What I have learned from a traveler, there’s no road that can lead to Nirvana. There’s a world to discover, but home is love.
Slow Up by Jacob Banks
Sometime in February 2023, I was watching National Geographic (arguably my favorite channel). That night as a stretched my legs on the couch, I ominously followed this particular episode of Taboo. Now, in case you are wondering what Taboo is all about, the name is self-evident. I find this program rather enigmatic because it challenges convention. I mean, people get married to inanimate objects. Did you know that someone got married to the Berlin Wall in 1979, and that there’s such a thing called Objectum-sexuality ?
Anyway back to this specific episode. Aneri (not real name) was an elderly woman who lived permanently in a temple somewhere in India. Then one day, she took a bold step. She decided to stop eating food completely. Over the next couple of days, she only drank water – which she also eventually stopped drinking. As she slowly slipped in and out of consciousness in the days that followed, Aneri was cheered on by a group of women (one of whom was her daughter) as they sang songs. Aneri was treated like a goddess – a legend sorts as she apparently slowly ended her life. As I watched, I was confounded. Why were they cheering her on and encouraging her to commit suicide? How was this even legal?
Eventually, after a couple of days, Aneri breathed her last. She died seated upright, eyes open. The women cheered more as they adorned her in white linen, placed her body on a stretcher and matched in a colorful parade to the temple crematorium. As her body was consumed by the flames, people – both young and old celebrated. In death, she had become highly revered.
I came to discover that Aneri was fullfilling the vow of Sallekhana – one of the practices of followers of Jainism which is a religion in India.
In Jainism the vow of Sallekhana is a religious practice of voluntarily fasting to death by gradually reducing the intake of food and liquids. It is believed to cause the thinning of human passions and the body, and another means of destroying rebirth-influencing karma by withdrawing all physical and mental activities.
I also learned that Sallekhana is not considered suicide and the practice is protected by the constitution of India as part of religious freedoms of worship.
I discovered that what Aneri did was sacred. It was something she deeply believe in. For her, it was not death. She found her inner peace. She found happiness. Aneri found Nirvana. She had lived in pursuit of this moment; the quest to walk down the Road to Nirvana.
Nirvāṇa is a term found in the texts of all major Indian religions – Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. It refers to the profound peace of mind, or release from a state of suffering.
After watching that episode of Taboo, I found myself lost in deep thought. I began to reflect on my own life. Was I willing to die for what I believe is happiness?
I began to ask myself, what is my idea of inner peace and happiness? What is my Nirvana? Can anyone really find Nirvana?
This is the reality for most people: life gets so busy that we forget to live. Life gets so hard that most of the time we have forgotten the things that make us happy and give us inner peace. Our lives lack purpose and meaning. I don’t know about you but sometimes I feel stuck in a rut. It feels like I am living in someone’s experiment. Life feels like The Matrix – like it’s just a simulation. Life can feel like we are stuck in an infinite time loop. This feeling was rather well dramatized in the movie Palm Springs.
There is certainly a better way to live than this. We can’t live the entirety of our lives chasing the proverbial wind. Aneri reminded me that life is meant to be lived with purpose. Life has to be meaningful. She reminded me that we need to stop and take time to breath slowly and smell the air. We need to stop and remember to do the things that make us truly happy.
I am convinced that you cannot find true happiness if you don’t have a sense of purpose. Everyone needs to first of all find out what their purpose in this journey called life is. Then, therein we shall find what truly makes us happy.
We ought to be intentional about thriving and not merely existing. I believe that discovering your purpose will show you the Road to your Nirvana.
Bright Onapito
I believe I discovered my purpose. I know for sure that I have been called to be a leader. This world is in dire need of transformational leaders and so I am walking down that road. Do you know what your purpose is?
I would like to end my reflection with the words of Julius Mantle:
Today is your chance to awaken to the gift of living — before it is too late.
Time really does slip through your fingers like tiny grains of sand. Let this new day be the defining moment of your life, the day that you
make the decision once and for all to focus on what is truly important to you. Make the decision to spend more time with those who make your life meaningful. Revere the special moments, revel in their power. Do the things that you have always wanted to do. Climb that mountain you have always wanted to climb or learn to play the trumpet. Dance in the rain or build a new business. Learn to love music, learn a new language and rekindle the delight of your childhood. Stop putting off your happiness for the sake of achievement. Instead, why not enjoy the process? Revive your spirit and start tending to your soul. This is the way to Nirvana.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
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