The Sleekness of Dolphins

The Sleekness of Dolphins

I wish to expand on my blog entry last week about learning from experience. I've also mentioned before that being adults does not mean that we always behave in a mature manner for maturity is a relative thing. Sometimes it is just plain stubbornness and dogmatism that are disguising themselves as "maturity".

Vivekananda said that we need to progress to the "state where all things become small"--where every experience, no matter how exhilirating, intoxicating or beguiling does not knock you off your pedestal of equanimity. You experience it, and you let it go without having to suffer any after-effects, because the lessons from the experience have been thoroughly learnt and assimilated into your system.

If we still have not distilled the essence from our experiences in life, then we will have to continue enjoying or suffering their after-effects, until our systems have been completely rewired or conditioned to take such experiences with zero or the least amount of pain (or pleasure). And when that state has been achieved, we move on to even subtler experiences and leave behind the dross.

A fish slices through water with minimal resistance and makes use of the power of the currents to propel itself forward. Life presents us constantly with wave after wave of challenges and obstacles. Our task is to slice through them with the least amount of effort and pain; and wherever possible we will even ride upon these waves, turning them to our advantage. A fish, merges and blends itself into that continuum of water and waves--its sea of karma.

We all have our own karmic seas to swim. Some flounder and drown. Others dart across the waves with the astounding sleekness of dolphins.