Lazy brain bird: and the art of uselessness

Was reading a scholar's take on the Gita recently and realized that scholars sometimes miss the point in all the clutter they bring into their scholarship. The Gita has a powerful yogic message. Like all messages which are special, it gets to be interpreted in many ways. The yoga path of Gita is very clear and pure. And on that, those of us in the state of mumukshutva have no doubt. Others, wishing to impress upon the world with their scholarship, I fear often miss the wood for the trees. But they do not have this craving and therefore their one desire, to impress, often suffocates the more subtle but equally intense mumukshutva. Often, when I read scholars writing on philosophy, it is very clear to me, that many have become egotistic and have completely missed the point. This is true, even of those who claim extreme feelings for a subject.. somehow, the ego appears to take over, even over the subject, as if they wish to dominate to the exclusion of everything, including the topic.

Here, there is this beautiful, tricky Tao idea about uselessness and usefulness.

Hu Tzu said to ChuangTzu --Tell me about the useless.

Once you understand the useless, that's when you're ready to start talking about the useful. For example, heaven and earth are expansive and huge everywhere, but any individual only takes enough to put his foot on.If however, you dug deep right around someone's feet reaching all the way to the Yellow Springs  would the spot still be useful?
No, it would be useless.
So, in this case, the useless greatly clarifies what it means to be useful.
(From the Chaung-Tzu,The Tao of Perfect Happiness.
Translation and Annotation, by Livia Kohn)

(The image is from this http://theplayfulom.com/tag/chuang-tzu/)

 

In the gap between thoughts...

The Vedas say, it is that gap between two thoughts. That moves faster than a sword out of its sheath in the hands of a brilliant warrior, before thoughts stampede into u, like soldiers into that warrior.

It  is there, always --  a hidden, teasing glimmer --   between thoughts that refuse to allow it room...

Occasionally, touching base with that in the crow pose, or when the headstand is effortless and seemingly timeless. Sometimes in the sway of a lush tree. Or in a day well-ended, without quarrel, anxiety or fear. Or in a cup of tea. Or a well-relished meal. But mostly, these days, it comes when a thought is reduced, and mostly when I decide not to pursue a thought. When I deny a thought, It comes...

How do u explain this... it is like watching thoughts unfold, or if there is an emotion -- unnamed but lurking about in the body and mind -- and u can wish and will it away, there I feel It. It is in the denial of what rushes up as I...

It is always in a thought denied... in the sense of I denied.. Chose, It says, between being a Pygmy or a Goliath...

This can be a frightening phase, to deny thoughts (and this denial is allowed only to those who are intensely aware of their thoughts -- what an oxymoron of a space -- how confounding that can be if u did not know that Vedanta, Vedas, Upanishads, they all talk of the space:) since they are biologically created (just streaming neurochemicals or electrical sparks between neurons, if u look at it closely:) to protect u ... Yet, it is only in that... which may explain why I am a chilled out yogi, not looking always to market myself.. I am busy, u know:) Trying to deny myself. It is taking up all my time. When that goes, and when I am not I anymore, then maybe, the market...

Yet, yesterday while glancing at the book Imitation of Shankara, I caught another verse from our ancient treatise (I have to dig it back now, will post when I find it), where it exhorts: Enjoy. Because when you enjoy with gnosis, then it is ok to allow the thief inside. After all if the thief knows you know he is a thief, even he will stop being a foe.

Can u imagine the sophistication of that thought! Mind-blowing!!