If asked, different people would take liberty of asserting different opinions and expressions pertaining to life. The type of experiences one have had, the type of contact one came across and the type of person one is, greatly influence the way one perceives live. Pessimistic and optimistic view , bad and good outlook, matured and immature mind, and in what environment one was brought up, would have stuffed various experiences in persons which may extend superior role in unfolding the perspectives of life. The disabled, disadvantaged, orphaned and broken children who had never-ending rippling hardships will talk about life being hard beyond belief. The pampered, luxuriate children, affluent families, and the ones who only enjoyed bed of roses will talk about preciousness and glorification of life. I will not be surprised to hear people praising life as either attractive like rainbows or cursing life as dull and suffocating like dungeon. Life is all that.
However, should anyone ask me what life is, I would in an ordinary way, describe ‘life as a dream, insubstantial thing’. In dream we see multitude of conjectures: trying to overcome swift river resulting in proving ourselves too weak against strong current, climbing the stiff cliff with indescribable fear of falling off, total strangers for reasons unknown chasing us, and sometimes enjoying the mirth of birthday or wedding ceremony. These strange encounters, both alluring and detestable, in dreams hardly bear resemblance or significance when awake. Some vanish without leaving any trace. A man of power does not remain on the pedestal of power throughout. He falls tragically forcing him to stoop to the level of commoners. The unbearable pain that sprouts out of heart is swallowed with force to project fake smile upon the onlookers. I regret such incidence of unreliable and double-standard dream. Children, no matter how grown up they are, feels secure and safe in presence of their parents. But, separation, without mercy separates them. Their love knots, which existed in between them since birth, break apart. Children are often separated, with utmost pain, from parents by different promises they have and by cold icy hands of death.
Life fleets fast like fleeting meteor. We see it rising from one horizon and in a wink of eye, disappears it before or in the next horizon. What significance does it have in between the horizons? People becoming alcoholic, drug addicts, growing aggressive and quarrelsome, creating disharmony in society murdering people and vandalizing religious artifacts, and having inflicted boundless glumness because of failures resulting in many suicides – mention of all these in newspapers have become common sight. In the same token, actions of noble deeds like donating kidney saving lives like Gods, contributing cash and kinds for reconstruction of fortress of great magnitude, helping the poor and needy, running a charity, volunteering to sacrifice life for the security and sovereignty of nation, and commemorating victories with discos and lavish drinks, occur in this world. However, all these, I view it as dream. Nothing lasts forever. Great accomplishments soon turns out to be the most useless, waste of time the next moment. Human mind is the most inconsistent and corrupt mind.
Elderly persons need not be dejected thinking of imminent death, child need not wish for early adulthood and marriage, rich need not be proud and poor need not be ashamed. To me, both winners and losers are no different. A twist, which occurs unexpectedly in the course of life, changes the whole destiny. It displaces us and places others in our place. A river, when flows from the perennial source through the human settlement providing invaluable services, the inhabitants residing alongside these rivers praises it by generously giving names like the holy Ganges, the fertile Nile, the cruise Mississippi, the mighty Danube, the largest Manas and so on. But, when it submerges into sea through the mouth, nobody attempts to reclaim the river that was once the source of their livelihood. All occurrences and happenings in life are unnecessary hassles. It is an illusion devoid of interest and attraction. Both noble and ignoble are short-lived. Sooner or later, all categories of people are seen blatantly flowing towards the pyre of death.
Why should we live then? What have we to do? I do not have direct answers to these questions. However, if I am granted the boon to offer my opinions, I present the following: I have read and heard Buddhist masters, reincarnate and highly revered, and ordinary yet renowned, commonly say that we are born to practice virtues and discover paths to self actualization. This philosophy may be same across all religions and faiths. Equally competent masters of other faiths, I believe, may also be transmitting the same messages to its worshippers.
No other animals, including the ones who can emit human language, are bestowed and blessed with the same opportunity to practice and understand good of life. We are fortunate. We must avail and must not let this atypical opportunity slip off our hand. We heal the pain inflicted in us in dreams. We do not have advantage to cling on to pleasant memories in dreams. Similarly, whether we are willing or not, sooner or later, we have to bid final farewell to the world. We enter through one and exit through another. But, before that fateful time, following rituals, observing strict penance, passing through ordeal, living with dignity may enable one to leave behind good legacy. Legacy -that can be appreciated by everyone. Lord Buddha, an enlightened one is remembered today as a prince who renounced luxurious palace life, warmth of family love and all worldly pleasures.
The path we follow may obviously be little different, the salvation we arrive at may be slower, and the distraction we face may be more on our paths demanding us to be cautious in comparison to the Enlightened Beings like Lord Buddha and Lord Guru Rimpochhe. Still, I strongly feel that we may have ways out of this dreamlike life, if sought with sincerity.
I am not preaching here. I am alien in this world and matter. I do not have concrete evidence to substantiate any point I may mention. I rather halt here abruptly. Should anybody accuse me that my sentence is incomplete then it is to be understood that it is intentional.
The whole point of my writing is to implant curiosity in readers that only the wise is respected and remembered. We become wiser by following the trails and footpaths of the wisest. In respect to the fact of philosophy that the merciless death knows no age, no position and no boundary to lay its hands on, I feel, time is ripe, both for young and old, people of position, people of different regions to plan and execute good deeds. The deeds, everybody deem good may help an executers get peaceful exit from this illusory world. In conjunction, his or her name would remain imprinted for another dreamer to see!
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