Quite the Quest

Tag: spirituality

  • The unrecognised self

    The unrecognised self

    The Kena Upanishad starts with an unknown student asking his teacher how it is that he can experience all of life. What part of you truly experiences it. Let me break it down, for instance the experience of sound, fragrance, touch, remembrance of memories, thoughts of anxiety or fear, emotions like sadness or pride . Is it the ear, nose, your skin or is it your brain with its defined sensory or motor areas. Do you think just a few chemicals at synapses and a low voltage current that passes through the bajillion nerves in the brain is completely enough to explain how we feel so distinctly, so vividly. It doesn’t add up ( at least to me). There is something more and personally I feel it’s there somewhere very deep that I need to look hard. But I’m ridiculously sure it’s there.

    There is me, a ME inside me that experiences it all. I want to emphasize EXPERIENCE here. Imagine the thoughts u feel are not coming from you but they are floating around there somewhere and you experience it like as if you felt a touch. Equal, similar chemicals similar current, just the location of the nerves changes.

    I want to make a distinction and maybe call it the mind and you. Your mind is also a tool which makes you experience life. Its just that its not physical and it’s too internal which made it difficult for us to make the contrast.

    So thats me, my self , or soul if you will. The words here are to just to send the message. Call it what you may but recognize that self who truly experiences life. That’s only the start.

  • The unattainable happiness

    The unattainable happiness

    Imagine the happiest you’ve ever felt. Hold that thought or feeling. Does it bring a smile? Has that happened more than once? Can you compare two happinesses ?(forgive me, trying to make a point) From this point on do you see yourself feeling happier than you’ve ever felt?

    But clearly this feeling was momentary. It came like anger, despair, envy an equal feeling maybe but happiness kept us wanting more of it. We work that rat brain, sorry human brain logically drawing maps to find this happiness. Money definitely has to give me happiness, obviously. Or maybe sometimes fame, imagine being liked by everyone, or owning precious things, or having a loving family, finding the love of your life. Does having all this make you happy. Can you declare that’s a status you will attain and persist in until your life ends. The chase for happiness establishes that we all got a taste of it. We all! no matter our struggles, financial status, our intelligence, our personalities, no matter what.

    But out of all of humanity, didn’t anyone feel eternally happy? No need to chase it anymore. Did they feel satisfied completely and thoroughly at peace? I am not out of place to imagine that right.

    Can I pause this pursuit of the unattainable happiness. Can I take a break from trying to make more money, creating new memories, trying to live the apparent one and only life ( YOLO shenanigans). In my wonder I happened to come across a monk who assured I can and in fact I should be doing that. I felt a soothing balm mending some deep seated bruise.