! vjs ---;---VSjsl ij] vkkkM+ esa ---Jko.k ----kq) kkor xaxk! vkSj eSa xaxk ---&Lo.kZ ts-

1le> vkSj vuqHkwfr*% Kkuoku yksizekRek dh vuqHkwfr ;kfuRealisati

+k gqvk-

gk rks ekuoh; ey dk ;k kk;n ekuoh; eu dk

+! LoPN! fueZy!

! kkor! egku~re lR;!kSj ekuoh; eu ls vizHkkfor! tks izfd`rh ds fu;

;k x;k- rFk vkxr rFkkxr!

[kM+k gqvk-

egkuqHkko! kkor xaxk dsoy ikuh dh xaxk ugha-] gfj}kj bykgkckn laxe ds ikl ls gks dj pysa HkVdsa! vkb;s kkor xaxk dh [kkst djsa! dgka rh dk mn~xe~ LFkku! vth #fd;s er- FkksM+k vkSj ma yksx] gkFk Hkh- FkksM+k vkSj mij pysa! ogka ;gka LQs

u ls mrjrh cj[kk gh kq) kkor xaxk gSu ls mrjrh cj[kk gh kq) kkor xaxk gSu ls mrjrh cj[kk gh kq) kkor xaxk gSu ls mrjrh cj[kk gh kq) kkor xaxk gSgydh Qqgkj! Tk+jk psgjs ij yxus nsa! psgjs ij] nsgku ls mrjrh cj[kk dks ns[ksa! ogka ls vfojy xaxk/kjrh ij vkrh xaxk! kq) kkor xaxk! _x~&oSfnk! og ekuo ey jfgr xaxk! dsoy viuk rst frks ogh xaxk gS ftlds nkZu ftl dk vglkl eSakknksa esa] lky ds cgqr lkjs fnu] eSa djrk gwa! esjs-og ifo= unh dh [kkst esa] igqap tkrk Fkk] gfjn~ok

ksa esa cgqrkr us izekRek dks le>k ;kfuUnderstand

n dh gS-

dksbZ fgLlk NksM+ nsxk

ksa ds va=xr gh varl~ esa

kq) kkor lR; dh;s okfil vius ?kj viuspysaxs vki\ nsgjknwu

j pysa! xaxk th ;gka HkhcQZ dh pknj fcNh gS!

ij] vkRek ij! t+jkth /kkjk cg jgh gS!xaxk! ikSjkf.kd xaxk!;s! kk;n dgsaxs vki&vius ?kj dh eq.Msj ij

rks ikl Fkh ;g xaxk! ;gj ---dkkh -----laxe!!!

fd;k gS- flQZ dqN ,d us


11/19

Signs and Symptoms of a Coffee Addict

He grinds his coffee beans in his mouth.

He sleeps with his eyes open.

He has to watch videos in fast-forward.

The only time he is standing still is during an earthquake.

He can take a picture of himself from ten feet away without using the timer.

He has worn out his third pair of tennis shoes this week.

His eyes stay open when he sneezes.

He chews on other people's fingernails.

The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take his pulse.

He so jittery that people use his hands to blend margaritas.

He can type sixty words per minute with his feet.

He can jump-start his car without help.

He don't sweat, he percolates.

He walks twenty miles on his treadmill before he realizes it's not plugged in.

He forgets to unwrap coffee candy before eating them.

He has built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.

People gets dizzy just watching him.

Instant coffee takes too long.


12/19

He channel surf faster without a remote.

He has a picture of coffee mug on his coffee mug.

He can outlast the Energizer bunny.

He shorts out motion detectors.

He doesn't even wait for the water to boil anymore.

His nervous twitches register on the Richter scale.

He helps his dog chase its tail.

He soaks your dentures in coffee overnight.

He first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.

He skis uphill.

He gets a speeding ticket even when he is parked.

He answers the door before people knock.

He hasn't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.

, !

