Hari
Om
'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days;
Q&As; a general review of the week so far…
Much of the application of Vedanta in life is about vairagya - learning the skill of involvement without attachment. It is a life skill which holds everyone in good stead who is willing to make the efforts to hone it. A fortunate few are born with an inherent ability to walk in the world but be not of it. Majority, though, get caught up in egoism, emotionalism and all the other wear and tear of life.
Vairaagya
may be a Sanskrit word, but it is not a condition which is exclusive to those
of Sanskrit heritage. It is a life condition applicable to the entirety of
humanity. Releasing all sense of 'me-ness' and 'my-ness' is a most freeing
state. It is not, as Gurudev points out,
that one must adopt a state of distance and harshness; it is not that life has
to be miserable in order for it to be deemed as 'spiritual'; nor is it a place
of hiding in order to avoid the ups and downs of life. It is a
state of constant emotional balance; a place of clear seeing resulting from
determining correct value (via viveka) of all things and happenings in life; a
condition of acknowledgement and moving on to whatever comes next, without the
need for over-reaction or a hankering to linger.
Vairaagya
permits us to experience each moment for the value it has and move on from it
gracefully. In vairagya, there is no rushing the thing to avoid pain, nor
holding the thing to try and maintain joy. These two conditions are present in
every moment and if we do not permit each moment to be what it is, we alter our
ability to live life fully.
A
vairaagi is not unfeeling; the tears will come as will the laughter. However, a
vairaagi does not wallow in sorrow nor get lost in high emotion.
Enjoy
life, but let not life enjoy you!
