GEDE PRAMA

Following the burst of violence in a number of western countries (U.S.’s attack to Afghanistan and Iraq, to name one of them) that used to be the worlds’ role models in many things, some fellow friends begin to ask on who will become the future role figure in determining the civilization of humanity. A question that is indeed hard to be answered. Quoting a holy scripture, it is easier for the tangled thread to be pulled from the needle’s hole than to find figure able to set good examples for civilization in this era.

For the optimists, there is always an open window of opportunity in every era. If the light of the role figure is still unseen then it might because the time has not come yet for the covering cloud to pass. In other words, the light does exist; it is but still unveiled. Analogically, there are two kinds of archer whose target is concealed by the cloud. The first archer waits for the cloud to pass while the other insists to shoot and takes the risk to miss the target.

Both are having their own advantage and detriment. The first attitude is safer, but when the cloud disappears the target might has already occupied by other archers’ arrows. The second is risky yet it is more likely to be successful compared to the first.

With this kind of risk, some of us then start to predict the future determinants of
civilization. Some nominate China for its population and economic development. Some mention India because of its impressive mastership in IT. Some refer to South Africa, particularly for the firm foundation of development built by Nelson Mandela, and you readers may as well add the list with personal opinions.

Whatever the country is, it is hard to be imagined as a role model of civilization without the role of an astonishing leader. Therefore, the exploration of ideas on this subject is going to be focused on the characters of leadership.

In dealing with the present challenges, there is no other word more suitable than “hard”. When even leaders who have performed greatly (as Thaksin in Thailand) were coup d’etated, what will become of those who perform less? Let alone those who govern for a few years, even those who have held the power for decades have to fall.

Therein emerges the importance of perseverance in leadership, and Mahatma Gandhi was one among the leaders possessing great determination. Challenges that he had encountered are countless. From being tortured when he was a lawyer in South Africa, facing the British colonial with both power and weapon in their hands, to being tempted with authority upon the independence of India. Nevertheless, under whatever kind of temptation Gandhi kept on persisting with his two principals: non-violence and integrity not to intermix personal matters with the struggle affairs.

In this century, it is hard to find someone comparable to Gandhi in the matter of non-violence. His physical body tortured and wounded  for  many times in both South Africa and India, Gandhiwas still consistent to the creed of non-violence. Before his passing away he even still asked mercy for the one who shot him.

Gandhi’s innermost quality in determination not to intermingling personal matters and struggle affairs was revealed during the early days of India’s independency. Numerous figures from both Hindu and Moslem parties agreed that Gandhi is the most qualified person to be the first Prime Minister. Nevertheless, as written by the quill of history, Gandhi sheltered the purity of his struggle by letting Nehru been elected as the Prime Minister. Hence, Gandhi was truly a characterwho knitted the beauty of life with two determinations: non-violence and the purity of struggle.

However, as have been recorded by time, there are too many leaders practicing “blind determination” (determination without guidance/guideless determination). In analogy, those leaders are similar to a boatman who rows vigorously (determinedly) without realizing  that  he  is  notthe only person in the boat. Hence, the determination is then associated with repression.

Furthermore, an era frenzied with opinions, struggles, conflicts, and clashes of interests, is no longer the time to persuade people with stick, fist, threat, and especially by killing. No matter how strong one’s personality is, how gloomy his/her experiences are, how sentimental he/she toward life is, mortals are still longing for the touches.

The matter is more or less similar to Cleopatra who became the first to conquer Europe. Taj Mahal, a non-Hindu who was not the consort of the king as well, yet she left remarkable memory of being a charm in a kingdom where most of its people were Hindus. Like Mother Theresa who touched the heart of the world. This is then the point where humankind needs a Rumi.

If Gandhi is astounding with his determination, Rumi is with his touches. In most of his works one may sense dignity, charisma, vibration, and touch. There was once a day when Rumi was deep in a profound prayer. Upon finishing his pray, he knocked on the door of The Lover who Loves Most. A voice behind the door asked: “Who is that?” Serenely Rumi answered: “It is me”. Almost  instantly, the voice replied: “Please go, for there is no room may contain the two of us in this house.” Being rejected, Rumi resumed his insightful prayer. When he felt the sufficiency, he once more knocked at the very door. The same voice was heard: “Who is that?” Rumi, now trembling was he, answered, “It is Thee…” and the door was immediately opened. Anyone who journeys his/her own within will understand how distant Rumi has wandered.

