Vijay Barve

Find Out Who You Are: One or Zero

Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre

The following is a conversation between a computer geek and a spiritual guru: Computer Geek: What is spirituality? Guru: Spirituality essentially teaches that all beings are one. It reiterates Universal Oneness.

CG: What does that mean? Guru: It means that animals and all other non-human creatures are as good as human beings. The Sanskrit phrase, 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam', which belies the basic spiritual concept, implies that the whole universe is my family and that all beings are One.

Spirituality, therefore, teaches us to be humble and to not feign arrogance arising out of power or intellect. CG: But if all beings are One, where does God fit in?

Guru: After listening to various spiri-tual gurus and reading myriad literature, one may realise that God, the Supreme Being, is essentially a state of zero, or the state in which one has zero desires.

CG: Spiritually speaking, what should be the ultimate aim of my life? Guru: Spiritually, the ultimate aim of a human being's life is to transform himself from a state of one to that of zero. CG: How is religiosity dif-ferent from spirituality?

Guru: Religiosity, on the other hand, describes human beings as zero. Listen to the religious discourses and you shall often hear "Hum sab us parmatma ke ansh hain" — We are, every one of us, nothing but a minuscule part of God.

In plain English, it means, without God, one is nothing or zero. CG: Like spirituality, does religiosity also treat all creatures the same? Guru: While religiosity preaches tolerance and respect towards all creatures, human beings are considered superior to other creatures.

Some religious scriptures also claim that a human being is the most beautiful creation of God. CG: But if all beings are zero, where does God fit in religiosity? Guru: Religiosity preaches that God, a higher being, is the state of Oneness — where all is one and the same.

Remember, Sai Baba said, "Sabka malik ek" — God is One. CG: So, religiously speaking, what is the final aim of my life? Guru: Religiosity preaches that the ultimate aim of a human being's life is to transform from a state of zero to that of one.

CG: Thanks. You cleared my confusion. Guru: So, what do you consider yourself to be: spiritual or religious? CG: [Scratches his head] Will Google answer this question? Guru: Good God, it doesn't.

Else, I will be out of job. CG: My "brain disk" has crashed. Could you help me? Guru: Sure. Just ask yourself: Do you consider yourself one or zero? CG: I am a bit of both — one and zero.

Guru: Well, that means you are 10, which is the binary code for 2, and that is the dwandwa or duality of this world! CG: I don't understand what is dwandwa or duality.

Guru: It means that this world needs both one and zero, signifying that opposites coexist. We need spirituality and religiosity, only when one and zero come together they make the world a beautiful place. In essence, the world is nothing but a manifestation of various combinations of zero and one.

http://spirituality.indiatimes.com

posted by Vijay Barve @ 9:48 PM