The Play of Ignorance

Probably the most fundamental problem of this world is the "I" which is the starting point of each of our actions. All our decisions revolve around this "I". "I" want to get a degree, job, partner, position, name, or fame. If "I" do not want something, "I" want to avoid death, poverty, disrespect, loss, or punishment. Sometimes, "I" wants these things directly without pretensions, however, these wants are disguised in the name of some "giving". "I" serves the society wanting to gain the power to exploit the same society. "I" help somebody wanting respect from that person.

Sometimes "I" is conscious of these pretensions. However, most of the time, it is the unconscious mind that plays the game, and the conscious "I" is not even conscious of these pretensions. However, when the unconscious "I" feels pleasure, the conscious "I" also feels pleasure and that is how the pretensions of the unconscious "I" continue unabated.

Sometimes, "I" becomes an end in itself. "I" forms an image of itself being "nice", "good", "intelligent", "spiritual", "well-wisher", "powerful", etc, and wants that image to be strengthened. "I" want others to recognize this self-image and respect that. "I" argues with others to prove to be "intelligent" and the end purpose of the arguments is to just prove one's intellectual superiority. "I" does different actions to please others in order to prove to be "nice" or "good". "I" attends different spiritual courses and participate in spiritual discussions to prove to be "spiritual".

Sometimes, "I" gets sick of all these wanting, and the exhausted "I" wants enlightenment, the eternal bliss. Again "I" enters into a loop of wanting. Now "certain experience" becomes the want and the goal. In all these endeavors, "I" never examines what this "I" actually is. I feel that is the fundamental problem of "I". Ignorance is the fundamental problem.

The wonderful thing is the moment "I" sees this ignorance, the ignorance drops, and "I" becomes aware. In fact, there is no "I" as soon as "I" realizes its ignorance. Ramakrishna explained that with a beautiful analogy of a salt doll who enters into to sea to understand the nature of the sea, slowly melts into the water of the sea and by the time there is a realization of the nature of the sea, there is no doll left. Similarly, when this "I" starts examining its true nature, the ignorance and all the "wants" associated with that ignorance drop automatically, and what remains is the "I" that is beyond any division or boundary. 

However, the "ignorance" is very powerful. More so because most of the people in this world do not make any efforts to observe reality. It's like a laid-back town where everybody is happy to be lazy and laziness is quite normal. Like the slave India where hardly anybody thought of freedom, till a few freedom fighters ignited that fire in the hearts of those sleeping with ignorance. 

Even if a person gathers courage to challenge this ignorance, it strikes back in a different form. "I" has created so many wants at conscious as well as unconscious levels, due to its prolonged slavery, that the ignorance keeps coming back in different forms. Different wants of the material world, pretensions of conscious as well as unconscious mind, fixation with the self-image, and "spiritual seeking". The same ignorance comes back in different forms. 

There is probably only one solution and that is unshakeable surrender and connection with the divine. With that connection, one can actually see through ignorance. One can see the play of these wants. One can see how a rich man becomes a beggar, the moment he wants something. By wanting, we immediately forego the richness and contentment inside. An aware self can very well see the play of the unconscious as well and as much as one observes, that much of the unconscious becomes conscious. An aware self will not get fixated on self-image because there is no "self" in that image and that is just a creation of ignorance. Similarly, an aware self will not set any "spiritual target" because it will soon realize that it is another trick that "ignorance" is trying to play with us to perpetuate its kingdom. 

Slowly the connection between the "unit" and the "whole" gets strengthened and the "whole" starts guiding the "unit" regarding its play in the world. That brings joy. Each action of the "unit" in this world gets driven by inner joy and carries a spiritual fragrance. Each action is of the "unit" is his "Sadhana" of the "whole" or the "whole" itself operating through the "unit" to manifest itself.