World Was a Library
"Knowledge was inherent in all things. The world was a library…"
--Chief Luther Standing Bear, Oglala Sioux
These wise words of an American Indian sage remind me of my own life's knowledge learned from sources outside of the books. I learned in this way almost all my life, but the process became more conscious when I lived in rural settings for several years beginning in 1952. Let me illustrate by describing experiences of my second long sojourn in a village.
My family and I lived 8 years in a small village (1979 to 1987) in Central India where I led a natural farming experiment at a Quaker Center. Though it was a small institution we managed to generate our own big and small crises. At such times my wisest friend and counselor was a 100+ years old Pipal tree growing in the back of our house. I would meet him with a hug and quietly sit down leaning my back against his massive trunk. He spoke to me and often taught by sharing his own experiences. "Look at me," he would (of course quietly) say. "I have lived through bigger problems; but without fail, life dissolves them as butter on a hot pan."
Dogs taught me many things about health. For instance one or more of them would always come with me for morning walks. Sometimes when I over slept, a waiting dog would bark to wake and remind me. By this and other actions they taught me that exercise was as important for good health as right food. During these morning walks the dogs every day defecated on the ground; they would scratch the ground, drop their excreta, smell and examine it, then cover it with dirt. Following their good example I did as they. From them I learned the importance of checking excreta every morning to know if the food one ate the previous day was properly digested, whether the quantity and content were right, and how to adjust all these during the dawning new day. Vinoba Bhave who ate healthy diet in measured quantities all his life and also carefully checked his own body's functioning without help of pathologists endorsed this experience of mine. He used strongly to recommend "prabhate mala darshanam", i.e. every morning examine your own feces.
A bull taught me love. We had a young bull in our dairy named Bali. I had brought him from Jaisalmer, in Rajasthan, when he was less than one year old. Every morning and evening I would have a session of my petting him and his licking me. He expressed displeasure when I failed to visit him. At age 3 he was very big and strong like a full-grown breeding bull, but his actions were like a child's. Occasionally, when by mistake his enclosure's gate was left open, he would walk out to prance around and explore the world. People would get excited and try to send him back by shouting or brandishing sticks. These threats had as much effect on Bali as barking dogs on a passing elephant. As the last resort I would be called to intervene. Bali would come straight to me and licked my hand. We would walk around together for some time and then go back to the dairy. Once in his enclosure, Bali would start feeding from his manger. I would leave him never forgetting to say goodbye in our normal style.
I learned a great deal more from plants and animals then and am continuing to do so. The enduring lesson I leaned is that nature's wisdom is written clearly all around us, including our own bodies. Reading it can teach us more than the words heard from teachers or read in books.
Partap
September 23, 2006
Mother Earth
Mother Earth
My human mother is my mother once removed,
my primary mother is mother earth.
She is the mother of my mother and of all beings,
plants or animals, big and small.
All Earth Mother's children are parts of her body,
hence needed and valued.
When we buy, cut and fence her we hinder normal
functions in Mothr's body and make her sick.
Furthermore, we dig her up with huge moldboard
ploughs, and pollute her with chemical fertilizers, and deadly poisons.
Quite visible symptoms indicate that she is sick
and getting sicker.
Mother's warning signals are loud and clear,
how much longer are we going to ignore them?
Time is running out.
Partap
September 9, 2006
My human mother is my mother once removed,
my primary mother is mother earth.
She is the mother of my mother and of all beings,
plants or animals, big and small.
All Earth Mother's children are parts of her body,
hence needed and valued.
When we buy, cut and fence her we hinder normal
functions in Mothr's body and make her sick.
Furthermore, we dig her up with huge moldboard
ploughs, and pollute her with chemical fertilizers, and deadly poisons.
Quite visible symptoms indicate that she is sick
and getting sicker.
Mother's warning signals are loud and clear,
how much longer are we going to ignore them?
Time is running out.
Partap
September 9, 2006
Lion's Share
Lion's Share
Nature's bounty is for ALL her children.
I can have lion's share only by humbling my brother.
To have a bigger share of world's resources nations must fight wars.
Yet, in the modern world it is considered smart to want the lion's share.
Think of the price of unjust sharing and know that it is smarter to share equally.
Partap
September 2, 2006
Nature's bounty is for ALL her children.
I can have lion's share only by humbling my brother.
To have a bigger share of world's resources nations must fight wars.
Yet, in the modern world it is considered smart to want the lion's share.
Think of the price of unjust sharing and know that it is smarter to share equally.
