03.07 - Is nothing the place where something is hiding? Some people say, “When we do nothing, we will become free from all external preoccupations and thereby discover our true self.” Will we? We will definitely discover something. But it won’t be our true self; it will be our worst self. Here’s why. Doing nothing is impossible both practically and conceptually. Practically because we are by nature active beings; we are always active, if not physically then at least mentally. Conceptually because even to do nothing is also to do something. Nonetheless, we do end up doing nothing sometimes when we aren’t doing anything specific. These are the times at which our weaknesses and attachments usually surface. When the mind doesn’t have a constructive engagement, it usually seeks pleasure by the path of least resistance. This path takes us to impulsive pleasures that are immoral and anti-devotional. Normally, we mask such impulses – and the lower self that is the locus of those impulses. And we mask it not just from the world but also from ourselves so that we can imagine that we are better than what we actually are. By doing nothing, we don’t remove the mask; we rivet it. One honest look at our heart will show us that the lower self does indeed exist. By doing nothing, we often give a free hand to that lower self – a dangerous path indeed. A far safer way to self-discovery is engaging in scripturally-prescribed and spiritually uplifting activities that free us from that lower side. That’s why the Bhagavad-gita recommends (03.07) safe and purifying action and discourages (03.06) unsafe and potentially putrifying inaction. By keeping ourselves busy in devotional service to Krishna so that we have no time for doing nothing, we can not only keep the lower something at bay but also bury it permanently. *** On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Krishna consciousness] without attachment, he is by far superior. For any queries please visit thespiritualscientist.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 12:27:22 +0000
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