Objectives Of Spiritual Life And Material Life

I have observed that achieving material objectives require less efforts than attaining spiritual goals.

It is no child’s play to withdraw one’s senses from sense objects.

In deep sleep, senses are withdrawn from sense objects automatically and one enjoys bliss, albeit for a brief period.
As soon as one awakens, one’s senses again start running after the sense objects.

A wise monk understands that the happiness provided by sense objects is fleeting but ultimately they inflict much more sorrows, diseases.

Through continuous practice and wisdom, a monk is able to withdraw his senses from the sense objects, consciously.

He then channelizes all his thoughts in the direction of Absolute Reality, who is the fountainhead of everlasting joy.

That’s why a yogi remains perennially ecstatic, experiences unpolluted joy continually.

A monk has to meditate deeply, introspect a lot so as to mould his mind in such a way that it remains balanced in pleasure and pain, honour and dishonour, heat and cold.

When a mango becomes ripe, it detaches itself from the tree effortlessly.

Likewise, when an enlightened monk discerns the ephemeral, deceptive nature of mundane things, he easily disengages his mind from the worldly things, beings.

Do you know what should be the main objective of people in the material world?

I have read the biography of Warren Buffett, “The Snowball : Warren Buffett and the Business of Life”, by Alice Schroeder.

Warren Buffett is a renowned American investor and is counted among the world’s richest persons. As the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, his net worth is over $116 billion.

In 2001, students of the University of Georgia asked him about the main objective of material life, definition of success.

Nonagenarian Warren Buffett replied, “I know many people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners and they get hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. That’s the ultimate test of how you have lived your life.”

In other words, for a fulfilling material life, worldly people should not crave for fat bank balances, expensive properties, high positions and power.

Rather they must do such noble activities as would bring them lots of love and blessings of people.

~ Sanjay Gargish ~