Partap
September 2, 2006
Fourth Ashram
Fourth Ashram
I grew up in a culture where birthdays are not celebrated: no party, no gifts, and no resolutions. It was just another day. I didn't even know my date of birth till age 17. My parents, of course, knew it and we all knew that we had our janma-patris (birth certificate prepared by the family priest). But mine, we thought, was lost in 1947 when our country was partitioned and we had to leave our home and all our possessions. On my first college admission form I put down a cooked up birth date. Then, mysteriously, my janma-patri reappeared. It was with some papers my sister had put away in a locker. I discovered that my true birth date is May 21, 1931.
We still do not celebrate birthdays but they are highlighted mentally. May 21st this year, however, was special, for I had turned 75. In the Vedic culture we are supposed to enter the contemplative life at this age. In this day and age very few people take this tradition seriously: but I am old fashioned. Since May 21st my mind began to throb and tick. It has been planning a course of action: 'As soon as you get back home its one meal a day, simpler dress, sleep on the floor, meditate all morning on empty stomach, be silent, cut out outer and inner noise, on and on ad infinitum! It puzzled and petrified me.'
Another, more sane voice then intervened. "Stop" it said. "Drop all your worthless plans. Your mind is having a gala time. It will go on like this and you will still be where you are five years from now. That is because for your mind planning is everything: work is not important."
You must enter contemplative life (sanyas) now. Right this minute. You need to shed your mind's baggage. Seek the light of the Great Spirit and walk the path lit by it. It will guide your every step if you submit. Be ready to receive help moment to moment. Be empty, humble, and obedient. Not easy, but the only choice for you.
I am awe struck and very happy.
Partap
October 25, 2006
I grew up in a culture where birthdays are not celebrated: no party, no gifts, and no resolutions. It was just another day. I didn't even know my date of birth till age 17. My parents, of course, knew it and we all knew that we had our janma-patris (birth certificate prepared by the family priest). But mine, we thought, was lost in 1947 when our country was partitioned and we had to leave our home and all our possessions. On my first college admission form I put down a cooked up birth date. Then, mysteriously, my janma-patri reappeared. It was with some papers my sister had put away in a locker. I discovered that my true birth date is May 21, 1931.
We still do not celebrate birthdays but they are highlighted mentally. May 21st this year, however, was special, for I had turned 75. In the Vedic culture we are supposed to enter the contemplative life at this age. In this day and age very few people take this tradition seriously: but I am old fashioned. Since May 21st my mind began to throb and tick. It has been planning a course of action: 'As soon as you get back home its one meal a day, simpler dress, sleep on the floor, meditate all morning on empty stomach, be silent, cut out outer and inner noise, on and on ad infinitum! It puzzled and petrified me.'
Another, more sane voice then intervened. "Stop" it said. "Drop all your worthless plans. Your mind is having a gala time. It will go on like this and you will still be where you are five years from now. That is because for your mind planning is everything: work is not important."
You must enter contemplative life (sanyas) now. Right this minute. You need to shed your mind's baggage. Seek the light of the Great Spirit and walk the path lit by it. It will guide your every step if you submit. Be ready to receive help moment to moment. Be empty, humble, and obedient. Not easy, but the only choice for you.
I am awe struck and very happy.
Partap
October 25, 2006
Only Forgiveness Can End the Circle of Violence
Only Forgiveness Can End the Circle of Violence
(I have derived the following story from an article by Clarence Page in the Chicago Tribune.)
On October 2, 2006 a terrible incidence of violence occurred in an Amish village in Pennsylvania. A young milk delivery truck driver entered an isolated one-room school carrying a loaded rifle. He ordered the teacher and the male pupils to leave.
Eleven young girls, the oldest 13, were lined up for killing. The oldest girl, in order to gain time for the others, asked to be shot first. She was shot and killed. Her 11 years old sister offered to be second. She too was shot, but she survived. The gunman shot all of them killing five on the spot and injuring the rest. Then he shot and killed himself.
The girls' families and the entire Amish community felt shocked and hurt but they responded in a most extraordinary manner. They reasoned: 'all deaths are God's will. So we grieve but gracefully accept His will. The killer too is dead. His family too, like us, grieves. All of us, therefore, are victims of violence.
So, few days after the tragedy, the Amish organized a caravan of buggies and went to the killer's house to offer food and condolences to his grieving family.
Partap
October 14, 2006
(I have derived the following story from an article by Clarence Page in the Chicago Tribune.)
