Joy Shaft and Pain Shaft🔗

Let me express a keyword, I can call this word mahaavaakya. Mahaavaakya is the word which you need to completely understand; maybe this is the modern day mahaavaakya. That mahaavaakya is 'Be Unclutched'..

Now, let us try to analyze, understand and internalize this one truth, one mahaavaakya. We have various beautiful mahaavaakyas in the Vedic tradition: Aham Brahma Asmi; Tat Tvam Asi, so many wonderful mahaavaakyas.

'Be unclutched'. What do I mean by this word being 'unclutched'?

Let me try to explain it with a simple diagram how continuously our mind is working, and how we are clutching, connecting and creating suffering, how we are creating the ignorance or depression. Let me describe, then you will be able to understand what I mean by the word 'unclutching'.

How does our mind work?

How do we create thoughts and how do we give meaning to them?

How do we experience life?

Let us see…

There are various kinds of thoughts happening in our system. These different thoughts are represented as different shapes of varying lengths, breadths, and colors.

Sometimes, the thought is about some joyful experience which you had. At some other time, it is about some suffering which you had. Sometimes, it is about some guilt and at some other time, it is about some joyful memory. At one time, it is about some painful memory, then again, at some other time, it is a depressing memory… There are so many different thoughts.

Try this simple experiment. Write just for five minutes whatever comes in your mind, without editing, just as it is. Write whatever comes inside your mind without editing. Then read that page again. Suddenly you will realize you are nothing but a bunch of unconnected, independent, illogical, unclutched thoughts.

Please understand, the thinking flow which is happening inside of you is not logically connected. For example, if you see a dog on the street, suddenly you will remember the dogs which you have seen when you were a child, or the dogs about which you were frightened as a child. Then you will remember your childhood days, and the teacher under whom you studied. Then you will remember the place where the teacher stayed. The thought chain, the link will go on, but there is no logical connection between the dog which you saw in front of you on the street and the teacher with whom you studied when you were young. Of course, both of them barked at you, shouted at you! There is no logic about how the mind moves.

The 5-Minute Eye-Opening Experiment

Try this experiment just for five minutes. Just for five minutes, write down whatever comes. If you think no thoughts are coming, write that also. Honestly write whatever goes on inside, just like the medical transcription software that doctors use. Transcribe, as if your mind is connected to the transcription software. Whatever goes on inside, write with the same kind of grammatical errors, or same accent, or the same pronunciation, or same words. Even if it does not make any sense, just write it down.

Suddenly you will see, you are nothing but a bunch of independent, illogical, unconnected, unclutched thoughts. You do not know why the particular thought is rising after the current thought. There is no logical reason. Just something arises and then, something else arises; next, something else is arising… Thoughts are flowing, words are flowing.

Chapter 15