Endeavour for our own enlightenment

Gautam Buddha achieved Enlightenment and left behind precious teachings for his followers pertaining to various stages of awakening of the mind on the primordial questions of uniqueness of human existence and the mission of life.

What makes the idea of Enlightenment come close to an advanced state of awareness of how the journey of life should be led is the stipulation of Buddhism that in some cases this awareness could be struck all in one moment in its entirety, landing the individual in the bliss of total wisdom.

Enlightenment is more about understanding human life than probing into the origins of the universe – the latter has been left to the realm of science and the imagination of the sages. Buddhism, therefore, has a practicability about its concepts. Since the awareness of what human life was, is the essence of Enlightenment, it is possible to enumerate certain dimensions of how a wise person should construct the pathway to leading a life that would give him or her a sense of complete satisfaction at the end of the course.

Deciphering Enlightenment is a legitimate endeavour for any thinking person today. Five aspects of it come to mind.

First, awareness must begin with the interpretation of birth itself. All religions talk of God as the ultimate creator of life but since no one would see one's God, one must give full recognition to his or her immediate creators – the parents – and appreciate them for bringing you in this world and that too with best of intentions and love and care. A life well-lived would, therefore, entail a willingness to do whatever one could, to take care of the parents till their end. Logically, special consideration should be shown also to one's siblings as they are in the nature's first of the various concentric rings that would form around you both in your private life and at your work sphere - as you grow and progress. At the same time, wisdom demands that relationships within the family or outside should rest on merit. Within the family, there should be no 'rivalry' or competition but at the same time no accommodation needs to be made where it is undeserved.

Secondly, having got the bearings of the life's beginning right, awareness is all about being able to see human life as a journey in progression – all cultures emphasised the mixed character of the same - with fleeting happy and unhappy moments traversing it.

A third dimension of life is for the individual to be able to see that it means 'movement' and 'action' pursued with right intentions - in seeking one's own progress without causing harm to someone else. In Hindu philosophy, legitimate earning of money involving long journeys away from home to secure it, is kept at par with Dharma.

The fourth component of enlightenment takes you to the doorstep of Nirvana – it marks liberation from the triple affliction of greed (Kama), aversion (Krodh) and attachment (Moha).

Enlightenment conceptualised that there could be part success first and linked the 'unfinished business' left behind with the idea of 'rebirth' – that might enable the individual to complete the mission.

Lastly, attainment of Nirvana is described in Buddhism as the freedom from the cycle of rebirth - a thought expressed by the word 'Moksha' in Hindu belief system. Equanimity towards pain and gain, freedom from desire and active pursuit of duty without fear of failure are covered in the implicit messaging of Nirvana and all of this can be understood through the process of meditation and ideation. Nirvana is a call for becoming a practitioner of living life with a sense of complete awareness of what it would or would not bring to you. One could attempt to develop this outlook at any point of time and could reach that total awareness Enlightenment alluded to, as the achievement of a sudden moment.

Finally, every human being has the fundamental understanding of life as a variable span between a beginning and an end. All of these practical aspects of human life, if taken cognisance of, will give anyone the 'observer's view' of the same - rising above personal or subjective tints. If there is awareness that everybody is sailing in the same boat in this life, there will be little left to harbour an aspiration for rebirth or a second life. This is the state of total wisdom - call it Nirvana if you like.

(The writer is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau. The views expressed are personal)