"# % ( %

. % 1 ! , 2

! !, ! , '

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', 8 ' 6 , ' 2,

;# 8 ! 6'


13/19

Poetry Extraordinary

A JOURNEY BEYOND SORROWS

-Dr. Swaran J

Son Chidi [The Golden Sparrow] is an extraordinary piece of poetry from Aassis fifth and last

anthology NIRDESHAK, published posthumously. Aassi [1964-2001] who died at the very young age of

37, was a Punjabi poet of great possibilities.

In the present verse Aassi talks of a journey, a journey through

the dark recesses of the mind. Why he undertakes such a journey? In

a journey of thoughts and journey with thoughts one is helpless to talk

of a choice. A choice between continuous voyage or to be held back! It

is a state of progress, which only moves forward.

But this sort of progress further advances into two identical

states with often very diverse and dissimilar consequences. Most of

the thinkers regress in a cyclical path. Here identical thoughts keep on

repeating themselves causing much distress to the thinker. But a

thinker in a truly meditative poise continues with the journey without

any preconceived notion.

Contemplation of such kind occurs only in a heightened state of awareness, an awareness, in which

one is never tense or hurried. Zen master Yasutani Roshi describes this state in similar words. For him

this is the mind of somebody facing death. Let us imagine that you are engaged in a duel of

swordsmanship. As you face your opponent you are increasingly watchful. Were you to relax your

vigilance even for a second you would be cut down to pieces. He relates this analogy with the outer life. In

the inner world you nevertheless are in a frame of warrior but here war is among thoughts. Your

opponent is the counter thought or the thought that dissociates from the original thought. By doing so it

tends to kill the former. You become the battle ground of thoughts, a dark arena of ignorance. That

seems the exact situation as Aassi describes:

In that gloomy thick forest; unable to ferret out way

I sink in the sea of darkness; no hope, no gleam, no ray

Heroically I fight back; for how long would I stay

I receive back the hurts; for hurts that I pay

But this battleground, this you, this awareness is separate from the mob of warrior thoughts. You

will have to keep them separate. Mostly the thinkers join with battle. They join with the thoughts; either

the same or the opposite thought. The wakeful distress of being the battleground

Literary merit and also the

aesthetic aspect of this

remarkable piece of poetry

are to be decided by the

laureates. Here we are

discussing the incorporeal

and supposedly spiritual

aspect of this journey of

thoughts. A sort of journey

which sometimes each of

us undertakes but often

held back before taking the

final plunge. -Swaran J.


