#158 Activism and Vedanta
At the much awaited conference with the police, here we were – founders of different voluntary organisations working for the cause of street children.
As the stories of police brutality against 12 year old Rafiq and 9 year old Munni were shared, the anger started to build, in that conference room. We demanded action against the police as story after story of injustice was shared. Seething with rage, we felt the loss of childhood for these vulnerable children. The conference hurriedly ended with forming a committee which would take things forward. As we walked towards the railway station to return to our homes, I asked one very well known founder – Given your expertise it would have been good to see you on the committee. She looked at me with anger – How dare you say that? Surprised at her reaction but sensing her anger, I said – You seem angry. You feel like nothing is changing. She softened and said yes…With a faraway look in her eyes, she whispered – I am exhausted of fighting. Like Raktabija mentioned in Devi Mahatmyam, we defeat one enemy and with every drop of blood spilled, another enemy comes up. It just seems one battle after another. When will the police stop their brutality? When will the social justice system become more child centred and stop treating them like criminals? When will the poor families have decent livelihoods? When will the caregivers in shelter homes do their job? I am just angry with the whole world. I have had fights with my friends and they have all walked away. Even with my family, I just seem to be fighting all the time. Any advice from that Vedanta class you are attending?
And I said, Let me give you a hug first. As I felt her raging energy collapse into a sense of relief I suggested that we stop for a cup of coffee. After a few sips of filter coffee, I said – It is your sensitivity to other people’s suffering and the resulting anger that brought you to doing this work with street children. Otherwise who in their right mind takes on a huge problem like the hundreds of street children languishing on railway stations and seeks to change their lives. But you and I – we still do it.
We mistake the anger for the rush of energy that made the petitions, garnered the support, fearlessly spoke on the stage. The anger did not do it but anger channelised into constructive action did it. But the problem is we think we need to continue to be angry for change to happen. In the process it becomes a default setting and anger becomes a learned response to everything. Then one is always angry about something or the other. Look at all the activists around – whether they are fighting to stop the use of plastic, care for abandoned animals, reduce consumption of fossil fuels or fight against delays in the justice system. Often these activists are very unhappy in their personal lives because nothing seems to be ok.
Anger clouds our reasoning. And then all our learning seems to fly out of the window. Our wisdom is no longer available to us. The Bhagavad Gita echoes this truth –
krodhaat bhavati sammohah sammohaat smrti vibhramah
Smrti bhramshaad buddhi naasha, buddhi naashaat pranashyati 2.63
From anger comes wrong thinking and from wrong thinking comes the loss of memory. Because of the loss of memory the mind becomes incapacitated to think clearly which eventually leads to the person getting destroyed.
This way of dealing with the world where you can have anger but the anger does not have you is a more sustainable way of conserving one’s energy and fighting the good fight for a long time.
Or else we will burn out as we have seen happening with our colleagues. The experience and knowledge that we have gathered over time will not be available for the cause. We cannot allow that to happen. We have chosen to do seva.
The sadhana is in the battlefield of social change.
We can draw from the reserves of strength and compassion that we have. If our compassion makes us angry and suffer then we need to do more sadhana not less. If our sadness increases seeing the suffering of others we need to engage more with the situation and not withdraw.
Thoughtfully she said – Hmm…will think about this. But so much needs to happen.
I agree. But a lot of change has already happened. We need to acknowledge how far we have come.
We chatted for a bit and then promised to meet again. I later heard that she was the chairperson of the committee that went on to make some concrete recommendations for the Juvenile Justice (Care and protection of children) Act 2000. Her long years of activism born of experience and compassion had indeed borne fruit.
Recently we heard about the passing away of Thich Nhat Hanh, a highly revered Vietnamese Buddhist monk who helped to transform the lives of many people through his teachings of mindfulness. But there was something different about him. When war broke out in Vietnam in 1954, monks and nuns were confronted with the question – Should they adhere to the contemplative life and stay meditating in the monasteries, or help those around them suffering under the bombings and turmoil of war?. Thich Nhat Hanh was one of those who chose to do both, and in doing so founded the Engaged Buddhism movement. His life became dedicated to the work of inner transformation for the benefit of individuals and society.
Much before him Swami Vivekananda and later Swami Chinmayananda, Sri Aurobindo and our own Pujya Swami Dayananda ji have engaged in activism not out of anger but from the strength of their vision of reality.
They were objective about what needed to be done. They did not worry about the outcome. They did not withdraw because they were reluctant to dirty their hands. They did not avoid negative and toxic people nor did they wallow in their wounds.
Recognising that they are indeed the changeless reality, they were committed to social change.
Wise people are not in denial of reality. They don’t withdraw from life to avoid suffering. They transcend the body, mind and all forms through knowledge which is not denial. Their acceptance of situations and their kaushalam in handling very difficult situations came from being in the thick and think of social change and not sitting in a remote cave. Sure, they also sat in solitary places for a while but that sadhana served its purpose. Wise people see suffering and are committed to alleviating the suffering, themselves untouched by it, much like the lotus in the pond who lives in the world but whose leaves remain untouched by it.
Does it mean that we have to wait for wisdom to dawn upon us? No. In fact because we see the interconnectedness of forms we also see the suffering of those around us.
The spiritual journey begins when you confront your own and other’s suffering. The question is what do we do about the suffering ? Do we turn away due to apathy or indifference because we are ‘oh so busy with our sadhana’?
Do we turn around and blame the whole world and duck our responsibility of being in this place and age?
Or do we pick ateast one cause that resonates with us and strategically engage with it, look at what has been done so far and go beyond forwarding whatsapp messages smug in the illusion of having done one’s bit.
Some people say that I am very sensitive and cannot handle suffering. What they are really saying is that they are obsessed only with their own pain which seems to be greater than anyone else ‘s pain. The scratch on their knee is far greater than the broken bones of a victim of domestic violence.
The spiritual journey is a relational journey and not in isolation or a bypassing of others.
The choice is not between action or inaction. Nor is our choice between action and the pursuit of knowledge as Arjuna, the warrior thought.
The choice is only about how to engage with the framework of Dharma, wise or otherwise, knowing that as Atma you remain untouched.
Karma does not happen by you or for you. If it did you would be like Hercules burdened by the weight of the world. Instead you become an instrument of change and allow karma to happen through you much like a flute.
So, we can engage in causes without getting entangled. To know if you are progressing in your spiritual journey, nothing like a good cause to be involved in, either through your job or in addition to it and you will know how much you have assimilated the teaching of Vedanta. As an activist, you are called upon to cultivate and embody commitment, objectivity and fortitude. If you feel more angry and more helpless then it is time to return to the drawing board of Dharma.
The process of being involved in social change is much like running as a part of a relay race to protect and carry the Olympic flame. It travels across continents and a sea of differences. Each runner is focused on his or her contribution by running for a certain distance. The runners do not agonise over whether the flame will reach the destination. Each carries the flame for a while and passes it on carefully and respectfully. They trust that the other runner before them and the ones that are to come after them will do their job. The flame of change born of contribution burns ever so brightly. Each does his or her bit in keeping it burning.
We are celebrating India’s Republic Day on 26th January. It is on this very day that the constitution of India came into effect. India that is Bharat …This is how the first article of the Indian constitution begins. The freedom of this sacred land lies in the culture, heritage and our ways of life. Every day all the way from 1st Jan onward till 26th Jan we have posted youtube short videos – 26 ways of contributing to Bharat that is India. The link to the playlist is in the description of the episode. I do hope you will check it out and seek to contribute because the situation we are in, cannot be any single person’s fault but it is everyone ‘s responsibility.
