83. 96. Permanent impermanence.

A story of ancient time.

A magician, who wanted to save a rat which was trembling after seeing a cat, changed it into a cat by his magical powers.

After it was changed into a cat, it was afraid of the dog. So he changed into a dog. Having changed its shape, the dog became afraid when it saw a hunter. So the magician changed it into a hunter.

The form changed hunter came into the forest.

When fear gripped the mind of the hunter on seeing the magician, he changed him as a magician, thinking, 'Whatever it is, let it happen.'

One bandicoot came and stood near the newly formed magician. Like some small girls crying out of fear on seeing a cockroach, the new magician cried out on seeing the big rat.

The magician cursed him saying, 'You are fit to be a rat only, so be a rat itself', he once again changed the magician into a rat.

• Fear, grief, mental pain which remain in the mind, are all permanent impermanence which go on shaking you, whatever be the disguise you assume. Until these are driven out of you permanently, whatever you do, whatever you achieve, a ray of sorrow will be running in that in a subtle manner.

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Bliss is permanent. Sorrow is permanent impermanence.

• It is only those shocks which occur in life, which are the jet vehicles that lead us to the next dimension of life.
• The unexpected shocks and turns that we face in our lives are only those incidents which shake our minds, which sleep in the darkness of ignorance.
• To lose the impermanent sorrow and to attain the permanent bliss, we can face any shock with interest. No need to hesitate.
• Make the full use of the teachers called 'unexpected shocks' which teach you the lessons of life. You will see progress.

'In life, we should permanently live a trouble-free life along with property and all comforts.'

This one is such an essay, that every friend who is trying to drive the wheel of life, must read. In this impermanent world, one must have the above as the linch pin, duly watching out often for ditches, humps and pits.

• Oh my God! Even after five years. You look like goddess Mahalakshmi (the Goddess of wealth). I might cast my eyes on you! Beware!
• Very glad that even after so many years, you have not forgotten any thing. Oh! To think about that!!
• What life is this? Running the same way monotonously!
• How many other people are fine! God is testing only some people! They are always in trouble the same way! Why?
• He has settled comfortably in life. He owns a house! He has a good job! Now he is very comfortable.

In this manner people's conversations grow only centered on permanence.

What is permanent?

After raising this question in the mind and finding the answer, continue to read the essay.

At this minute, the air that a person breathes in Chennai (city in South India) is Chennai air. After a few minutes, if the same air reaches Kancheepuram (another town in South India), if one breathes that there, then, that is Kancheepuram air.

Calling it as Chennai air and Kancheepuram air will appear as true for that respective moment only. In truth there is no such thing as separate Kancheepuram air at all.

It is true that air is present. It goes on changing places. Today's Indian air is tomorrow's Sri Lankan air.

Man's body and mind are also changing in a similar fashion. Only the Causal Energy (Atman), which is responsible for man to be alive, is true. Permanent.

Otherwise those who go around in the world with names of Karuppusami and Govindasami are all just like the Indian air and Sri Lankan air. For that incident (true for the 50 or 60 years of life-time) only, it will appear as true.

The body is continually growing and decaying. That only is called as 'growth decay phenomenon' by doctors.

This only is 'Dhammapada philosophy' as stated by Buddha and it states that during each breath man is born and he dies.

Mind flowers and disappears continuously.

The universal rule is that, at the same time, positive and negative things go on simultaneously.

But, as far as men are concerned, in their castle of opinions called 'castle-inthe-air' (built out of one's own thoughts and opinions), they keep within these castles some illusory and limiting ideas about the world, its people and about relationships, feeling, truth… some knowingly or unknowingly, and begin to lead a family life with them.

The actual truth is one thing and the castle of mental opinions of man is a different one.

That is why men begin to work hard and toil mainly for two things:

1. They remaining in that impermanent illusory castle built of their opinions about their life, property, comforts, wife and other people. They toil to make property, comforts, wife, relatives remain permanent.

2. They struggle to make sure that nothing goes beyond their opinion, or their expectations and desires.

Here is a beautiful incident to explain about the illusory nature of our castle of opinions.

Once a woman came to the Advaitha Master, Digambarar, grief struck.

Digambarar asked, 'What is the problem, Ma?'

The woman said, 'Sir my husband has died. Everyone told me that you know the past, present and the future of all. They told me that you possess all capabilities and have realized the truth experientially.

By your divine power, somehow make my dead husband come alive. That is enough. I do not want any thing else in this world.'

Digambarar asked again, 'Which husband shall I bring back to life?'

The woman was shocked at this question Digambarar asked. The people who were around her were shocked too at this question. They expected the mystic to give a solution to the woman, no one expected that he would confuse and frighten her.

The woman said in a feeble voice, 'Master! What are you asking?'

Digambarar said, 'I have asked you correctly. Which husband should I bring back to life?

Is it the husband who lived before you got married; or the husband who lived after you got married; or the husband who lived some time after you got married; or the husband who lived after your marriage and after you got many children?

