ਭਵਸਾਗਰ
Bhavsagar:
This world is considered as an ocean of fire (agan-sagar) which is impossible to cross. It is what keeps us bound like prisoners and we strive in every possible way to break these chains and become free. From the moment we are born to the time of death we are thrown from one event to another, from one direction to another, like a rudderless boat in the stormy sea. All religions describe this world as an ocean and give their own ways and means to cross over based on their own understanding and experience. Gurbani refers to it again and again. While it illucidates the perils of being bound in this world, it also suggests the remedy to break free.
This same world (sansar) is also called Maya. Maya means illusion, that which appears to be but is not. There are two strong and diametrically opposite views on Maya. The first group who think all that is visible is illusory because it is short-lived, temporary, transient. You cannot rely on it, therefore, it should be shunned. The other group thinks that this world is all that is there, therefore, make the most of it. Why worry about things that are not visible, and give up on that which is there. The hold of Maya is strong on both the groups. While one indulges in it and has become a slave of it, and feels imprisoned in its clutches, the other group is terrified by it, and runs away from it. While they claim it is illusory yet they renounce it, which is a contradiction in itself and they remain bound to it nonetheless.
This world or maya is dangerous because it is deceptive. It appears to be beautiful and attractive; enchanting and captivating. But, it is like the bait to catch fish. Just as the fish gets tempted by the food and comes for it only to get caught in the net, man is attracted by the “splendours” of the world only to get caught in its prison. The only difference between the hedonists and the spiritualist is that while the prison of the hedonist is visible because it is made of iron and keeps you chained in it; the prison of the spiritualist is made of gold; it doesn’t look like a prison because it promises freedom but somewhere in the future. Freedom promised in the future is of no significance. If it is not here and now, it is of no use. A cage is a cage whether it is made of gold or iron. Fetters, though of gold are no less strong to bind. In fact, the fetters of gold are even more dangerous because they wear the garb of freedom.
The world is an illusion because of our interpretation of things. We never look at anything as it is; we always look at things through our tainted glasses, the glasses coloured by our deep-rooted conditioning. We are always passing judgments; this is good or this is bad; this is right or that is wrong. All these preconceived notions stand in our way and blur our vision. That is why we all live in our own worlds. We do not occupy the same world. We live in our own shells; each one of us carries our own world around us. There are as many worlds as there are individuals. And, it is this world made of conditioning and interpretation that is illusory. It has nothing to do with things as they are. The world is in fact neutral. It is our conditioning that makes it good or bad. And, that is an illusion.
For example, you see a man on the road who is being chased by the police. Your first thought would be that he must be a thief. Now, without knowing anything about him, you have already passed a verdict on his character. Then, may be you had a closer look and found out that he belongs to a certain community. You, at once, feel scared of him. He might be a terrorist. Within minutes, you are quite sure that he is one. Yet, the fact remains that you know nothing about him. But, you have already condemned him. This is maya – the world of illusion.
The irony of it is that the illusory world of maya has become so powerful that it has hidden the real world. We have lost the ability to see things as they are. We look at them through the prism of our mind, which distorts everything. The mind is like a small keyhole, and the world is the vast open sky. We look at it through the keyhole. No wonder we see only a tiny speck of it, and we base our actions, reactions on what we see through the keyhole. We have no idea what the bigger picture is, but, we are pretty vocal about what should be the picture according to our mind.
This maya has become so overwhelming because we have identified with it. On its own, it is nothing better than a dream, which appears to be real but, which disappears as soon as you wake up. This maya has become insurmountable because we have identified ourselves with what we see outside. We have aligned ourselves with the external, which is transient, illusory and false.
All religions agree on the fact that this ocean is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to cross. Firstly, because we are in it, therefore, not even aware of the fact that we are caught. Then where is the question of breaking away from it? Secondly, we are going round and round in it like a whirlpool. No wonder it is called bhavsagar. We are born, we live for a while and then we die to be re-born, re-live and re-die. This cycle of birth and death goes on and on. We have no idea when it began and when and if it will ever end. Thirdly, because this is the known pattern of life; it happens with everyone and we are no exception. We are not aware of any other way of life, so, we accept it unquestioningly. On the contrary, we question the veracity of the assertions of a few exceptional beings who have seen the light, like Gautam Buddha, Jesus Christ, Guru Nanak and other such enlightened masters.
What is this world? How does it bind us? What is the way to break these chains and be free? This needs to be pondered on. What binds us? Can the trees, the mountains keep us captive? Do the sun, moon and stars hold us prisoners? No. Then, what is it that keeps us in bondage? We, ourselves are responsible for our bondage. It is our mind that has built this labyrinth of chains that seem to tighten the noose round our necks day and night. The mind is never satisfied; the more it gets the more it wants. The mind is a bottomless pit; whatever you put in it gets absorbed and it asks for more. It is led by the ego, and it serves the ego. The ego is jealous; it wants more than the others have. The ego is greedy; it has an unquenchable thirst for more and more. The ego is competitive; it wants to do better than everybody else.
Basically, the ego keeps making demands and the mind rushes at full speed to meet those demands. There are desires, wishes, longings, aspirations galore. When one desire is fulfilled, ten others crop up in its place. When they are fulfilled hundred others come up involuntarily. There is not a moment’s gap. The more you achieve the more you aspire. The truth is that we have become slaves of our minds. The mind keeps presenting problems and we spend all our energy to solve them. The mind keeps making demands and we bend over backwards to meet those demands. The mind flies on the wings of fantasy and we run after it, trying to keep pace with it. There is not a moment when the mind is at rest. And, we follow it helplessly, unable to put it in its proper place. The mind has become the master and we have become its slaves. This is the bondage that religions speak of. This is the ocean of fire that has to be crossed. The ocean of desires and expectations!
The good news is that once the problem is understood and stated clearly, the solution is not difficult to find. We have all experienced, in greater or smaller degrees that expectations lead to frustration. The more you expect the more frustrated you are. If expectation is one side of the coin, then frustration is the other side of the same coin. Desire and despair go hand in hand. They come in the same package.
The first thing to understand is that the ocean of fire is not somewhere far away, in the future, or after death. It is right here. You have gone through it many times when your desires have not been fulfilled, when things have happened against your wishes. All you need to do is to take a good look at the desires that keep cropping up in your mind. And, as soon as you see them for what they are, they will disappear. You have seen the full circle of many desires. You have seen a desire arise in your mind; you have worked hard to fulfill it; and as soon as it is fulfilled you have lost interest in it. And, a new one takes its place. If you have seen the whole thing from beginning to end, you will realise the futility of it. You will wonder at the stupidity of chasing desires, which is like little children chasing butterflies. We are all grown-up kids chasing our dreams. When you see the futility of it, it will drop automatically. This is the secret. Watch the desire arise and see it grow, but don’t do anything. Just look at it. That is enough. It will not be able to stand in front of your gaze. It could grow only in the darkness of your unconsciousness. The moment you become conscious of it, it ceases to exist. Awareness is the key. Just focus your attention on it, be alert, and see it evaporating like dew drops in the morning sun.
