The seed dies to become a plant and finally a tree; childhood passes away allowing teenage-hood and the process continues to give birth to adulthood. The stars explode and disappear, while new ones are born. Life is a constant evolution, a constant rebirth. But man has remained man since his creation. In fact, he has become more dangerous, nay, a menace to the survival of his own species. On one hand, he has made life easy and on the other hand, he is a walking hell. Man has evolved from animal, but manhood is not the culmination of his evolution. The DNA conceals infinite possibilities, similarly the mind too carries the seed for further growth. It is strange that man, though his body is different from that of an animal, behaves like animals. This is the reason why some philosophers and sociologists have given the epithet “social animal” to man. He does nearly everything an animal would do. Each species has its own particularities. The bee produces honey, other animals are useful in many ways, but what about man? Though he tops the list on the ladder of evolution, what is his product, his output? Comfort and other facilities to live cannot be his only output as they do not show much of his creativeness. Birds by their songs, flowers by their beauty and fragrance, the stars in firmament, the whole of existence is in celebration. What about man on whom God has the greatest hope? Stress, frustration, war, competition, bribery, corruption, crime and the like: are all these his only output?
Man fundamentally is not that bad as we may think. He has the capacity to love, to be creative. Some religions say that he represents God on Earth. Nay! He is an image of his Creator. Deep relaxation will make his inner being a god while the chaos of his unconsciousness will make him a devil. All good and evil come from the mind. A relaxed mind, an awakened mind, a mind free from all forms of suppressions and false beliefs is one’s best friend. It is the dire enemy when the 95.5% unconsciousness reacts with the external world to produce ambitions that lead to frustration, greed, anger, jealousy, covetousness and so many other negative qualities.
Jesus said to Nicodemus that he would have to be born again to attain the Kingdom of God. Though he had observed all the commandments, he was not fulfilled and was still seeking something that would complete his life. He was deprived of his inner self. What avails a man if he gains the whole world and has even mastered all religious teachings, yet like Nicodemus, is still unhappy or still wanting or seeking something else! As for the inner Kingdom, the perfect state of relaxation, bliss, love and power, one has to be born again to achieve it. Therefore Jesus tells Nicodemus, “You will have to be born again.” “Shall I enter the womb of my mother again?” No – be ready to be born in spirit! Your mind, your old mind filled with beliefs, conceptions, impressions, habits, knowledge and other qualities has to undergo a total transformation. The mirror filled with dust will have to be cleaned, then the reflection of the self will be mirrored. Only a pure mind, a silent mind, an awakened mind, a mind free from all traces of intoxication of this world and the next can enjoy life, give love, share richness. But who wants to die to the old so that new can take birth? Without the death of man, religion and God will remain vain talk. Who is talking of suicide? Yes, suicide in the spiritual sense. The capacity and eagerness to learn is a suicide to the old man with mere knowledge; with the art of listening, a new person takes birth. Start by learning! And you will have made the first step towards rebirth, in the direction of the inner kingdom. The seed dies, then the tree is born. Jesus died on the cross, then the Christ resurrected. The first question of life should be, “What am I?” The ultimate answer is the experience of the solvent: “I am HE.”
