MARKETS AND MYSTICS

How They Look at Our Common Heritage, the Mother Earth

Abstract

Brigu was a young man, a beginner with a searching mind, with firm determination to know Brahman.  He approached a renowned master (guru) and expressed his desire.  The guru told him that he could not know Brahman from classroom but should perform tapas.  Here, the word tapas means a firm determination to continue the search with a spirit of concentration and readiness to abandon everything else for the sake of what one is searching for.  Brigu was very loyal and ready to stick to advice of the master.  After the performance of tapas for a few days Brigu retuned to the master.  The master asked: “Who is Brahman?”  Brigu answered: “Brahman is food.”  Here food means the food of all senses.  The world is full of food, i.e., the world provides all needed food for all our five senses.  This is the cosmic layer of human existence, the outermost layer of our awareness, namely the world awareness.  Though this is the most superficial, this is very fundamental, because this is the awareness with which all human beings start living.  Sensational food is the first stage of our awareness.  But the human being is expected to go deeper in awareness.  Hence, the master told him: “you need some more tapas.” True to his nature, Brigu returned to perform tapas.  After a few weeks the boy came back.  The master once again asked the same question: “Who is Brahman?”  This time Brigu replied: “Brahman is life.”  Brigu has made progress.  He has moved from the outermost layer to the next inner layer.  The shift from food to life is a shift from object to subject.  But in this stage this, in fact, is only an awareness of bodily life.  The Sanskrit word for this life is pröa, the breath.  All breathing beings, including insects (pröi) have this sort of life. In other words, Brigu’s awareness is not very deep.  It has to go further.  Therefore, the master told him: “you should continue your tapas.” Brigu continued and came back for the third time with a new answer to the question, Who is Brahman?  This time he said: “Brahman is mind.”  Of course, mind gives you ideas.  Brigu has moved from the bodily world to the mental world.  Though idea is wonderful and capable of moving our mind to higher ideals, the master sent him for further tapas.  Two times more Brigu came back with two new discoveries about Brahman.  He said: “Brahman is wisdom and bliss,” respectively.  The guru sent him again.  But Brigu never returned.