Hari
Om
'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days; Q&As; a general review of the week so far…
'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days; Q&As; a general review of the week so far…
Last
week, there was a hint at the end of the post about a proverb arising from the
idea of not squandering one's wisdom. It was a reference to not 'casting one's
pearls before swine'.
Matthew 7:6 - “Do not give what is
holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
We understand the reference in colloquial terms as meaning not to
give out anything to others who may not appreciate the value or purpose of the
object or teaching. The first part of the verse talks about not giving 'what is
holy to the dogs'; this refers to a mention in Proverbs (26:11) of the fact
that dogs are inclined to return to their own vomit and in such a manner fools
(those who do not understand and cannot grasp the value of what has been
offered) will return to their old behaviour. A pig which has been brought out
of the pen and cleaned and watered and told about living a better way is only
going to go back to the pen and return to the mud. The chances of it setting up
a shower and cleaning its feeding trough regularly are slim indeed! This is not
a judgement upon the dog or the pig. It is an acceptance of the fact that their
basic nature is also given to them by prarabdha and they must live that out.
Yeshu realised that no matter how much He would like His fellow
humans to change their ways and take up living for a higher ideal (to 'enter
the Kingdom'), not everyone would be capable of it. His disciples were
instructed also to be discerning in those to whom they taught and spread the
word of living life differently. It was recorded that, when this was not the
case, the listeners would take wrong meaning and turn brutally upon the
disciples.
This is akin to the teaching in Vedanta of there being 'animal' men
and 'men' men; those who simply want to live for the physical aspects of this
life and those who might be able to discern the possibility of a better way of
living and striving to do that. We see it in society. Those who would prefer to
live a brutish and self-serving way as opposed to those who seek peace and
reason in life. Indeed, in society, 'animal' men can be living with the
appearance of 'men' men; those who refuse to accept anything beyond the
material nature of things, no matter how high their educational standing, will
be as disparaging as any brute to the one who would offer the possibility of
seeing beyond the physical world.
It is not that one should
avoid talking of one's philosophical and spiritual interests; however it is that one must exercise some judgement in
the time and the place for doing that.
The other thing to consider from this is that one must be very
secure and steady in one's own path before seeking to lead others along, even
for a short way. One thing we know about dogs, pigs, or indeed any animal, is
that their instincts are strong for when another is weak. Men with mischief or
evil about them will know if you are spouting the words without genuine heart
and intent behind them; and they will seek to unpick you. If you are using
philosophy or religion as a shield against such folk, without having properly
grounded yourself behind it, they will
find a chink in your 'armour'. A shield is only good if the soldier behind it
has been doing their exercises, practicing its use and is strong in mind and
body.
One cannot, in fact, use words as the shield in philosophy. They can
convey much, but in the end what becomes the
shield is the living of the words. Being that which is spoken. In
carrying out saadhana such that one 'shines with the light' of faith, no words
are necessary for others to start taking notice. Those who see that glimmer may
become curious and will seek to follow it.
Now you can toss your pearls.