14/19

SON CHIDI

-AassiHanehere da sanghana jangal

rah nazar na aave

jind daraya kalakhch gote khaave

kise yuddhch soorme vangoon

main zakham khavan, var jhallan

meri aas bandhave eh leh-lahaunda

vejayee jhanda

roshani da son parcham

eh thartharaundi hoi nimani mombatti

es de garam tepiyan noo main talian te

buchchan

kasees vattan

bebassi kahar dhave hava shikhr di

chanani di laat kambemeri soch kambe aukaat kambe

khelhan noo jalavatni mere hisse aayee

rangan da jhutha sachcha aassra

main sirj liya

kite tan udeekada hoega budda Dashrath

kade taan mukkega banvaas Chandra

kite taan hoegee Kaushalaya tatpar

karke ghar di munder te deep raushn

nal na koi Lashman shashtardhari

turdi hai tan mahaz ek agg vichari

kade tharthrave kampkampave

bujhan hi lagge akhari chingari vi

antim sahara vi

agle hi pal dolh deve mere upper

umeedan da pura samundar

chehkade parinde vangoon kholh deve

mere sanhven kise naven

brahmand da darvaza

te meri ungali pakar kebadali di ek sarani banaun da val sikhave

mere lahuch balada diva, sookde tufan

phir vi tor riha hai mainu

jiven har gote pichhon dariya

uchhalada hai jiv nu upparali sateh val

kadam dar kadam, safar dar safar

janam dar janam

eh kaun hai jo mere nal hai

piranch paruche hoi vi ek Jamaal haijo samarpit hai mainu pani mitti agni samet

SON CHIDI [THE GOLDEN SPARROW]-

Translated by-J.Swaran

In that gloomy thick forest

unable to ferret out way

I sink in the sea of darkness

no hope, no gleam, no ray

heroically I fight backfor how long would I stay

I receive back the hurts

for hurts that I pay

I hopefully hold that beaming flag

and in my hands it lay

agonizing pain of hot wax

that makes me loose my sway

of the tiny flickering candle

I carry on my way

my helplessness and fury of wind

with trembling thoughts they playwhich make me quiver like flame

I carry on the way

It was altogether an exiled existence

I endured to this day

yes, I had some old delights

with them I however play

There may be waiting that old Dasharatha

along anxious Kaushalaya and they

may be putting lamps on the house roof

in the past foregone way

and with me now is no onenor armed Lakshmana who slay

only trembling tiny flame

that walks with me anyway

About to get extinguished

last remains of candle that stay

with its last bit to rely! Yes, you can say

whole stockpile of hopes come apart

the moment next and they

open for me the door to eternity

enormous bliss and joy

lead me to the place [where I can]arrange my nights and day

the alert that aflame my blood

still pushes me through anyway

as waves that push the drowning ones

to the sea-shore they lay

or sun that rouse me every morn

and open my next day

to the next step, the next beginning

or the next genesis! You may say

In whose enchanting presence [now] I am

wholly dedicated to me? Pray!has turned it into a great ecstasy


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of thoughts is now replaced by pleasure or sorrow of the thoughts. This sort of pleasure or sorrow

does not open new vistas. It comes and goes on cyclically.

But this concentrated awareness is the only light you have on this unlit murky path. This itself may be the

source of distress, for to remain in the sustained state of awareness you have to put an effort to it. As

points out Aassi:

agonizing pain of hot wax; that makes me loose my swayof the tiny flickering candle; I carry on my way

my helplessness and fury of wind; with trembling thoughts they play

which make me quiver like flame; I carry on the way

Thinker in Aassi does not satisfy himself with this linear journey. He adopts many ways and many

forms and during the journey. While in an emotional mould his thoughts create images of fellow

journeyers who have been separated long back. He is distressed by their absence:

There may be waiting that old Dasharatha

along anxious Kaushalaya and they

may be putting lamps on the house roof

in the past foregone way

Or he takes another turn of partially compromising with the situation and finding help from within:

and with me now is no one;

nor armed Lakshmana who slay

only tiny trembling flame [of consciousness]that walks with me anyway

Literary merit and also the aesthetic aspects of this remarkable piece of poetry are to be decided by

the laureates. Here we are discussing the incorporeal and supposedly spiritual aspect of this journey of

thoughts. A sort of journey which sometimes each of us undertakes but often held back before taking the

final plunge.

But Aassi takes the risk of entering into the perils of unknown. This final decision does not come out

of the logical mind. Neither this is the act of will nor that of wisdom. It is the moment where every

jischon talashada han main

apne hon di paribhasha

main te meri mombatti

kina suhavana hai eh hanehra

jo de riha hai mainupukhatagi bhariya eh sukhad dukh

that distress of thorny way

who now will define my new being

is it me, my candle or say?

how blissful is now this bleak darkness

how joyful are woes of the day!!

-Translated by-J.Swaran


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rationality of the mind is to be kept away. It is the end of everything known. It comes instantaneously. It

is the end of both acceptance and rejection.

About to get extinguished; last remains of candle that stay

Its last bit to rely! Oh! yes, you can say

Whole stockpile of hopes come apart; the moment next and they

Open for me the door to eternity; enormous bliss and joy

Lead me to the place [where I can]; arrange my nights and day

While talking about this transition from the rational worldly mould to the higher thoughtless mould

Aassi does not elaborate much on this point. Perhaps nobody is able to. Any description of it will come

out only from thoughts and memory, the things which are in the frame of time. So how can Aassi talk

about the things which are timeless? How can a thoughtless state be described with the activity of

thoughts? But still he claims it to be the act of forces within his very being:

