Sing along now . . .
Row Row Row your boat, gently down the stream.
Merrily Merrily Merrily Merrily
Life is but a dream!
This is my favorite nursery rhyme. It has both wisdom and practical advice.
I was reminded of it as I have returned to work and study at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Pennsylvania after four months back at Mount Shasta, California. I find myself telling people that the two places are so different, they are like two separate dreams. All the people are different, and the two environments are completely different. The philosophy that I’m studying teaches that life in the world is actually comparable to a dream. In a dream at night, all the environment and people, etc., are actually inseparable manifestations in the mind of the one dreamer. Likewise, in Vedanta philosophy, this entire world is explained as having a single source. Is it God? Hmmm. The drawback of using the term God is that is tempts us to imagine some being that is separate from us and separate from the world. What I’m learning here is that “God” is not separate form the world or from each one of us, just like the dream characters and places are not separate from the dreamer. Our challenge is to realize this Truth, not just understand it.
Meanwhile, how does this mystical revelation help us to live our lives? That’s where the beginning of the nursery rhyme is helpful. Just keep rowing, one stroke at a time. Gently. Don’t take life too seriously. Be merry. The stream is time, ever moving forward. Let it flow. Life is but a dream. ✨✨✨
Love always,
Sahadev
QUOTES FROM MY CLASS NOTES
The scenes on the movie screen are constantly changing. The light of the projector does not change.
Appliances are all different. Electricity is one.
Humans are all different. True Self is one.
Don’t let ideation obscure and distort the Truth. Go beyond words. Then alone you can realize the Truth pointed to by the words.
Going to a spiritual center is not enough. Acquiring concepts is not enough. Concepts are limited. Truth is unlimited. Concepts can even obstruct realization of Truth. They can help in the beginning. Don’t become satisfied with concepts. Ultimately, the Truth cannot be described. It can only be experienced deep within as Oneself.
My favorite part about this song is that it is a round, meant to be sung by multiple voices all doing the different lines at the same time, so you can hear them overlapping. It is a mystery that time ‘exists’ and this singing highlights the mystery, not the ordinariness of linear time. It is the first round I ever heard and I was sure it was magic. I still feel that way