Once, a Disciple (Shishya) approaches his Guru with some profound questions. Here is the discourse that ensued between them.
Shishya: Sir, I am a very frustrated man. What do I do?
Guru: That your mind is frustrated is true. So, don't let your mind be frustrated.
Shishya: But sir, how not to be frustrated? I mean, whatever I see or do in life, the monotony of life seems to overpower me fairly quickly, so much so that, I lose interest in that thing & get frustrated. It is not as if I want to be frustrated. It's just that I get frustrated with whatever I do in a reasonably short time.
Guru: Listen my child, first of all, you should get some of your fundamentals right. You just mentioned that the "monotony of life" overpowers you. This is a very negative, unfair, & degraded view of life itself. Life is a very dynamic & meditative process. If you closely observe, everything in nature seems to be doing its work without complaining about the monotony or otherwise about life. For example, observe that all the rivers of the world are flowing endlessly & merge with the ocean eventually. They never complain about the monotony of the entire process. Just imagine for a moment what happens if the rivers stop flowing? The water becomes stagnant & before it's long, you'll see all the filth accumulating, mosquitoes breeding, & the once beautiful river dies slowly. Similarly, you can observe anything else in life. You'll come to the same conclusion. Can you imagine what consequences would befall the entire humanity (including all the various forms of life in nature) if all the rivers were to think alike & get frustrated with the "monotony of life"? There would be no more "life" on earth.
Shishya: Sir, I am an ordinary man & not a Saint. I can't think of the humanity. I can only think for myself. Very often, out of frustration, I end up asking myself - WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE? The more I think of the question, the more I get frustrated.
Guru: You need not be a Saint to think about the entire humanity. You need not think of the entire humanity. And, it is wrong to think that you are committing a sin by thinking of yourself or for that matter your family. It is natural that each one of us thinks for oneself & their families. It is not only natural, but also fair. But, what you should understand is, as much as you & your family are important to you, so also are others & their families to others. No one person or his family is superior to others or others' families in life. Every individual or family is important in the entire scheme of things. Hence, it is important to appreciate others & their families as much as one's own. You said you end up asking yourself about the "purpose of life" out of frustration. Although the question is very profound, the attitude towards seeking answer to that profound question is not right. You should seek answer to that question not out of frustration, but out of the attitude of inquisitiveness of a child. For a child, everything is a surprise. For a child, the whole of creation, including "THAT, WHICH CREATED", is a surprise. The sunset is as much a surprise to the child, as the sunrise is. It applies to almost everything in life in the eyes of a child. Out of this surprise, out of this wonder, arises the genuine attitude of inquisitiveness in a child's mind. That's precisely the reason why the child is surprised when it sees new leaves in the spring or leaves being shed in autumn. This surprise leads to questions like what, why, when, where, & how, in the mind of the child. We, the elders, dismiss a child's inquisitiveness & put down the child. Out of this putting down over the years by elders, family, & the surrounding, arises frustration because there is no room for genuine inquisitiveness. That ingenuity has been replaced by the mundane & monotonous life. That's the reason we don't see the charm in the face of elders, whereas a child is charming without any effort. A child is charming by nature. A child is not charming by effort; it is a child's natural state to be charmful. Have you ever wondered what could make a child happy by seeing different toys or pictures? The child does not see these toys & pictures as something different. It sees them as a part of life; for the child, these toys & pictures are life. It sees life in these toys & pictures; whereas we adults dismiss them as mere toys & pictures. That is the magnitude of difference in the attitude of a child toward life & the attitude of adults toward life. What is important is, to rekindle that lost child within each one of us. And then, frustration automatically vanishes. Now, let me tell you the purpose of life. THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS "TO LIVE".
Shishya: Sir, you said the purpose of life is "to live". Live, & do what, sir?
Guru: My dear child, the purpose of life is "TO BE".
Shishya: Sir, you are now confusing me. You first say, the purpose of life is "to live". And, now you say, the purpose of life is "TO BE". Are you not trying to confuse or mislead me?
Guru (smiling): No my dear child. I need not confuse or mislead you. For, I gain nothing out of it. Having said that, "TO LIVE" & "TO BE" are not 2 different things. They are one & the same. The moment you "LIVE", you also "BECOME". The moment you "BECOME", you also start "TO LIVE". Therefore, they are one & the same.
Shishya: Sir, I now ask of you to explain - "TO BECOME" what?
Guru (smiling): "TO BECOME" WHAT YOU ARE.
Shishya: Sir, I am myself. What else can I become other than myself?
Guru (with a deep smile): You should "BECOME THE SELF" & not yourself. There is not yourself & myself. There is only The Self. Yourself & myself are everything but The Self. Therefore, remove the "your" & "my" from yourself & myself. You are The Self & the purpose is "TO BE THE SELF".
Shishya: Sir, but, I am Siddhartha. How can I be The Self?
Guru: My dear son, Siddhartha is only a name you have taken. But, that's not you.
Shishya: If I am not Siddhartha, which as you rightly said is only a name, then, "WHO AM I"?
Guru: My dear child, all I can do is to show you the path. It is then upto you to walk the path & find for yourself "WHO YOU ARE". I am more like a guide showing you different things of interest, my child. It is you who has to see, hear, touch, feel, & experience what I show. We will continue further tomorrow. Now, you rest.