Or otherwise, is it the husband, whom you now say is dead? I should bring to life the husband who lived in which state? First you decide that, lady. Then we can bring to life that husband, who lived with you in that particular state.'

The woman now went to the peak of confusion. One thing she could understand, namely, that there was a big truth contained in the mystic's words.

Which husband? Which husband? – This question was ringing in her ears and troubling her mind very much.

He had given that woman shock treatment with his question. She had gone from the state of 'peak of sorrow' to the state of 'peak of agitation' and

then by his question she was taken to the 'peak of confusion'. Finally he looked at her with a graceful smile.

Though the woman was at the peak of confusion, the belief that a solution for her problem was being obtained blossomed in some corner of her heart and the woman's face also began to slowly bloom up.

Digambarar said, 'As we think, men are not permanent'.

Boy in childhood, adolescent in youth, middle-aged man in his middle ages, and old man in old age.

Even though man lives through all these four stages, at different stages, they remain with different levels of body and mind.

If all these four stages of man are watched, they will not match with one another. It will appear as though, all the four stages are four separate individuals.

When a boy became a youth, the boy had died. There is no boy there. When the youth became middle-aged, the youth had died. No youth there. When the middle-aged man became an old man, the middle-aged man had died.

In this manner, when each stage changes into another, the previous stage dies away. Even after seeing these deaths continuously, what protects us from grieving is only our 'feeling of desire' (a false notion of 'mine').

What makes the normal one of 'my husband' as a chain of desires is the imagination beyond limits of 'my own husband'.

'Oh girl! You will understand if you think as to why you are suffering. You will know the reason for your suffering' Digambarar said.

Hearing this, the lady became silent.

Digambarar said, 'Your husband's youth had died. You did not cry this much for that. When the human body of your husband changed from middle-aged body and touched the old age, the middle-aged body died. You had not cried for that also. Now, you are crying and grieving for the old-aged husband's body dying. Does it not appear rather strange to you?

Is your love and affection on the body? Or is it on the husband? Otherwise, is it on the claim of ownership that 'he is my own husband'' he asked.

The more and more the woman thought about it, what had to be understood was understood by her. She fell down and prostrated at the feet of the mystic.

'If really I am suffering only because my husband has died, while crossing each stage (of my husband), I should have cried for my husband's earlier body having died. But I had not cried like that. If I am crying now, surely it is because of the craving which resulted due to the right of ownership that 'he is my own husband.' The lady thought in this manner.

Once she understood this truth, the woman felt as though a big burden had been taken off her mind.

Change is the only thing that is permanent. The nature of the world is to change. To change continuously is growth.

It is enough if this truth is understood. Permanent nature of the world is to change without being permanent.

When you understand this you will continuously grow in the path of life, happily accepting the unexpected changes and unexpected turns in your individual life. The wonderful flower of experiential maturity will blossom within you.

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A meaningful incident.

In America, there was a sensational consumer court case, which was rather a strange one.

The reason is that the person who filed the case was a thief! The 'case was filed' on the house in which the theft was made!

The case: As the roof of the house to which he went to steal, broke and fell down on the thief, the thief was wounded badly!

The thief's contention: 'Punish me for stealing. But I should be compensated for the accident that occurred in that house when I went to steal there. I was

badly wounded when I went there to steal because the roof of that house was not constructed properly.'

For this case, the court decided that the owner of the house should give a huge amount of money as compensation.

• The one that makes us face life in an angle quite unexpected by us Permanent rule of 'impermanence'. Prepare yourself to face it!

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Meditation chisels. Chisel No. 51.

Let body, life and soul be commanded, to surpass happiness and realize bliss.

The period in between two wars cannot be said to be peace. That period is a preparation time for the next war.

Similarly, incidents in between two big sorrows cannot be said to be 'joyous incidents'. It is only a small sorrow. The reduction in the quantum of pain cannot be said to be joy.

What all man calls as comfort and happiness are only pains which are reduced or expressed in a different way.

Until it is not felt consciously bliss cannot even be imagined.

Bliss is gapless. Sorrow is permanent impermanence. It contains some gaps. Only those gaps are happiness. This gap is the one which has to be surpassed.

Sorrow - world's nature - your mind's nature. Bliss - universal nature - Your soul's nature (Nature of Atman)

In your life, it is enough if you have experienced bliss just only once... It will remain permanently. Because it is permanent.

Consequently, if you go beyond the world nature of 'permanent impermanence', you will jump into the universal nature. The sea of attachment will be surpassed.

How much ever happiness you may have faced in your life, if you still experience sorrow then please understand that the happiness you experienced is not bliss. It is dosha (affliction). Another of sorrow!

Let this truth descend deep within you.

Surpassing happiness let your entire mind, body, life and soul all be commanded that 'Bliss must be attained. That is the one and only aim'. Let this solid truth melt and become liquid in the mind.

Consciously realize these wisdom truths and meditate on it.

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