Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
17th July 2016
Togetherness
“Together”
A family is a unit made up of members. Any place of work or play has members and that makes them a family unit as well. In any family opposing words do happen whenever the members do not accept or expect what is done or said.
Therefore, opposing words do happen in any type of family, whether we like it or not. So what could togetherness mean in any family unit? Togetherness is being together in every moment of life. Togetherness happens when opposing words are absent in any type of family. By this understanding the family lives together in harmony every moment of life.
Nevertheless, opposing words do happen, so what could be the understanding that would make opposing words absent in a family?
There is only the ‘here and now’ in life. There is no space between the ‘here and now’ and the next ‘here and now’, because the space in between would also be the ‘here and now’. Therefore, the ‘here and now’ is a continuous, spontaneous, uncontrollable and unpredictable, timeless and thoughtless flow in space. The enlightened have rightly stated that life flows like a river.
Man does not know the first thought that he will have in the day. Life makes man know the first thought of the day and also the thoughts for the rest of the day. This implies that thinking happens to man and that man is not the thinker.
We neither know the particular sense nor the exact moment of its presence. We know the particular sense after it happens, but never the exact moment of its presence. Similarly, with action too, we neither know the particular action nor the exact moment of its presence. We know the particular action after it happens, but never the exact moment of its presence. The enlightened have rightly proclaimed that man is not the doer, speaker or thinker, though doing, speaking and thinking happen just as the senses do happen, and man does not do them.
Similarly, when man understands that opposing words too happen and man does not make them happen, the opposing words stops happening to man. When opposing words do not happen, it is equivalent to the words being absent.
A man with this understanding brings along with him togetherness in a family. That family, which could be any type, begins to live in harmony every moment of daily life in any place or in any situation.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2016
Editor’s Note:
When it happens to man, woman and child, as it universally does, that he or she is the one who is doing, thinking and speaking, albeit illusory, then he or she must experience the fullness of the illusion. Duality and division are features of the illusion and the force of these is experienced by man. In their compassion for man’s plight, the enlightened are gifting the balm of their wisdom in this article, Togetherness.
Julian Capper, UK.
German Translator’s Note:
Living, working or playing at the same place at the same time, does not necessarily mean togetherness. Togetherness steps into a family, a group or an organization by understanding, it evolves slowly and cannot be taken for granted. This article is a gift for every family to experience togetherness and be happy with the other, come what may.
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany.