To see the universe in a grain of sand

I came home from work on Thursday last week and over a conversation with my son, who is home from college during summer holidays, we came to the topic of how an integral part cannot be separate from the whole: like the wave and the ocean.

If the integral part were to be searching for the whole, like if the wave were to be searching for the ocean, it would be similar to how we as individual humans search for completeness, permanence, meaning and purpose.

To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour

William Blake’s observation about how a grain of sand includes the essence of the vast world is very similar to the wave and ocean analogy above.

A wave, transient though it may be in form, includes the intrinsic essence of all of ocean. From the point of view of essence, a wave is as representative and as complete in itself as the ocean. Also, just because a wave or several waves emerge, it does not make the ocean any different or less.

This concept is beautifully captured in a verse from Isha Upanishad:

Poornamadah poornamidam poornaat poornamudachyate, Poornasya poornamaadaaya poornamevaavashishyate

My basic interpretation of this possibly very deep philosophy is: “That (universal) is whole, this (individual/creation) is whole; from wholeness (universal) emerges the whole (individual) and if you remove wholeness (individual) from wholeness, wholeness (universal) still remains.”

Now, how in the name of the blogosphere does this matter or is even interesting or useful?

Waves

This perspective, if you can examine it and come to relate to this, can be a very good tool that can reduce stress and can change how you relate to others: people, things, events in the past, present and unknown future.

What is obvious is the individual differentiated forms, all of them though transient. I am an individual separate from my son and you reading these words. Yet, all are transient products and forms of this world, fully representative and complete from the point of view of encapsulating the essence of the world.

All sentient beings, fish, flies, cats, dogs and humans, have a point of view and feel the individualistic separateness from the world. And humans, having evolved and been endowed with a capacity to not only study the world around, but to plumb the depths of selves and to express ideas are additionally caught in a hugely frustrating individual quest for meaning and sophisticated search for completeness and everlasting happiness.

In a way, this is like how all waves can feel their existence, see the shore and end, and yet one wave thinks that the bigger wave alongside is somehow better and perhaps knows the answer to questions: where is the ocean, what should I do and why, what will make me feel complete, sufficient, happy, fulfilled? Maybe, if only I could become as big as the other wave, I would be fulfilled?

If a wave developed the capacity to see that it indeed is part of the ocean and is as complete and representative as the vast ocean itself, and all it needs to do is to ride the wind and enjoy the journey to the shore, how will it feel about itself and other waves which may or may not have this perspective? Will that enlightened wave end its frustrating quests and acquisitive needs for fulfillment?

Humans

Humans have evolved from and on this planet with a fantastic set of body and mind tools to a point of not just being able to well adapt to the environment but to manipulate the environment. The human body and mind are such great flexible tools that we can imagine and create expressive languages, pyramids, skyscrapers and spaceships.

And yet, using the same sharp tools, we hurt ourselves and others through thoughts, words and actions. In our individual quest for completeness, permanence and fulfilment, we feel transient happiness when we succeed in grabbing at people and things that we like or manage to avoid things that we dislike; we feel depressed when we fail.

An alternate useful perspective would be to realize the huge fortune of having these body and mind tools and put them to full use without any stress. To what end? We can first stop hurting ourselves and others; next use these tools to imagine, create great things that will help ourselves and help others enjoy while we all ride to the shores.

We can write beautiful poems, look under a rock in the riverbed on earth or mars, travel back and forth in time if we can, thoroughly enjoying and owning up to all useful actions and whatever results. Live life with a feeling that all of us belong in this world, integral part of the world and complete in essence even individually. We can stop living as aliens longing to get back to our remote source or pining for a destination of fulfillment.

Purpose

Purpose of life might just be to live and live well. Go ahead and make the most of incredibly fortuitous body and mind tools that you are endowed with. End the search for fulfilment in things, enjoy the ride, and get others to appreciate and enjoy their rides. I think that would it be a useful life and a life well lived.