I always find sacred peace in movie theaters.
After the outstanding joy found by reading the Upanishads, this passage almost seems… dirty. It sticks to the readers mind like mud, trying to blacken the sunlight. I know the message is positive, but it falls short of me. The embrace of Brahman described seems more like a dismissal of it. A waste. Understanding of the physical world should bring embrace of it, not dismissal. Enlightenment through the Atman seems to be a boring, unfulfilling life. Must we separate ourselves from the physical world? If both are connected, wouldn't the acceptance and bond of both the Brahman and the Atman bring a raging joy and passion for the real? If our 'soul' lives forever, but is bound to this time by the Brahman (please correct me if Im wrong. I knew nothing about Hinduism before taking this class and may have miswritten my notes), than shouldn't we enjoy the time we're in? Shouldn't we eat Kolbe beef, enjoy the splendors of youtube.com, travel lands previously unexplored and unknown, and maybe most importantly, learn? Shouldn't we embrace the wealth of knowledge we have in our time? If the Atman is eternal, which is something we can't understand, why should we abandon what we do know, which is the Brahman? The 'perfect' man described in the passage was a man that lived sparsely, completely in tune with the Atman while rooted in the Brahman. He was wise in the ways of what can't be learned, and therefore lived beyond simple wants.
If such a bond was true, I feel it would be reversed: if one understood the eternity, they should cling to and enjoy the unique tastes and textures of what time they are confined to. Instead of rejecting the massive known world, they should hunt it, relish in each and every amazing second of time they have to be there.
I understand this is a short entry, but I can't find anything else to say without repeating myself. It just seems odd to me. Maybe it's because I'm so rooted in what is, but… it is what it is. Enjoy enlightenment: I love Kolbe beef.
Cameron Betts
- Cameron Betts
- I go to college (obviously). I play the bass in a garage rock band called The Captains Of Spaceship Earth, perform stand up comedy, and I also plan on majoring in English with an emphasis on poetry. I at least know that while it's unsure where I'll be in a decade, I'll definitely be poor.
1 comment:
Okay Woody...I'm not sure where you got such incredible writing skills, but I'm so impressed!
When I read the passage by Shankara, I sat at my computer for probably a good 20 minutes with writers block. I knew what I wanted to write, but had such difficulty expressing my feeling out in my blog. But somehow you have a way of explaining your thoughts with such clarity.
Yes, I totally agree with you!And you have made such a perfect point, "understanding of the physical world should bring embrace of it, not dismissal". I wrote of this in my blog as well, and saw you had commented. Our physical world and bodies are to be used for a reason, and I don't see a need to separate ourselves from the physical world on any sort of a permanent level.
Thank you for your insightful blogs! I can't wait to read your next ones.
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