Shishya: Sir, I am a very frustrated man. What do I do?
Guru: That your mind is frustrated is true. So, don't let your mind be frustrated.
Shishya: But sir, how not to be frustrated? I mean, whatever I see or do in life, the monotony of life seems to overpower me fairly quickly, so much so that, I lose interest in that thing & get frustrated. It is not as if I want to be frustrated. It's just that I get frustrated with whatever I do in a reasonably short time.
Guru: Listen my child, first of all, you should get some of your fundamentals right. You just mentioned that the "monotony of life" overpowers you. This is a very negative, unfair, & degraded view of life itself. Life is a very dynamic & meditative process. If you closely observe, everything in nature seems to be doing its work without complaining about the monotony or otherwise about life. For example, observe that all the rivers of the world are flowing endlessly & merge with the ocean eventually. They never complain about the monotony of the entire process. Just imagine for a moment what happens if the rivers stop flowing? The water becomes stagnant & before it's long, you'll see all the filth accumulating, mosquitoes breeding, & the once beautiful river dies slowly. Similarly, you can observe anything else in life. You'll come to the same conclusion. Can you imagine what consequences would befall the entire humanity (including all the various forms of life in nature) if all the rivers were to think alike & get frustrated with the "monotony of life"? There would be no more "life" on earth.
Shishya: Sir, I am an ordinary man & not a Saint. I can't think of the humanity. I can only think for myself. Very often, out of frustration, I end up asking myself - WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE? The more I think of the question, the more I get frustrated.
Guru: You need not be a Saint to think about the entire humanity. You need not think of the entire humanity. And, it is wrong to think that you are committing a sin by thinking of yourself or for that matter your family. It is natural that each one of us thinks for oneself & their families. It is not only natural, but also fair. But, what you should understand is, as much as you & your family are important to you, so also are others & their families to others. No one person or his family is superior to others or others' families in life. Every individual or family is important in the entire scheme of things. Hence, it is important to appreciate others & their families as much as one's own. You said you end up asking yourself about the "purpose of life" out of frustration. Although the question is very profound, the attitude towards seeking answer to that profound question is not right. You should seek answer to that question not out of frustration, but out of the attitude of inquisitiveness of a child. For a child, everything is a surprise. For a child, the whole of creation, including "THAT, WHICH CREATED", is a surprise. The sunset is as much a surprise to the child, as the sunrise is. It applies to almost everything in life in the eyes of a child. Out of this surprise, out of this wonder, arises the genuine attitude of inquisitiveness in a child's mind. That's precisely the reason why the child is surprised when it sees new leaves in the spring or leaves being shed in autumn. This surprise leads to questions like what, why, when, where, & how, in the mind of the child. We, the elders, dismiss a child's inquisitiveness & put down the child. Out of this putting down over the years by elders, family, & the surrounding, arises frustration because there is no room for genuine inquisitiveness. That ingenuity has been replaced by the mundane & monotonous life. That's the reason we don't see the charm in the face of elders, whereas a child is charming without any effort. A child is charming by nature. A child is not charming by effort; it is a child's natural state to be charmful. Have you ever wondered what could make a child happy by seeing different toys or pictures? The child does not see these toys & pictures as something different. It sees them as a part of life; for the child, these toys & pictures are life. It sees life in these toys & pictures; whereas we adults dismiss them as mere toys & pictures. That is the magnitude of difference in the attitude of a child toward life & the attitude of adults toward life. What is important is, to rekindle that lost child within each one of us. And then, frustration automatically vanishes. Now, let me tell you the purpose of life. THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS "TO LIVE".
Shishya: Sir, you said the purpose of life is "to live". Live, & do what, sir?
Guru: My dear child, the purpose of life is "TO BE".
Shishya: Sir, you are now confusing me. You first say, the purpose of life is "to live". And, now you say, the purpose of life is "TO BE". Are you not trying to confuse or mislead me?
Guru (smiling): No my dear child. I need not confuse or mislead you. For, I gain nothing out of it. Having said that, "TO LIVE" & "TO BE" are not 2 different things. They are one & the same. The moment you "LIVE", you also "BECOME". The moment you "BECOME", you also start "TO LIVE". Therefore, they are one & the same.
Shishya: Sir, I now ask of you to explain - "TO BECOME" what?
Guru (smiling): "TO BECOME" WHAT YOU ARE.
Shishya: Sir, I am myself. What else can I become other than myself?
Guru (with a deep smile): You should "BECOME THE SELF" & not yourself. There is not yourself & myself. There is only The Self. Yourself & myself are everything but The Self. Therefore, remove the "your" & "my" from yourself & myself. You are The Self & the purpose is "TO BE THE SELF".
Shishya: Sir, but, I am Siddhartha. How can I be The Self?
Guru: My dear son, Siddhartha is only a name you have taken. But, that's not you.
Shishya: If I am not Siddhartha, which as you rightly said is only a name, then, "WHO AM I"?
Guru: My dear child, all I can do is to show you the path. It is then upto you to walk the path & find for yourself "WHO YOU ARE". I am more like a guide showing you different things of interest, my child. It is you who has to see, hear, touch, feel, & experience what I show. We will continue further tomorrow. Now, you rest.
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