The alert that aflame my blood; still pushes me through anyway

As waves that push the drowning ones; to the sea-shore they lay

Or sun that rouse me every morn; and open my next day

To the next step, the next beginning; or the next genesis! You may say

Is this the end of journey or its beginning? For him definitely this is the beginning. He does not even

hesitate to call it the next genesis [birth]. This contact with the ultimate reality is only to be perceived;

only to be experienced. This is not to be conceptualized or described within the framework of worldlylanguages. You cannot taste sweet simply by uttering the word sweet. Neither can you describe

sweetness in a way that others can experience similar sweetness. For the correct understanding you will

have to eat something sweet. As he says:

In whose enchanting presence [now] I am; wholly dedicated to me, pray!

has turned it into a great ecstasy; that distress of thorny way

who now will define my new being; is it me, or my candle, say?

how blissful now this bleak darkness; how joyful are woes of the day!!

Aassi has experienced this sweetness. For him now even woes are now blissful. He is now with his

real existence. This is the end of sorrow, as Buddha,the enlightened one oncespoke aboutthis sphere of

real existence of man for our understandings. For me this Son Chidi is what his


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real existence is. The existence, where he now acts from an all empty and free consciousness and not from

one that is sullied by memory and ego and with restricted choices. This symbolic weightless, golden

sparrow is now separated from the heavy, worldly ego. Though he is not unresponsive to the painful

consequences of his choices in this new existence, but he is free now. Free to choose and free to accept the

tension and responsibility of his choices.

A Tear And A Smile By: Khalil GibranI would not exchange the sorrows of my heartFor the joys of the multitude.And I would not have the tears that sadness makesTo flow from my every part turn into laughter.

I would that my life remain a tear and a smile.

A tear to purify my heart and give me understandingOf life's secrets and hidden things.A smile to draw me nigh to the sons of my kind andTo be a symbol of my glorification of the gods.

A tear to unite me with those of broken heart;A smile to be a sign of my joy in existence.

It would rather that I died in yearning

and longing than that I live Weary and despairing.

and it is sweeter than the sweetest melody.

The life of a flower is longing and fulfilment.A tear and a smile.

The waters of the sea become vapor and rise and comeTogether and area cloud.

And the cloud floats above the hills and valleysUntil it meets the gentle breeze, then falls weepingTo the fields and joins with brooks

and rivers to Return to the sea, its home.

The life of clouds is a parting and a meeting.A tear and a smile.

And so does the spirit become separated fromThe greater spirit to move in the world of matterAnd pass as a cloud over the mountain of sorrowAnd the plains of joy to meet the breeze of deathAnd return whence it came.

To the ocean of Love and Beauty----to God.

EXPRESSIONS

A periodic bulletin of

psycho-spiritual

thoughts.

FOR CIRCULATIONAMONG FRIENDS

ONLY

Suggestion and

new ideas are

invited. You may

send them via e-

mail or SMS.

Creative work in

any form i.e.poetry, short story

or article are also

invited

BULLETIN EDITOR

- Dr. Swaran J.

Associate Prof.

Physiology Deptt.

Govt. Medical College

Amritsar

[M] 9815621557

e-mail

omcawr_sj2@indiati

mes.com


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There is a story which Sayyad Jalaluddin Rumi tells of an ant thatscreeping across the carpet in a mosque, and the ant complains toGod saying: what is this, these bumps, and strange colors, andpatterns, this must have been created just as a meaningless obstaclecourse, what a futile thing to have made. But of course the carpetmaker, looking at it from above can see the patterns and the purposeof it, and can see that the whole thing is perfect and is good. And

Allah is often like that. We often cant make sense of the misfortuneswe encounter most often because we are two dimensional, we are atground level, we cant see what it all means, but God knows even if hecant always see that this is a manifestation of Allahs will which isalways good and always perfect and always beautiful.

