Life.. does it hint at something?
The bus sped through the beautiful landscape ad0rned with colorful flowers, the flock of geese flying across sky with dark but enchanting clouds. There is a lot of different variety of life around me, right from the microscopic ones to giants...everyone of them unique in their own way. Complete understanding of such diversity and scope of this kaleidoscope of life is beyond my capabilities...I am like that proverbial blind man judging an elephant.
Each and every form of life around me has some ability that makes their place so special in world they live in...Be it the ultraviolet vision in bees or the sensory system in a hammer head whale that can detect a billionth of a volt or the flight dynamics of a fly which confounds and is the envy of all aerospace engineers or the extremely well organized societies of the ants and termites.
Yes, they all play an important role in their ecosystems and are integral parts of the ecosystem...and I think I understand their importance from a biology point of view. But I wonder in a more philosophical way(in my thinking at least!) as to what is their place in this world? What exactly is the place of humans in relation to each of them?
I do not think that they are inferior to us in any way or less evolved nor do I think that we can justify their existence as being there to serve us or meet our needs. I see in them perfection of many kinds. Each of them looks as an example of perfection of some facet of life... some can see what we cannot, while others can hear what we cannot. But amongst all of the life, perhaps humans are the only ones with a mind that can perceive this and yet have a body that is utterly incapable of matching any of these amazing abilities. Perhaps we are watching the divinity inherent in each one of us from different perspective at a time. Perhaps through this knowledge of parts, we may try to comprehend the whole. Just as Kathopanshad says,
Neither by the light of sun nor the moon does it shine*.
Lightening is not the source of its light, then what to speak of fire.
It alone shines and all others reflect that light.
Indeed by its light alone everything in this creation shines.
That source of light, that wisdom of the whole may the quest. And this wonderful creation, play of life is just a divine hint for us to realize that divinity in ourselves and others.
@
*Shine is a poor translation of what the verse actually says. The exact word 'bhaati' has many meanings in sanskrit and I do not know its english equivalent.
Each and every form of life around me has some ability that makes their place so special in world they live in...Be it the ultraviolet vision in bees or the sensory system in a hammer head whale that can detect a billionth of a volt or the flight dynamics of a fly which confounds and is the envy of all aerospace engineers or the extremely well organized societies of the ants and termites.
Yes, they all play an important role in their ecosystems and are integral parts of the ecosystem...and I think I understand their importance from a biology point of view. But I wonder in a more philosophical way(in my thinking at least!) as to what is their place in this world? What exactly is the place of humans in relation to each of them?
I do not think that they are inferior to us in any way or less evolved nor do I think that we can justify their existence as being there to serve us or meet our needs. I see in them perfection of many kinds. Each of them looks as an example of perfection of some facet of life... some can see what we cannot, while others can hear what we cannot. But amongst all of the life, perhaps humans are the only ones with a mind that can perceive this and yet have a body that is utterly incapable of matching any of these amazing abilities. Perhaps we are watching the divinity inherent in each one of us from different perspective at a time. Perhaps through this knowledge of parts, we may try to comprehend the whole. Just as Kathopanshad says,
Neither by the light of sun nor the moon does it shine*.
Lightening is not the source of its light, then what to speak of fire.
It alone shines and all others reflect that light.
Indeed by its light alone everything in this creation shines.
That source of light, that wisdom of the whole may the quest. And this wonderful creation, play of life is just a divine hint for us to realize that divinity in ourselves and others.
@
*Shine is a poor translation of what the verse actually says. The exact word 'bhaati' has many meanings in sanskrit and I do not know its english equivalent.
posted by atma_tripta at 7:36 AM
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