On October 2, 2006 a terrible incidence of violence occurred in an Amish village in Pennsylvania. A young milk delivery truck driver entered an isolated one-room school carrying a loaded rifle. He ordered the teacher and the male pupils to leave.
Eleven young girls, the oldest 13, were lined up for killing. The oldest girl, in order to gain time for the others, asked to be shot first. She was shot and killed. Her 11 years old sister offered to be second. She too was shot, but she survived. The gunman shot all of them killing five on the spot and injuring the rest. Then he shot and killed himself.
The girls' families and the entire Amish community felt shocked and hurt but they responded in a most extraordinary manner. They reasoned: 'all deaths are God's will. So we grieve but gracefully accept His will. The killer too is dead. His family too, like us, grieves. All of us, therefore, are victims of violence.
So, few days after the tragedy, the Amish organized a caravan of buggies and went to the killer's house to offer food and condolences to his grieving family.
Partap
October 14, 2006
Seeing Nature from Within
Seeing Nature from Within
We acquire the habit of seeing nature only with our eyes and think that we are separate from it. In fact we are nature, and inseparable. Therefore if we can see from within, we get an entirely different view of what is around us.
A beautiful story in the Upanishads illustrates this. Briefly, the story is: a demon misbehaves with Shiva and his wife Parvati. Shiva gets angry and opens is third eye. Horrific hurricane with loud thunder ensues. When it passes, a lean demon appears with the intention of eating the bad one. The bad demon falls at Shiva's feet and is forgiven. The famished lean one asks Shiva what he should eat. Shiva tells him to eat himself. He obeys and begins from the feet. When only his face is left, Shiva stops him, names him kirtimukh (face of glory), and declares that his icon will be displayed outside all Shiva temples. It will teach people the truth that 'life eats life'. Deer eats grass, tiger meat, birds’ seeds, but all eat life.
Shiva, of course, is saying much more. He is teaching us that our eye sees in a limited frame. Mind can conceptualize and broaden our view but only a tiny bit. To get the true and full picture we must see the universe from within. Only then nature's working is revealed to us in its true form.
We are in fact life that temporarily manifests to animate our bodies. We therefore can see nature from within. By forgetting this we shortchange ourselves and invite misery.
Partap
October 7, 2006
We acquire the habit of seeing nature only with our eyes and think that we are separate from it. In fact we are nature, and inseparable. Therefore if we can see from within, we get an entirely different view of what is around us.
A beautiful story in the Upanishads illustrates this. Briefly, the story is: a demon misbehaves with Shiva and his wife Parvati. Shiva gets angry and opens is third eye. Horrific hurricane with loud thunder ensues. When it passes, a lean demon appears with the intention of eating the bad one. The bad demon falls at Shiva's feet and is forgiven. The famished lean one asks Shiva what he should eat. Shiva tells him to eat himself. He obeys and begins from the feet. When only his face is left, Shiva stops him, names him kirtimukh (face of glory), and declares that his icon will be displayed outside all Shiva temples. It will teach people the truth that 'life eats life'. Deer eats grass, tiger meat, birds’ seeds, but all eat life.
Shiva, of course, is saying much more. He is teaching us that our eye sees in a limited frame. Mind can conceptualize and broaden our view but only a tiny bit. To get the true and full picture we must see the universe from within. Only then nature's working is revealed to us in its true form.
We are in fact life that temporarily manifests to animate our bodies. We therefore can see nature from within. By forgetting this we shortchange ourselves and invite misery.
Partap
October 7, 2006
Man without the Beasts
Man without the Beasts
“What is man without the beasts? If all beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever
happens to the beasts also happens to man. All things
are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls
the children of the earth.”
Chief Seattle
Suquamish and Duwamish
Every word of this wise Indian chief is true and incontrovertible. Yet knowingly and unknowingly we continue to destroy the beasts at an alarming rate. Many species have totally vanished, thousands are dying every day, and none are safe any more. We humans are the major cause of this and ironically, we too have become an endangered species.
Partap
November 25, 2006
“What is man without the beasts? If all beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever
happens to the beasts also happens to man. All things
are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls
the children of the earth.”
Chief Seattle
Suquamish and Duwamish
Every word of this wise Indian chief is true and incontrovertible. Yet knowingly and unknowingly we continue to destroy the beasts at an alarming rate. Many species have totally vanished, thousands are dying every day, and none are safe any more. We humans are the major cause of this and ironically, we too have become an endangered species.
