18. 55. Frenzy, hatred.

Anandi met the priest.

As her pet dog Puppy had an untimely death, she very earnestly requested him to perform the funeral rites as per religious edicts.

The priest busted out with a contemptuous voice: What is this? For the sake of a dog, should I talk to God? It is utter foolishness.

Anandi said: I am prepared to pay even five hundred dollars. You have said that you could do. If you know any one who can do the rites, please tell me. My puppy is very important for me.

When Anandi said five hundred dollars, the priest spoke in a tone expressing his desire to do the last rites. You did not mention clearly from the beginning that your dog also belongs to our religion. I don't think that you do not know that I do all the rituals for dogs of our religion. The man who is in the next town will demand more than five hundred dollars. It is not necessary for you to call him.

One reason for frenzy; another for hatred.

Both these may come at any time, it can happen upon anything. The reason is that both these are children born out of demons.

If it is to one's advantage then we try to possess it solely and absolutely!

Or if it is otherwise we badly abuse it! We begin to hate and discard it!

• This is one of the important qualities of the mind.

• Frenzy and hatred are the minds' black pages.

• Frenzy is deceiving somebody and getting himself deceived. Deceiving himself and deceiving other is hatred.

• One who knows how to live will not deceive any one. One who does not know how to live will have frenzy for anything whatsoever, that too very easily!

If a pendulum is pushed to one side and released it will be continuously oscillating. If the pendulum reaches its right extreme end, the very next moment it will begin to move towards the left end.

The mind also, which is pushed by the drive called 'desire', will catch hold of any one of the two, that is 'frenzy' or 'hatred'.

Some times frenzy... Some times hatred...

• Many people's life goes on in this way.

It is unfortunate that it has become common place that almost all people are in frenzy regarding some aspects and show hatred in regard to some other aspects.

During certain times, affection and enmity becoming frenzy and at other times becoming hatred; religion becoming frenzied, hateful; lust becoming frenzy sometimes, hatred some other times; frenzy and hatred with regard to name and fame….

• In this fashion, the human mind catches hold of frenzy or hatred and it troubles and tortures man very much.

Taking advantage of certain rules and regulations and hating certain things and breaking some rules and regulations for one's mental frenzy - both these will make a person drown in misery.

An incident to explain about frenzy and hatred:

A king came to the Buddha to become his disciple. Buddha accepted him with a smile. But, all who were present there were worried and wondered as to why Buddha accepted the king as his disciple even after knowing fully well about the king.

Looking at the worried people around him, Buddha laughed and said: You will understand as time passes.

Wine, women, mansion, torturing the people after making them his slaves – this is the way the king lived. Earlier, he had started his life with the frenzy of pride that there should be nobody else other than him who lived with so much of gaiety as him.

The life he lived in the name of gaiety gave him happiness only for some time. On hearing about Buddha, the king suddenly changed his mind. He came to the conclusion that: I must reach that state of eternal bliss as enunciated by Buddha.

How can he who lived a life of luxury, who had been a tyrant and who had been dishonest adopt an ascetic life?

How can he involve himself in hard penance and meditation?

Can he remain at all without wine and women?

With all his arrogance, can he be polite and submissive to the Master? In this way, the Buddhist monks were one after the other, criticizing the king.

All who criticized the king became struck with wonder.

The reason was the approach of the king towards all regulations prescribed for the Buddhist monks.

When the monks walked on the center of the road without any foot-wear, the king walked along the edge of the road, full of thorns and stones....

The monks practiced self-control and ate only twice a day, the king ate only once a day.

The monks were not even using blankets for protecting themselves from the cold lest it may give rise to attachment. The king not only did not use the blankets, he used to lie down outside the monastery.

In this manner, the king observed all the rules and regulations of an ascetic life as strictly as possible.

Those who had commented became awe struck. All began to respect the king.

Even now, Buddha was watching every thing with the same smile.

The king who had a well built body became a pitiable sight as his frame became thin.

One day Buddha invited the king turned ascetic.

Buddha asked: Are you joyful now?

King replied: No.

Buddha asked: Then why do you remain an ascetic?

The king replied: I was happy only for a few weeks after I took to asceticism. As days passed, it vanished.

Buddha said: This is your problem. The frenzy that when I was king I should be the one who lived most outstandingly, has now changed as a frenzy. It should be only me who has lived the ascetic life most correctly.

The frenzy he had earlier had on luxuries has now become hatred.

The most pious thought and aim of attaining eternal bliss has disappeared. The mind has jumped from one corner of 'frenzy' to the other corner of 'hatred'.

Frenzy is wrong and hatred is also wrong.

Buddha concluded by saying: Learn to live in the middle between frenzy and hatred and your problem will be solved.

With tears rolling down from his eyes, the king fell down at the feet of the Buddha and he learnt to live from that day.

Solution for frenzy is, not hating frenzy at all.

This sort of approach will be suitable for money, religion, lust and all other things as well.

If one tries to escape from frenzy, then that frenzy will hide itself deeper inside the mind. The condition will become worse than earlier.

Examine your mind.

List out both the frenzy and the hatred lying inside you. Throw away both. If approached with full awareness, what Buddha said to the king of 'living in the middle' will be understood easily.

Your journey towards bliss will follow.

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A Meaningful incident

The example told by the Advaitha (order of saints who practice non-duality – man and God are not different from each other) saint to make one understand Buddha's statement of 'live in the middle':

If you tighten very much the string of the musical instrument Veena, it will snap. If you don't tighten it at all you cannot play the veena. To play the music the veena should be tightened 'in the middle.'

In everything, be in the middle. Blissful music will emanate.

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