The Door in Rumi’s account has been knocked in many ways both during prayer and work. However, for those who are still busy with the word “I” (occupied with ego, arrogance, boast, anger and hatred) the Door remains closed. The Door will naturally open for seekers upon their lost of self.

In the words of the wise: ‘When you step up in the path of God means you step down in the path of ego’. Ascending the divine stairways means descending the ladders of ego. And both Gandhi and Rumi’s life are full with inspirations by their stepping down the ladders of their ego.

Hereby, in the end of this discussion let us try to dispose a perspective on what nation will be the future role model of civilization. It is any land borne leaders as determined as Gandhi and as stirring as Rumi, for there the light of civilization may rise to guide those who are still seized by the darkness.

Following the rapid emerge of disasters (such as tsunami, erupting volcano, terrorist bomb, hot-mud, flood and land slide) along with their countless victims, a lot of people then wonder if God is in fury. A query that, though simple, has become the major quest in many circumstances. And, as usual, there are also two kinds attitude of the answers: positive and negative.

Since the ancient time people in the eastern part of the world have recognized
an idea that, suppose God is a dancer, than the universe is His dance. If that was so, does the angry nature reflect the wrath of God? No one knows…
Nevertheless the question reminds to a Catholic priest’s story of a mother
whose candy was stolen by her son. Upon discovering this incident, the mother questioned the boy: “Didn’t you see God when you stole my candy?” Innocently, the boy replied, “I did mommy!” The mother, even angrier with the answer, then delivered a more emotional query: “And what did God say to you at that time? ”Being innocent, the boy replied frankly: “He told me that I may take two”.

This story indeed provides rooms for interpretations. Nevertheless, from a certain point of view we might notice that our image of God greatly depends on the purity of our own mind. In the mind of an innocence and honest boy in the story, God has a forgiving and merciful expression. On the other hand, in the emotional and suspicious mind of his mother God’s expression is that of anger and punishment. The matter is the same in the ways people perceive disasters.

Without using the frames of good or bad, right or wrong, pure or impure, and high or low, a lot of teachers taught that every soul has his/her own level of evolution. In all of the levels, every soul has the same task, which is to evolve! It is not suggested for high school pupils to deride those in the elementary class, whereas students in the junior high class are not supposed to feel too inferior to those in the college as well. All are growing. There is no guarantee that the present high school students might reach the higher level quickly than those who are now still in the elementary class.

With this kind of spirit, please permit this piece of writing to classify the soul’s
evolution into four steps. The first is the stage for the merchants of life and prayer.  This kind of people does business with anyone, especially with God. When their prayer is being granted they think that God is kindhearted. On the contrary, when their demand is not being fulfilled (or even worse, being obstructed by misfortune) then they think that God is furious. Furthermore, they perceive disaster merely as a form of God’s anger toward human’s deeds. Nevertheless, this is not a fault for it is but a part of the evolution process.

The second kind is the teenage lovers’ stage. The nature of the people in this step is that they are highly possessive. There should be no third party, only he/she alone might be close to and loved by God. Love, according to this group, does not have other manifestation than to care, forgive, and liberate. Hence, there should  be  no  other expression for God’s love than caring, forgiving, and liberating. Once they experience other kind materialization of God’s love (moreover the one with miserable nature), then it is easy to presume the direction to which their life is going to ahead: the collision
of hatred and longing! This is why some friends those are wounded by tragedy question, “Do Thee still love me God?”

The third is the group of the mature lovers. For them, love is no longer accompanied with hatred. Love is love. It is not in opposition to detestation. Moreover, differ than the previous “teenagers” who perceive being loved as more beautiful than to love, for souls in this level falling in love is more beautiful than being loved. Therefore, rather than placing disaster as a punishment, they are now recognizing it as a reminder on some parts within
their selves that need to be mended. In other words, disaster is a vitamin for the soul’s evolution.

The fourth group belongs to souls that seek nothing more. Not because of irritation or, moreover, frustration. Absolutely not! They attain this state through the deep sense of contentment, sincerity, gratefulness, and guidance that all are already perfect as they are. Being healthy is perfect, as well as being sick. Is sickness not the one teaches how to be grateful for health?