Partap
November 25, 2006
No People Owns the Land
No People Owns the Land
“Some of our chiefs make the claim that the land belongs to us. It is not what the Great Spirit told me. He told me that the lands belong to Him, that no people owns the land; that I was not to forget to tell this to the white people when I met them in council.”
Kanchuk, Kichapoo prophet
“No tribe has the right to sell, even to each other, much less to strangers…Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Didn’t the Great Spirit make them for the use of his children?”
Tecumesh, Shawnee
“This is what was spoken by my great-grandfather at the house he made for us…And these are the words that were given him by the Master of Life: At some time there shall come among you a stranger, speaking a language you do not understand. He will try to buy the land from you, but do not sell it; keep it as an inheritance to your children.”
Aseenewub, Red Lake Ojibwe
If you wonder why then did the Indians sell the land to the white man, here is an explanation.
“Suppose a white man should come to me and say, “Joseph, I like your horses. I want to buy them.”
I say to him, “No, my horses suit me; I will not sell them.”
Then he goes to my neighbor and says to him. “Joseph has some good horses. I want to buy them, but he refuses to sell.”
My neighbor answers, “Pay me the money, and I will sell you Joseph’s horses.”
The white man returns to me and says, “Joseph, I have bought your horses and you must let me have them.”
If we sold our lands to the government; this is the way they bought them.”
Chief Joseph, Nez Perce
Civilization begins with the ownership and exploitation of land. Unless it stops, we are likely to continue to go where our modern civilization seems to be taking us.
Partap
December 23, 2006
“Some of our chiefs make the claim that the land belongs to us. It is not what the Great Spirit told me. He told me that the lands belong to Him, that no people owns the land; that I was not to forget to tell this to the white people when I met them in council.”
Kanchuk, Kichapoo prophet
“No tribe has the right to sell, even to each other, much less to strangers…Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Didn’t the Great Spirit make them for the use of his children?”
Tecumesh, Shawnee
“This is what was spoken by my great-grandfather at the house he made for us…And these are the words that were given him by the Master of Life: At some time there shall come among you a stranger, speaking a language you do not understand. He will try to buy the land from you, but do not sell it; keep it as an inheritance to your children.”
Aseenewub, Red Lake Ojibwe
If you wonder why then did the Indians sell the land to the white man, here is an explanation.
“Suppose a white man should come to me and say, “Joseph, I like your horses. I want to buy them.”
I say to him, “No, my horses suit me; I will not sell them.”
Then he goes to my neighbor and says to him. “Joseph has some good horses. I want to buy them, but he refuses to sell.”
My neighbor answers, “Pay me the money, and I will sell you Joseph’s horses.”
The white man returns to me and says, “Joseph, I have bought your horses and you must let me have them.”
If we sold our lands to the government; this is the way they bought them.”
Chief Joseph, Nez Perce
Civilization begins with the ownership and exploitation of land. Unless it stops, we are likely to continue to go where our modern civilization seems to be taking us.
Partap
December 23, 2006
Love of Possessions is a Weakness
Love of Possessions is a Weakness
“It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. Its appeal is to the material part, and if allowed its way, it will in time disturb one’s spiritual balance. Therefore, children must early learn the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving.
If a child is inclined to be grasping, or to cling to any of his or her little possessions, legends are related about the contempt and disgrace falling upon the ungenerous and mean person…….
The Indians in their simplicity literally give away all that they have—to relatives, to guests of other tribes or clans, but above all to the poor and the aged, from whom they can hope for no return.”
Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohiyesa)
Santee Sioux
Sharing was a form of insurance in the non-agricultural tribal societies where people lived on what they gathered of nature’s bounty in the form of fruits, grains, roots; meat of animals they occasionally hunted; fish they caught in the right season, and a variety of other foods found in the forest. When one killed a large animal there was more meat than a family could eat. It made perfect sense to share the surplus for one soon got it back in a larger measure when the neighbors made kills. In this way food was shared and everyone ate quite well.
But the Indians also realized that sharing was spiritually beneficial to the giver. In their eyes that was a bigger gain. They knew that they were in fact the spirit that animates all living bodies including their own. This realization was cultivated in them from childhood. Rest of their lives they tested this truth and found it the foundation of all life. This gave them a sense of security and great stability to live through ups and down of living.
This way of looking at life was shared by all tribal (and other) cultures around the globe. Listen to what the Vedic Rishi sang in the ishavasyupanishad. Everything that exists around us is created by the ISHA (the Great Spirit). Whenever we eat or consume anything we must remember this and offer it first to its creator and the true owner. None of us is the real owner and all living beings have equal right to things that the Creator has made for us. So share with a large heart and do not boast of being generous, for you are giving something that is a gift from God and is in any case meant to be shared by all.
