The Middle Path Extremes

We often see people who have ‘fairly’ little or very little knowledge of Zen Buddhism talk about this middle path buzz word. For them mostly the Zen revolves around the humour-less stories of the Buddhas or the un-intelligible kwans (quans – a kind of riddle) which the Master poses to the disciple, and when answered will do something really funny like tweaking the nose.

Here I am in no way ridiculing the Zen, but the “self” styled practitioners (for once we do not have self styled gurusJ).

The logician will ask when he is told to follow the middle path or not the extremes, does the ‘middle path’ path apply to the middle path and is it not the comment, “do not be an extremist”, also an extreme.

But we can do better, we say, we follow the path. There is no extreme or middle path, because, these terms at best are relative. If you want someone to follow the middle path, show him the extremes. If you say, somebody is following the extreme, show him from which middle or the other extreme one measure.

Because for this fellow, one who he is preaching these to have no brains of their own. Therefore, the preacher has the liberty to unload his own ignorance on them. Today the truth will be like this, but if one asks him, but you told yesterday something else, the answer will be, You are right (I know for, you follow Shastra and not the dummies), this is the truth of today. The truth is not constant and it is ever varying. Now, if this be so, why do we need you, they do not possess this wit to ask the preacher.

If Truth is ever varying, then how can one come to the conclusion of understanding the Truth? Moreso, why do we need such a Truth?

Smart Mouni says “What is middle path, not the extremes. What is extreme, not the middle path”

Meaning of Gayatri Mantra

Om – That ultimate Self

Bhu Bhuva Suva – the three vyhartis, these denote the three worlds. Bhu - this world, Bhuva – the world in-between and Suva – the higher world, Svarga – heaven (In north india they pronounce this suva as sva)

Tat Savitu – That sun, the directly perceived deity, this denotes the Self. Though the Self is self-effulgent, and sun is illumined by the Self, therefore non-self-effulgent. Still, from the worldly view, Sun is seen as self-effulgent.

Varenyam – Greatest.

Bargho – shining / illumining

Devasya  - of that iswara / lord / deity

Dimahi – let us place (pray) in our heart / intellect / mind

Diya Na – our intellect.

Pracodayat – let Him illumine. One, who illumines everything, let Him illumine.

Let us pray the greatest, that self-effulgent deity Sun, the Self, one who is all these three worlds, through whose effulgence let our intellect / heart too become illumined.

If we stay close to fire, the nature of the fire to illumine and give heat, due to it we also become illumined and gain some heat. Similarly, the inherent nature of the Self is “Satyam Gnanam Anantam” (absolute Existence, absolute Knowledge and absolute Bliss), meditating on whom we also will be associated with / be of that nature.