Being success is just as perfect as being failed for what guides us to a summit of
life termed as self-knowing save the failure? Life is perfect, and so is death. Is not death the spouse of life that unveils greatly deeper understanding toward the meaning of life? Being rich and being poor are both perfect for poverty is the teaching not to be arrogant and to always be humble instead. Therefore, disaster is unknown for souls in this step. Whatever things happen are given the same title: perfect! Buddhists term this as Nirvana, some of our Moslem and Christian brothers refer to it as heaven on earth, and some Hindus mention the state as maha samadhi. In Confucius’ words: “In meeting a good person, follow him. In meeting a wicked person, examine thy own mind.”

Back to the preliminary discussion about disaster and the angry God, the choice of attitude is indeed reflecting the evolution of each individual soul. As have been mentioned earlier, all are evolving. Judging others is merely delaying our own evolution. Referring our self as “better” and judging others as “inferior” are merely the affairs of ego that poison the future development of our soul.

For whoever has become a mature lover, moreover a soul that seek no more, then the Earth’s expression is no longer a disastrous one. For him/her Earth is a planet that beautifies the soul. Without trial and temptation, isn’t life only looping outside the circle and easily becomes dreary? Isn’t it in trial, temptation, and turmoil, that all souls are being guided inward into the very center of the circle? Isn’t it true that the core of the circle is the only place where the soul might become beautiful and lovely? In an analogy of a girl
who becomes hale and hearty in a gymnastic, isn’t it the willingness to undertake a moment of exhaustion by the exercise (willingness to endure a brief moment of tragedy) that makes her even more beautiful? Therein, may the contemplations conclude this section.

The scarcity of peacefulness, that might be one of the concluding remark in the last years of human civilization. After US attack to Afghan and Iraq, some think that terorrist has reach its end, but terorrist bombs explode again and again. Following the excessive impact of capitalism such as global warming, corporate crash, inequality among developed and developing countries, some begin to talk abut the collapse of capitalism. Particularly after US as the guru of capitalism  fail to be the reliable role model. Religions with its holy scriptures that are expected to be the source of solution, in some cases even become the source of problem.

As a result of it, peace lovers need more serious preparation in coping with life. Since the chaotic external factors can not be controlled fully, then this might be the right time to turn inward, to the very source of peace which is our mind. It has become the habit of mind to live in duality. Where there is strong duality of good-bad, true-false, success-failure, there is strong mind. And this very notion of strong mind is the source of peace scarcity.

Look at the clever as the example of strong mind. Very few of the clever enjoy peace, because it has become the fundamental characteristic of cleverness to judge, evaluate, compare. If life goes to the direction that fit their paradigm, then they gain peace, if not then peace gone. And since life is far greater than any paradigm, then they lose peace most of the time.   

Just do it
Now look at how the wise manage the mind meaningfully.  Pema Chodron in her work Start where we are wrote contemplatively: “If we were to make a list of people we don’t like, we would find a lot about those aspects of ourselves that we can’t face”. In the hand of the wise, life is like a mirror actually. We see ourselves when we see life.

Those who are full of anger see angry everywhere. Anyone who is full of compassion find compassion everywhere. Deeply understanding this, it would be useful when we start to change the way we look at reality. Especially because the way we look will influence the way we talk and act. Peace, to be frank, is an inside job. And it should be started from the very root which is the right view.

To those who contemplate life deeply, the length of our life is not long. The question then, how meaningful is this short life?. And life is considered to be meaningful - in the eyes of the wise - when it contributes to the others happiness. Read carefully to the beautiful message that put in Tibetian museum in Dharamsala North India: “even a nun can become the ruler of Tibet if that brings happiness to the land”. It means, the most important qualification that needs to be developed (particularly for the leaders) is learn to contribute to others happiness.

In a certain slope of Himalayan Mountain, where holy mountain meet holy person, there is a coffe shop that provide simple lunch. In the wall, the owner hang a beautiful message like this: “People are often unreasonable and illogical. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, they may accuse you of ulterior motive. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. What you spend  years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. If you find happiness and serenity, they might be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, it may never be enough. Give the world the best you have anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway”.

