Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
8th June 2016
Happen
“Aware and alert”
Man is anxious of what should happen in life, because he expects things to happen in life. When things that man expects to happen do not happen, he believes that something which should not have happened has happened. Therefore, man is naturally disappointed or distressed by what has not happened.
Similarly, when what should not happen in life does happen, man is equally disappointed or distressed by what has happened. This is psychologically more difficult to bear than the things, which he expects to happen, do not happen, because he keeps expecting them to happen. But he does not keep expecting the things that should not happen.
This is the dilemma of man. He is unable to withstand when, what should not happen in life, does happen, because he firmly believes that what should not happen in life has happened. Man needs to understand whether this is possible.
Man needs to understand that he is aware of what happens in life only when it happens as an actuality. He surely knows what could happen in life, but is not aware of it until it actually does happen. This is because man has memory of what has previously happened in life.
Therefore, man needs to understand that it is not only important to be aware of what happens, but also to be alert as to how it happens. If man were alert he would understand firstly that every moment happens by itself and he does not make the moment happen. Secondly, he would understand that, if every moment happens by itself, the moment would include what is within the moment.
It is obvious that man cannot make anything in the moment, because the moment would have passed away to be replaced by the next moment, before he is able to make anything in the moment.
Therefore, if man were alert, he would understand that always something happens in the moment and the belief that something that is not supposed to happen has happened is impossible.
The enlightened have proclaimed that what is meant to happen only happens and that man is not the doer, speaker and thinker. This understanding is wisdom. And if this understanding happens, it would be grace that happens. Man will not only understand that disappointment and distress are illusory and not real, but also that what should happen happens and he does not make it happen.
Man understands that nature too happens the way it is meant to happen and nature does not happen the way man expects it should happen or should not happen. By this understanding man begins to flow with life patiently and in trust.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2016
Editor’s Note:
Do you live on the edge of a precipice, a mental precipice? Do you lie awake at night fearful of what may happen tomorrow or worried about the outcome of what may have happened yesterday? The word ‘happen’ itself gives the clue. It indicates that there is no controller nor can there be any controller of what ‘happens’ or will ‘happen’ or has ‘happened’. And yet almost every one of us has become conditioned to take on the immense burden of controlling what ‘happens’. Understanding man’s predicament, the wise offer the gift of this article – the happening of grace itself.
Julian Capper, UK.
German Translator’s Note:
Trust and patience are impossible as long as suspicion and urgency are present. When suspicion and urgency are understood to be illusory, trust and patience prevail. We should ponder why they are present. The article “happen“ by Dr. Shankar gives the essential clue: The mind believes what has happened, what happens and what will happen, to be an actuality and real. “This is not the case?“ you may ask. Well, have you already read the article?
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany