Category: Wisdom@Living

Spiritualists & Materialists Both live at the edges, trying to escape. Materialist — hedonistic, acquisitive, disconnected. Spiritualist — dry, austere, disconnected. There is no escaping the world. There is no escaping suffering. One must go through it. Attached, but not really. Detached, but not really. Playful. Aware. Witnessing the game as one plays it. Disengaged, yet engaged. Wisdom is – Material Spiritualism. Spiritual Materialism.

What Is Affluence? Income (divided by) / [Needs+Wants] Who is Rich? One whose [income] exceeds her [Needs+Wants] Who is Richer? One who can improve the ratio between income and wants Who is the Richest? Mathematically, someone who can reduce his [needs+wants] to zero, irrespective of income Wisdom Is – To know where to draw the line_

Priest and philosopher Anthony De Mello speaks about two kinds of selfishness – The first type is the one where I give myself the pleasure of pleasing myself. That’s what we generally call self-centredness. The second is where I give myself the pleasure of pleasing others. That would be a more refined kind of selfishness. The first one is visible, but the second one is hidden. As one looks inwards, The ‘self’ slowly dissolves. Hence less self-ish. The ‘others’ dissolve. Hence less self-ish. No Self. No Self-ish-ness. Wisdom Is – Self Awareness > Self Dissolution

How rich am I? A way to measure that is by asking – How much control do I have over my time? A true measure of wealth is the time we have to do what we want to do, when we want to do it – Take a holiday with the family. Write the book that we want to write. Travel to meet friends and parents. Finish reading the book sitting on the shelf. Make that music video. Do nothing at all. The true measure of wealth is the freedom to choose. And the currency of freedom is control over

Jesus preached love. Buddha directed us to non-attachment. Rumi urged us to surrender. Ramana asked us to enquire into the Self. Kabir told us the ocean was in the droplet. Shankara pointed at the non-dual Self. They all taught us techniques – -to reduce suffering. -to access the transcendental. The techniques aren’t Hindu, Buddhist, Christian or Sufi. They were realised & discovered, not invented. We may not choose a religion. But we can perhaps try a technique and see if it works. Wisdom is – To study the different techniques offered by the masters.

It takes intelligence to run a business profitably. It takes wisdom to manifest its impact in society. It takes intelligence to build a sustainable house. It takes wisdom to build a harmonious home. It takes intelligence to know the far left from right. It takes wisdom to realise what causes the divide. It takes intelligence to create wealth and power. It takes wisdom to know how to handle power. It takes intelligence to learn the scriptures. It takes wisdom to live spiritually. Wisdom ≠ Intelligence Wisdom Is –  A Deeper Awareness. A Bigger Perspective.

The words come from the revered monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He tells us that suffering is the canvas of life. No one can escape suffering. When we meet suffering, we run away from it – Hiding in addiction, distraction, self-victimisation… “When we know how to suffer,” Nhat Hanh says,  “we suffer much, much less.”  We learn how to suffer when we observe suffering. When we observe – we see suffering for what it is. That act of compassionate observation helps us suffer less. And we grow. No Mud, No Lotus No Suffering, No Growth Wisdom is –  To learn how to suffer.

What is the intrinsic value of gold? Of diamond? Of a painting? Of an aged whisky? Is the money we are willing to pay for them comparable to their intrinsic value? The answer is – No. We value them because we collectively buy their story.  It’s not very different when it comes to humans. Heroes, Villains, Saviours, Saints, Traitors … We value people by their stories.  Their intrinsic value is the same – human.  Wisdom is –  To see the human in humans first.

Most of us have three lives: The life we live, The life we dream of, and The unlived, authentic life lying caged within us. The first is the one designed chiefly by society. It provides safety, acceptance and recognition. Many of us live numbed in this life. The second is an escape from the first. The third life –  The one un-lived is the adventurous life. The adventure of living who we are in our nature. It’s the life of inner flourishing, of art, of play… It’s the life that feels authentic. Wisdom Is –  Living Authentic.