It is a beautiful message, isn’t it?. Those who are able to see beauty in this message, they stop to be dictated by mind. It does not matter whether success will produce false friends and true enemies, kindness will be accused as having ulterior motive, just do it. This very notion of doing, makes life move beyond any duality. In doing there is no subject no object, no outside no inside, no giver no receiver. It is the blossoming of trust, and the burning of doubt. To this kind of inner traveller, they deeply understand that a discipline mind invite true joy.

No matter what religion we follow, what citizenship we have, where we were born, where we are going to die, we are all need peace. Especially in the age which is characterized by many conflicts, wars, terorrism, divorces, crimes, natural disasters. Some people even paid  expensive price to gain peace. Many came to India, others visited  Middle East, some spent long enough time in Lourdes, Bali, Tibet and other holy places that promise peace. Not all of them finally found peace, a half of them returned empty handed and raising simple but fundamental question: where can we find the true peace?

Watering the stones
For many seriuos inner travellers who allocating long time to practice meditation, they gained direct deep undestanding that true peace can not be found outside. Countless people tried to touch peace through food, fame, sex, wealth and other external things, finally ended in the shallow and dry peace (by which read: peace that easily coming and going, and make life move like rollercoaster).

It is like gardening, where we are supposed to water grass, trees and flower, but due to long life ignorance we just watering the stones. It does not only useless, but also fruitless. Learning from the long experience of many meditation masters, the reason why there are very few seekers who can find peace, because modern civilization puts dissatisfaction as the engine of human growth.

Look at any effort to modernize life in almost any corner of the world. From education, facilities buildings,  economic and social development, more than half are driven by dissatisfaction. Dissatisfied with life then try to change almost everything. As can be seen clearly, on the material side ofcourse there are many progress, but at the same time also costing too expensive price such as  stress, depression,  suicide, crime, terorrism and even war.

Confronted with such deteriorating trends, countless life traveller began reorienting the journey from outside to inside. Look at the conclution of Dr. Daisaku Ikeda in his work For the sake of peace, “peace is the fruit of self mastery”. In other word, learn to master your body and especially mind, then the peace will become the automatic output. Unfortunately, Dr Ikeda is not detail enough in elaborating the last solution of self mastery.

Peace in every step
To be honest, the starting point of self mastery is learn to have an intimate friendship with life, include being the friend of any things that we dislike. Welcoming the facts that we are praised, considered to be famous and successfull are actually easy. Everybody can do that. But only the mature and the wise who can smile honestly when facing failures and critics.

Without giving any chance of bargaining, all life are like  day changing into night, and night changing back into the day. It keeps changing, following the law of impermanence. Any life traveller who are greedy (only want success and do not want failure, accepting praise and neglect critics) never touch the true peace. They will be happy temporarily, and as soon as time changes any happiness will be replaced by sadness. This makes life like the waves of ocean, going up, turning down, going up again, and as soon as it approach the beach just dissappear meaninglessly.

Contemplating deeply on these rich materials of life, may be this is the right time to stop being greedy, begin to give a warm smile  to whatever happen. Those friends who are a teacher, learn to be happy by being a teacher. Students, school environment, friends,  parents are abundance source of happiness. Falks who become company executives, happiness not only hiding in the increasing salary and bonus, learn to get good lessons from the angry boss, the jealous friends. Since both angry boss and jealous friends are good guides of being patience and wise. And any one who are patience and wise enough will find peace in every step. In the language of an extremely calm and peaceful guru, focus on the lessons not on the punishment, then  flow with life.

Read slowly  the beautiful message of Dalai Lama: “if you want others to be happy practice compassion, if you want to be happy practice compassion”. Compassion, nothing else, is the only vehicle of long lasting peace. Before being compassionate to the others, learn to be compassionate to yourself, to your past mistakes, your weaknesses. Some masters whose spiritual eyes are opened will see that there are a glowing light in the face of people who are full of compassion.

It has become the daily life menu of everybody that life is never absent of problem. When family problem solved, then office call telling that something need further decision. If the relationship with spouse recovered, children waiting for another help. Thinking that children school life is smooth, suddenly a teacher
calls that she needs your help to lessen school burden created by your son.

Problem, problem and problem. Without giving any chance to run away, problem keep visiting everybody. The poor think that the rich have no problem, but in reality many well off people even face much complicated life than the poor. The rich who have been very boring with many complexities of being rich are jealous with those who they think enjoying simple life, but in fact these followers of simple life are also do not enjoy problem free of life.

Problems as vitamin
In the light of this understanding, it might be wise to stop dreaming of enjoying life which is only happy without any sadness. No matter how rich you are, how powerful some one, how famous a star is, problems is always appear like sun rise in the morning. No prayers that can prevent the appearance of obstacles.

Deeply realizing this, any one who want to grow spiritually need to change the standing point of viewing problem. To less succesful inner traveller, problem tend to be put as poison. That’s why many people fail to gain inner growth. As has been taught by many life of the masters, they all grow because of obstacles. In the beginning of journey, they also run away, but as soon as they realized that life is an opportunity to grow then they begin to treat problem as vitamin. Surprisingly, problem then become a strengthening factor.

That’s why we in the east call masters as Mahasidha (people who had passed through extraordinary trials to achieve profound understanding). Look at the story of Jesus Christ, Jalalludin Rumi, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha Gautama, they all grow because of facing great obstacles, learn from it, the most important thing let problems strengthened their life.

Flower blossoming because of the sun
Pema Chodron in her enlightening book When Things Fall Apart, is an inspiring example in this case. After serving life by being a good house wife for more than twenty years, suddenly divorce made her life fall apart. Because of this, she came to meditation center. Years later, she did not just being facilitated by meditation, but also become one of a well known and well respected meditation master in North America.

In meditation centers, students start the journey by following many codes of conduct. In Sanskrit they call it sila (power that makes someone cooler and calmer)consist of rules suchs as not to kill, not to steal, not to commit any sexual misconduct, not to lie and not to eat or drink any thing that can cloud awareness. The combination between following codes of conduct and the serious practise of meditation bring student to experience samadhi (concentration). Any one who reach samadhi very often, they  open the cool door of wisdom. In the home of wisdom, everything is teacher  who lead us to grow. Not only the succes is a sign of growth, the failure is also a sign of growth. Since failure gives us feedback on our true capacity. Not only the rich life is an improvement, the poor life is also an improvement because being poor is a golden chance of being humble.

Borrowing the logic of gardening, most flowers finally blossom because of the hot sun shine. The same thing also happen to those life who entered the home of wisdom. Problems are like sun shine, the wise is similar to flower that is ready to blossom.  When the two meet, that is the beginning of beauty.

In the language of a wise guru, life is consist of both flowers and garbages. Any flower will become garbage in the following day. 0rganic garbage (as long as you are able to manage it) can become flowers. The lesson then, when life is full of flowers (by which read: rich, famous) don’t forget that any flower will become garbage.  If life is full of garbage (obstacles, challenges, down fall), please remember to process it into flower.

In the golden light of this understanding, problems may arise any time, but since we’re well equipped, then any thing (obstacles, challenges, opportunity,  enemy) turn into flower.  This is inner blossoming. Every direction appear to be the direction of love.

From darkness into darkness, may be that is the best conclusion that can be made from the last years of human hystory. Terrorists attack is one of the darkness, United States goverment attack back to Afghan and Iraq is another darkness. Many people dissatisfied with their own salary (darkness), then try to steal which is another form of darkness. Some found their marriage is boring (darkness), then try to find dark solution by making love affair. In developing countries, most darkness  come from well corrupted government officials which are starving of materials things (darkness) then try to heal themeselves through corruption. On the surface, it seems that there is no possibility of finding light. Every corner of life is only darkness: education, working environment, even some of religious institution can not provide satisfying light.

Kindness as the light
To many inner seeker, this age is a very challenging age. Everywhere we go, we encounter hatred, anger, jealousy, ignorance, dissatisfaction. But rather different with most commoner who put problems as poisons of life, serious inner seeker put problems as vitamins. It is like the lotus flower which does not get wet  in the water, does not get dirty in the mud, and even grow in the mud, serious inner seeker  grow well in the age of darkness.

Nelson Mandela is one of the light of our age. He also grow in the environment of darkness like us. More than just jailed for  27 years by the aphartheid government, he was nearly lose his life very often. Hurted, hitted, kicked are some of very troubling experiences that he had in the past. But when it comes to the time that he ruled the country, he did not revenge. 0n the contrary, he led the life of South Africans with the spirit of forgiveness.

