Lessons from the ocean

The ocean is so huge that it is almost impossible to fathom its depth and measure its width. A few drops of water evaporate from the surface of the ocean and take the form of a cloud which floats with the wind and after traveling long reaches the mountains and takes the form of a glacier. In summer, the glacier melts and takes the form of a river, joined by the rain at some other places, which finally flows back to the ocean after passing through different terrains. Similarly, a few drops of water, join together to form a wave on the surface of the ocean. They travel with the wave so long as the wave continues and then again merge back into the ocean. Similarly, the water of the ocean also keeps moving under the surface in the form of ocean currents.

Isn't the same thing happening inside us all the time? As if our true nature is like an ocean. As clouds get formed with the evaporation of the water, similarly, thoughts get formed when we start thinking on any subject. Our intellect is continuously busy forming thoughts, and different thoughts one after the other take the form of a stream of thought just like the river. It passes through different frames of time just like the river passing through different terrains. As the final destination of every river is the ocean, the final destination of every stream of thought is we ourselves. 

Similarly, the "Mana" is continuously busy forming the waves on the surface of the mind. Different emotions keep surfacing in our minds. Fear, anxiety, stress, anger, jealousy, excitement, fun, pleasure, and so many other emotions always keep surfacing in our minds. Deep down the surface of the ocean, there is a continuous flow of the ocean currents. Similarly, our Chitta keeps flowing with the old Samskaras just like the ocean currents. In fact, ocean currents have an impact on the waves on the surface of the ocean as well. Similarly, our Samskaras have a deep impact on different emotions experienced by our Mana. In fact, all the three are interconnected. 

While the ocean always remains vast and deep, the drops of the ocean which travel as clouds may feel insecure about their journey as well as the destination. Similarly, when we flow with our thoughts, at times, we feel aimless and directionless. In these moments, we forget the awareness of being an ocean. Similarly, while fixated on the glacier, the drops of the water feel trapped. Similarly, sometimes, we feel trapped in certain thoughts. Even when our thoughts get certain direction like the river, there appears to be some sort of restlessness and uncertainty till the river meets the ocean. Similarly, each wave as well as ocean current too has an insecurity of instability. 

Is it not true that all the problems, fears, and insecurities arise due to the reason of forgetting the true nature being the ocean. Whenever we forget our ocean nature, we flow unaware with aimless thoughts like the clouds or get fixated on certain thoughts like the glacier, or flow with thoughts full of uncertainty like the river, or experience different emotions like moving with the waves, or experience deep samskaras like the ocean currents. We somehow get disconnected from our true nature in such states of mind. In such a state of ignorance, fear becomes the center of our life. However, the moment we recall our true nature, we become as deep and stable as the ocean. 

Spirituality is just remembrance of our true nature which is as wide and as deep as the ocean. The moment we recall that true nature, we remain no longer interested in the security at the surface. We know that all the clouds will eventually come to the ground in the form of rain. All the glaciers will melt to become rivers. All the rivers will finally merge into the ocean. All the waves will finally rest in the ocean. All the currents are just the movement of the water of the same ocean flowing with energy. With the realization of the real nature, we learn to play with the clouds, glaciers, rivers, waves, and currents. Not only that, we also learn to explore and create clouds, glaciers, rivers, waves, and currents.