,d dgkuh gS tks lS;n tykyqhu :fe dgk djrs Fks& fd ,d P;,d dgkuh gS tks lS;n tykyqhu :fe dgk djrs Fks& fd ,d P;,d dgkuh gS tks lS;n tykyqhu :fe dgk djrs Fks& fd ,d P;,d dgkuh gS tks lS;n tykyqhu :fe dgk djrs Fks& fd ,d P;wafVwafVwafVwafVtks efLtn esa fcNh njhtks efLtn esa fcNh njhtks efLtn esa fcNh njhtks efLtn esa fcNh njh ijijijij py jgh Fkh vkSj pyrs oyrs [kqnk lspy jgh Fkh vkSj pyrs oyrs [kqnk lspy jgh Fkh vkSj pyrs oyrs [kqnk lspy jgh Fkh vkSj pyrs oyrs [kqnk lsfkdk;r ls cksyh]^;g D;k ekSyk]fkdk;r ls cksyh]^;g D;k ekSyk]fkdk;r ls cksyh]^;g D;k ekSyk]fkdk;r ls cksyh]^;g D;k ekSyk] bruh flyoVsa] brus cy vkSjbruh flyoVsa] brus cy vkSjbruh flyoVsa] brus cy vkSjbruh flyoVsa] brus cy vkSjvtc vtc jax]vtc vtc jax]vtc vtc jax]vtc vtc jax] u ckuxh u :i] rqeus ku ckuxh u :i] rqeus ku ckuxh u :i] rqeus ku ckuxh u :i] rqeus kkkkk;;;;n esjs gh jkLrs esan esjs gh jkLrs esan esjs gh jkLrs esan esjs gh jkLrs esa

:dkoV Mkyus ds fy, ;g cseryc dk igkM [kMk dj j[kk gS*:dkoV Mkyus ds fy, ;g cseryc dk igkM [kMk dj j[kk gS*:dkoV Mkyus ds fy, ;g cseryc dk igkM [kMk dj j[kk gS*:dkoV Mkyus ds fy, ;g cseryc dk igkM [kMk dj j[kk gS*---- ijijijijmij ls ns[k jgk cqudj] ftl us njh rS;kj dh ns[k dj crk ldrkmij ls ns[k jgk cqudj] ftl us njh rS;kj dh ns[k dj crk ldrkmij ls ns[k jgk cqudj] ftl us njh rS;kj dh ns[k dj crk ldrkmij ls ns[k jgk cqudj] ftl us njh rS;kj dh ns[k dj crk ldrk

gS fd njh dh ckuxh :i jax lc lgh gSagS fd njh dh ckuxh :i jax lc lgh gSagS fd njh dh ckuxh :i jax lc lgh gSagS fd njh dh ckuxh :i jax lc lgh gSa nks"k jgr gSanks"k jgr gSanks"k jgr gSanks"k jgr gSa---- [kkyd dh[kkyd dh[kkyd dh[kkyd dh[kyDr Hkh ,slh gh gS[kyDr Hkh ,slh gh gS[kyDr Hkh ,slh gh gS[kyDr Hkh ,slh gh gS---- ftanxh esa gesa tks nq[k feyrs gSaftanxh esa gesa tks nq[k feyrs gSaftanxh esa gesa tks nq[k feyrs gSaftanxh esa gesa tks nq[k feyrs gSa tkstkstkstks gesagesagesagesacseryc yxrs gSacseryc yxrs gSacseryc yxrs gSacseryc yxrs gSa---- ij ml P;wafV dh rjgij ml P;wafV dh rjgij ml P;wafV dh rjgij ml P;wafV dh rjg gegegege tehu ij gSatehu ij gSatehu ij gSatehu ij gSa---- gegegege mijmijmijmijls ns[kls ns[kls ns[kls ns[k ugha ikrs fd ;g lc fdruk lgh gS] tjk lk Hkh cserycugha ikrs fd ;g lc fdruk lgh gS] tjk lk Hkh cserycugha ikrs fd ;g lc fdruk lgh gS] tjk lk Hkh cserycugha ikrs fd ;g lc fdruk lgh gS] tjk lk Hkh cserycughaughaughaugha----

. PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL THOUGHTSJuly-August 2012 BULLETIN EDITOR - Dr. Swaran J.

[M] 9815621557e-mail [email protected]


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