Dalai Lama is another light of our age. Eventhough he spents more than half of his life with suffering, China took over Tibet, Dalai Lama left Tibet by walking thousand of miles, spending more than fourty years in exile, many times crying when reading the news of Tibet, he keeps teaching the world not only through writing and speaking but also through his own role model.  In one occassion, his student asked what The Dalai Lama most afraid in life. He said, he is afraid of losing friendship with the government of China. In the  other occasion, well known artist Richard Gere asked him about his religion, with a warming smile he said that his true religion is the religion of kindness.

The other light of our age is Thich Nhat Hanh. A meditation master who live in France. Similar with Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama, he also spent long years of life with suffering. When United States government still occupy Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh was nearly losing his life many times because of both Vietkong and US army. After accomplishing peace talk in US, Vietnam governemnt revoke his Vietnam citizenship. But as we can read from tens of his books, listen from hundreds of his speech, feel from many retreats he conducted, many agree that problems do not make Thich Nhat Hanh’s life darker, on the contrary make him brighter and stronger. Dr. Martin Luther King even nominated him for the Noble Peace Prize.

What we can learn from Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Dalai Lama in North India and Thich Nhat Hanh in France, problems arised not as part of darkness, but as the strenghtening factors of light. And kindness that makes it possible. May be that is the reason why Barbara Marciniak in her works Bringers of the Dawn suggested: “Be kind when you speak of the forces of darkness. Do not speak as if they are bad. Simply understand that they are uninformed”.

In this spirit of understanding, light is not the opposite of darkness.  Putting darkness as enemy of light equal with creating another darkness.  A wise friend wisphered once: “the opposite of injustice is not justice but compassion”. Any one who approach life in the spirit of compassion is also a bringer of the dawn. There are two principles to follow: the best thing is to provide yourself to help, if not just do not harm.

Working environment can be full of problems, family institution can have a dark prospect because of the increasing trend of divorce, corruption can grow in  developing countries, but you are a bringer of the dawn by lightening  kindness and compassion in your heart.

Following many reports on global warming, the increasing oil price, the corporate crash, the unended bombs of terorrist, political murders that are not only happen in developing country like Pakistan but also in US, many start to doubt whether human can survive long enough in this planet. Some even beginning to imagine about the threatening existence of human civilization. 0il supply decrease significantly, and at the same time a half of natural resources that previously used as food are being processed as oil.

This increasing uncertainty then stimulate many stress, depression that makes life even worse. As taught clearly by hystory, variety of things happen in the past. But many innovations and creativities have helped us went out of many dark tunnels. For this reason, this might be the right time to contemplate much deeper about life creativity. It is like raining season, we can not fully controle the rain, but we can prepare for the umbrella.

The biology of compassion
Many findings have been published in the west that those people who used the words “l, me, mine” far more often than most people are riskier to heart attack. This is a very good material of contemplation, in which health is not just related with physical behaviour, but also related with psychological and spiritual behaviour. Friends who are expert in psycholinguistic will agree that our chosen words reflect our psychological condition.

In the light of this understanding, it is good to our health if we begin to learn wisely in choosing words to speak. Borrowing the argument of David Bohm in his work “Health and The Implicate Order”, the word health is originated from the word whole. It means anyone who wanting healthy life is recommended to learn of seeing life more holistically. It is like the network of spider, any thing that we think, speak and do will return to us.

Since compassion means spontanous feeling of connection with all beings, then compassion helps us to create a healthy and holistic life. For that reason, the external life can be more uncertain in the future, but it will give less negative  impact if we learn to see it with the eyes of compassion.

Look at those people who are full of anger and jealousy. They suffer very much, because in the grip of anger and jealousy everything and everyone become enemy. They do not need our anger,  they  starve of our compassion. If we can help, it would be good, if not  at least do not harm and learn to see compassionately. As a result of it, you can experience in your personal life what a guru called biology of compassion. The biological side of life is getting better because we begin to practise compassionate life.

Everything is in our side
As experienced by many wise people, in the guide of compassion, everything and everyone become friend. When all is friend, then life is a very strong network of compassion where all is kind to all. The analogy is like leg that is hurted by stone, eventhough hand is not a leg, but autamatically hand will help. This is the survival of the kindest.

