Hari om everyone,
A quick synopsis of our class this week. We started the class with meditation. In our chanting segment, we chanted 'geetaa dhyaanam' and verses 39 - 70 from 'BG chapter 2'.
Our discussion started with questions on one's identity. We asked the students if they have an identity crisis or not. Some said yes, while others said no. When asked how they identified themselves, each gave a different answer - male, female, introvert, kind, nice, hardworking, confused, high school student, child, etc.
We then showed a picture of a house in darkness and a lampost outside. The question asked was, I lost a needle in my house, click on the part of the picture indicating where you can find it. Most of them clicked on different parts of the house and a couple of them (to have fun :), clicked on the lamp.
We started discussing how we really defined ourselves. All the words that each and everyone used to describe themselves can be put in ONLY 3 specific buckets! No matter what words we use to identify our persona, we would be either describing our Body, Mind or Intellect! If I say I'm pretty/ugly - that's my body. If I say I'm kind/sly - that's my mind. If I say I'm smart/dull - that's my intellect.
I loved to play with a donut stack toy as a 2 yr old. My 2 yr old mind enjoyed that and also reveled in that! Do I like the same thing now? No! So my mind changed.
I didn't know calculus in 5th grade, now I am learning. My intellect changed.
I was just a couple feet tall a few years ago, now I am this whole grown person. So, my body also changed!!
In fact, we contemplated that each and every single cell in my body today is renewed. Today I don't even have the same cells in my body that I was born with. Then what is it that is common from birth to now, that makes me, ME?! What is it that comes along with ME in the journey, depicted in this picture?
Our students are excellent! The words they used were - soul, God, brahma, aatma, observer!!
Bingo! That's it!! The one thing that has been enabling me to live through my life is - the witness to my life! My BMI (Body, Mind, Intellect) is NOT the true me. I am that witness that has been seeing these changes happening in me!
We saw the story of a king who was attached to his clay pots (China cabinet in today's world :). A learned old man made him understand that the essence of them all is the same clay and that is their original form! The vase, plate, bowl and pot are just the same clay in different shapes and sizes.
In the story of inheritance by 2 sons, we saw that a sly son wanted to distribute the property equally. He offered all the chains, bangles, rings, necklaces to his brother, but he would take only the gold in them... Duh! What will be left of the ornament if all the gold is taken away?!
If the essence is taken away, the rest is just Names and Forms. We will understand this more next class. We will leave you with a thought to contemplate, in this ever-changing world -
We have a great winter break and we will see you all next year.
Happy New Year and enjoy the family time!
Regards,
Rashmi and Raghav.