can we beg ?

September 6, 1999

namaste.

As we all know, ego is the biggest hurdle in our realization of Brahman.

I consider ego as the disease of the internal sense organ antahkaraNa,

as I expanded on it a few posts ago.

Among other things, ego includes

(A) the feeling that something is below our dignity (I think this is

called AtmAbhimAnam in sanskrit) and

(B) the feeling that I am the doer of the action and enjoyer of the fruit

of action.

In advaita, Shri Shankara attacks the (B) component stated above, because

that is the root effect of mAyA and the resulting delusion. Shri Shankara's

reference is to this component of the ego when the realized disciple says

ahamkAravyAghravyathitam in VivekachUDAmaNi.

Even before we reach component B, we have to conquer component A of the

ego referred above and this post refers to that. Can we beg without any

inhibitions? Many (most probably all) consider begging as a profession

or a job well below the dignity of a human. The sannyAsins have to beg

from five houses for getting their daily food. Gr^hasthAs of course work

in this world to earn their daily livlihood. The general norm in most

people is begging is below the human dignity. The ego raises its ugly

head and prevents one doing this. The ego gets hurt. My question here is:

did we cross this ego-hurt to tackle the more major problem with the ego

(B, described above)?

Is there any simple self-test which we can design to test how far we

have conquered A above ?

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

------

September 6, 1999

On 9/6/99 at 11:33 AM Gummuluru Murthy wrote:

>Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy

>

>namaste.

>

>As we all know, ego is the biggest hurdle in our realization

of Brahman.

>I consider ego as the disease of the internal sense organ

antahkaraNa,

>as I expanded on it a few posts ago.

>

>Among other things, ego includes

>

>(A) the feeling that something is below our dignity (I think

this is

> called AtmAbhimAnam in sanskrit) and

>(B) the feeling that I am the doer of the action and enjoyer

of the fruit

> of action.

But the two are related; if enjoying is renounced, so is

grieving. Without doership, enjoying and grieving, the fate of

the mind-body is taken with equanimity and the issue of

dignity cannot arise.

>

>In advaita, Shri Shankara attacks the (B) component stated

above, because

>that is the root effect of mAyA and the resulting delusion.

Shri Shankara's

>reference is to this component of the ego when the realized

disciple says

>ahamkAravyAghravyathitam in VivekachUDAmaNi.

Sankara is right; B is the main issue and other issues are

derived from it.

>Even before we reach component B, we have to conquer

component A of the

>ego referred above and this post refers to that. Can we beg

without any

>inhibitions?

The issue of begging is strongly dependent on culture. In this

part of the country (Spain) the definition of a beggar is

someone without financial self-sufficiency and it is illegal.

Many (most probably all) consider begging as a profession

>or a job well below the dignity of a human. The sannyAsins

have to beg

>from five houses for getting their daily food. Gr^hasthAs of

course work

>in this world to earn their daily livlihood. The general norm

in most

>people is begging is below the human dignity. The ego raises

its ugly

>head and prevents one doing this. The ego gets hurt. My

question here is:

>did we cross this ego-hurt to tackle the more major problem

with the ego

>(B, described above)?

>

>Is there any simple self-test which we can design to test how

far we

>have conquered A above ?

>

>Regards

>Gummuluru Murthy

In some third world countries, begging is just one of the

means to earn a living, not "below dignity". If begging is

associated with a "status of holiness" it can do more harm

than good . A could be called an "outer" and B an "inner"

discipline. For A the test would be to meet some who will

actually voice or show contempt and for B the test is meeting

someone (not knowing doership, enjoyment and grieving are

"over") in the act of offering something that once was

enjoyable.

Jan

September 6, 1999

Murthy gaaru -

In sanyaasa ashrama since one has renouced everthing, to subsist or to keep

the body going one has to depend on the alms - Biksha is the only valid

means for survival. Hence it is recommended.

For gruhastaas - we beg all the time -

There is story of the saint who was told by The Alexander, "Sir I am the

emperor and I have the capacity to give anything if the you ask or beg

including forgiveness". It seems the saint replayed rejecting the offer

that our scriptures are against begging from another begger. For him the

Alexander was just another begger depending on other people for his needs.

Any mental dependence on others will then become a begging - It is not just

begging for food. Hence the sadhaks are asked to do nishkaama karma -

Then there will be an equanimity - the nishkaama karma includes the

obligatory duties due to ones position in family, society etc. One has to

do these actions with an attitude of surrenderence to the Lord then only the

ego gets dissolved since the action itself is an offering to the Lord -

yat karoshi yadashNaashi yat juhoshi dadaasi yat|

yat tapasyati kounteya tat kurushva madarpaNam||

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give and whatever tapas or

meditated action you perform - offer all that to me" - says Krishna - then

there is no begging - there is an equanimity of the mind in the action.

Even begging the Lord to give this or that - is also prohibited - other than

requesting the Lord to be with him all the time - or recognizing that the

Lord is there with him all the time - even that one does not have to beg -

Oh Lord give the mind that can recognize your presence in side me and out

side me becomes the prayer.

what are the litmus tesst to check how far one has come. That is subjective

and one has to evaluate by oneself. For example this reflects in ones

reaction to the results. To the degree the action is offered to the Lord,

to that degree the ego is dissolved and to that degree the results are

accepted as prasaad from the Lord. Equanimity previals and the mind is free

from the burdon of the past which is due to ego. Hence how one acts and how

one reacts to the situation is the only litmus test. If one accepts the

results with free state of mind - that it is gift from the Lord, including

begging the bowl of the food on the street - to that extent one is free from

Ego - Otherwise there are so many beggers on the street and their ego can be

as great as the rich man who offers the food.

How for the reactive mind is dissolved only one can know - some critical

situations where "I and mine" rushes out, we loose the control of the mind

and we flare up. But a balanced mind will get back to the equanimity very

fast compared to the egotistical mind. How long that takes is another

measure of for how far one has come. You can see some are very balanced

and some are not - even among the sadhaks. That variability is due to

mental attachment one has to the action - that degree of attachment is the

measure of the ego.