In the wise words of a holy teacher, the best form of security we can offer ourselves is to develop an open heart. Like samurai whose weapon is sword, meditator’s swords are awareness and compassion.

Read carefully how the wise develop their own awareness and compassion: “The thought manifests as the word, the word manifess as the deed. The deed develop into habit, and the habit harden into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, and let it springs from love. Born out of concern for all beings. The shadow follows the body and never leaves it. In the same way, as we think, so we become”.

Those who have practised long and hard enough, lightening the darkness of anger with compassion in everyday’s life, will undestand that the very basic of our survival is the strong trust that the only reason why we are here is to help each other. That is survival of the kindest, simply means that only the kind who will enjoy long survival in this planet. Particularly because with kindness we are all well connected. Everything is in our side.  As a consequence, no matter what happen outside, life keeps growing.

Back to story of the threatening life of human being in this planet, the external challenges might be getting worse, but we can survive together by living compassionately.

Global warming, that is the theme of many discussions everywhere. Mountains of ice that never melted for hundred of years, suddenly they are melting. The increasing uncertainty of season happens everywhere. Some fellows conclude that nature is no longer the friend of human being. It begins to become the threats of many lifes, particularly after many tsunami, earth quake, flooding that consume countless life.

To be honest, it is not only the physical side of life that becomes warmer and warmer, the social, the phsychological and the spiritual side of life are also the same. Stress, depression, insomnia, suicide, conflict, war, divorce are all increasing from time to time. It raises a simple question, is it true that human civilization is progressing?

The land of acceptance

When a farmer found that vegetables fail to grow in the land, usually he will look for the causes in his side. Whether because of the short supply of water, lack of vertilizer or planting in the wrong season. However, when people have problems among themselves, we are easily seek the causes in the others fault, not contemplate it in our inner side as farmer deal with vegetables. This might be the root of many warming condition of life.

Look at couples who are ready to divorce, both claim themselves as right and pointing the couples as false. Listen to the arguments of terroris who destroyed a lot of lifes, there is no space of truth to the others. 0bserve closely on the reasons behind United States government attacked to Afghan and Iraq, in certain point even put the others under the tittle of the axis of evil.

In the light of these experiences, it is really touching when a teacher whispered onced to his student: “When you have a time to talk, just talk about the positive sides of the others. When you have a time to contemplate, contemplate your negative sides”. This might be a good beginning, cultivate the roots of problems in ourself.

Imagine that one morning a neighboor put a box of fresh cowdung in front of your house. Most people will respond angrily, some even will put another human shit to the box before throw it back. But a very few wise person will murmur: ‘Wait, l have never had problem with this neighboor. May be they found that my flowers in the garden are short supply of fertilizer’.

Life is similar to a cowdung. If the way we see it is full of hatred and anger, we will get enemies, even conflict and war. But when we learn to see it wisely, positively, we gained friendship and happiness. Now it is your choice, whether you will see life negatively or wisely.

Many friends complained, why is it so difficult to respond wisely in life?. Usually most people respond negatively first, later realized that it was not a wise respond. Inspired by the story of the farmer who plant vegetables in the beginning, the root is inside us, in our way to put meaning on every day life.

We all grow in the environment that favouring success over failure, winning over losing, right over wrong, good over bad. As a consequence of it, we only accept the positive side of ourself and neglect the negative one. And as has been taught by nature, without any opportunity of bargaining, positive side is always followed by negative one.

In this moment of contemplation, the crucial point is learning to make life as the land of acceptance. Accepting success, praise, job promotion are actually easy. But only the wise who are able to be the friend of failures, enemies and blame. Failure is not a waste, it gives us feed back on our true ability. Enemies are not poison of life, they kindly guide us to be patient and humble. Being blamed is not always bad, when we are able to respond calmly, it is a great lesson of equinimity.

Those who successfully transformed life into the land of acceptance, they will find that any day is the day of inner symphony. Like the true symphony, it consist of many instruments (success-failure, friend-enemy, praise-blame), but when life orchestrated wisely and meaningfully all events sound to be beautiful.

Wifes can keep grumbling, but can you see a lesson of being patient? Husbands can keep blaming, is there any wifes who see an opportunity to be wiser? Neighbor can continue with their negative habits, isn’t it a moment of contemplation?