Tyagenaike Amritatvam Aanasuh

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Tyagenaike Amritatvam Aanasuh is on the MA Math logo.

 

Amme Sharanam,

ota

 

 

http://ajayan.com/articles/themissinglink.htm

 

The Missing Link

 

By Ajayan Borys

 

Revised and updated April 2004

 

A few years ago, while researching for a book, I made what was for me

a surprising discovery: 91.5% of North Americans are either members

of a religious faith, or profess spiritual beliefs. Less than one-

half of one percent are atheists, and only 8% consider themselves

agnostics or free thinkers indifferent to all religions. World

statistics are in the same neighborhood. (Virtually 100% of the

Indian population are members of a religious faith.)

 

Given these proportions, and considering the law of probabilities,

one might expect to be bumping into saints everywhere. Yet how rare

in our world are the visible fruits of a spiritual life—selfless

love, compassion, charity, joy, wisdom. How much rarer yet is the

goal of spirituality, God-realization. There seems to be some

mysterious missing link between spiritual belief and living

spirituality on this earth.

 

The Kaivalya Upanishad hints at this missing link in the Sanskrit

phrase, "tyagenaike amritatvam aanasuh,by renunciation alone have

people attained immortality." Not that renunciation is all we need.

There are many other essential qualities—love, compassion, selfless

service, alertness—as well as meditation and other spiritual

practices. Yet the growth of all these spiritual qualities and

practices actually depends upon renunciation.

 

To serve selflessly, we must renounce selfish interests. Service

often requires foregoing rest, recreation, or even meditation. The

same holds true of any expression of true compassion and love; we

forget ourselves. If even for only a moment, we renounce self-

interests to give love or compassion freely. Even to be alert

requires renouncing the comfortable, familiar wanderings and inertia

of the mind. Similarly, to practice meditation, we may have to resist

the lure of the TV or forego reading the newspaper. Indeed, no

spiritual quality can blossom without being nourished by the waters

of renunciation. Without renunciation one may derive temporary

pleasure from the world, but one will live in a spiritual desert.

 

This raises an interesting point: The word renunciation evokes images

of austerity, a dry life of enduring hardship and discomfort. Yet

renunciation is the nourishing water of spiritual life. St. Francis

extolled the bliss of "holy poverty," i.e. renunciation of

possessions, as far exceeding any other pleasure, earthly or

heavenly. With renunciation we remove the attachments, aversions, and

subtle addictions that clutter and limit our lives. We thus become

more self-possessed, more ourSelf. With this spiritual expansion

comes inner peace and bliss. Those who regularly practice

renunciation find they naturally prefer this inner bliss of regaining

their Self to passing, external pleasures. This message, however, has

been all but lost today. Thus even amongst many religious people, the

goal of religion—God-realization—has gained the status of an

impossible dream.

 

The saints and sages of every religious tradition of the world have

extolled the value of renunciation. Christ also held renunciation as

the key to immortality. When a seeker asked Christ, "Good Teacher,

what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Christ

answered, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

This is essentially the spiritual aspiration of the vast majority of

the world's religious population—to live according to God's laws. But

this is only a beginning point, "entering into life." This leads to a

virtuous and happy life here and a heavenly state in the afterlife.

It does not lead to spiritual perfection, to God-realization. Thus

when the same seeker replied, "I have kept these from my youth. What

do I still lack?" Christ answered, "If you would be perfect, go, sell

what you have, and give the money to the poor. Then come and follow

me."

 

The contemporary Indian saint, Ammachi makes an interesting point

regarding renunciation: She does not say that everyone must renounce

the world; rather, She tells us to live in the world like a bird

sitting on a dried twig. The bird knows the twig can break at any

time and is ready to fly off in a moment. Nevertheless, such

detachment will develop only by regularly practicing some

renunciation in our lives. We need not strain with superhuman effort

in this; rather, we should allow ourselves to feel the secret joy of

renunciation. Let us test these holy waters of renunciation, and see

if we don't come a few steps closer to living our highest ideals.

 

Henry J. Borys, 1995–2004. First published by Matruvani,

Kerala, India.