Partap
December 16, 2006
“It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. Its appeal is to the material part, and if allowed its way, it will in time disturb one’s spiritual balance. Therefore, children must early learn the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving.
If a child is inclined to be grasping, or to cling to any of his or her little possessions, legends are related about the contempt and disgrace falling upon the ungenerous and mean person…….
The Indians in their simplicity literally give away all that they have—to relatives, to guests of other tribes or clans, but above all to the poor and the aged, from whom they can hope for no return.”
Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohiyesa)
Santee Sioux
Sharing was a form of insurance in the non-agricultural tribal societies where people lived on what they gathered of nature’s bounty in the form of fruits, grains, roots; meat of animals they occasionally hunted; fish they caught in the right season, and a variety of other foods found in the forest. When one killed a large animal there was more meat than a family could eat. It made perfect sense to share the surplus for one soon got it back in a larger measure when the neighbors made kills. In this way food was shared and everyone ate quite well.
But the Indians also realized that sharing was spiritually beneficial to the giver. In their eyes that was a bigger gain. They knew that they were in fact the spirit that animates all living bodies including their own. This realization was cultivated in them from childhood. Rest of their lives they tested this truth and found it the foundation of all life. This gave them a sense of security and great stability to live through ups and down of living.
This way of looking at life was shared by all tribal (and other) cultures around the globe. Listen to what the Vedic Rishi sang in the ishavasyupanishad. Everything that exists around us is created by the ISHA (the Great Spirit). Whenever we eat or consume anything we must remember this and offer it first to its creator and the true owner. None of us is the real owner and all living beings have equal right to things that the Creator has made for us. So share with a large heart and do not boast of being generous, for you are giving something that is a gift from God and is in any case meant to be shared by all.
Partap
December 16, 2006
Beauty of a Humble Roadside Flower
Beauty of a Humble Roadside Flower
Last Tuesday I was walking on one of the fire lane roads at Navadarshanam. Something made me stop and look. I looked at my eye level and above and did not see anything unusual. Then I looked on the ground to my left. As my eyes skimmed the surface I noticed something white looking up from among the tiny plants. I sat down and a most beautiful flower attracted my attention. As I focused my eyes on it I was stunned to take in its beauty.
The flower was about an inch wide. Its 20 petals were perfectly shaped and neatly arranged in a circle. In the middle there stood fifty quarter inch long hairs each wearing the most exquisite crown I have ever seen. As I took the time to watch the details I was filled with awe.
The flower seemed to have read my feeling and thoughts. It asked; “Why are you so puzzled to see me, old man?”
“I am not puzzled. I am awe struck to see your breath taking beauty”
“But why are you so exceptionally awe struck? Have you never seen a pretty flower?
“I have, but you are so tiny and hidden in the grass. Frankly, you are too pretty for your humble station. Who made you with so much love and care?”
“I am a child of Life. Life loves me. She has crafted me with care. There is no artist in the world to equal my maker, and there will never ever be one. I am very rich and very fortunate to be what I am and where I am. You too are a child of Life and equally lucky. You will never be unhappy if you remember this.”
Partap
December 09, 2006
Last Tuesday I was walking on one of the fire lane roads at Navadarshanam. Something made me stop and look. I looked at my eye level and above and did not see anything unusual. Then I looked on the ground to my left. As my eyes skimmed the surface I noticed something white looking up from among the tiny plants. I sat down and a most beautiful flower attracted my attention. As I focused my eyes on it I was stunned to take in its beauty.
The flower was about an inch wide. Its 20 petals were perfectly shaped and neatly arranged in a circle. In the middle there stood fifty quarter inch long hairs each wearing the most exquisite crown I have ever seen. As I took the time to watch the details I was filled with awe.
The flower seemed to have read my feeling and thoughts. It asked; “Why are you so puzzled to see me, old man?”
“I am not puzzled. I am awe struck to see your breath taking beauty”
“But why are you so exceptionally awe struck? Have you never seen a pretty flower?
“I have, but you are so tiny and hidden in the grass. Frankly, you are too pretty for your humble station. Who made you with so much love and care?”
“I am a child of Life. Life loves me. She has crafted me with care. There is no artist in the world to equal my maker, and there will never ever be one. I am very rich and very fortunate to be what I am and where I am. You too are a child of Life and equally lucky. You will never be unhappy if you remember this.”
Partap
December 09, 2006
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