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this flood. We have to save 'thinking' from this flood.
Question 21
QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'THINKING'?
By 'thinking' I mean discretion; the ability to distinguish between the ephemeral and the eternal, between the mortal and the immortal, between the unreal and the real. He who has lost this type of ability to think, wastes his life on the transitory; whereas, he who is able to think, seeks for the permanent and not the illusory. After all, what is transient has no real existence; only that which is permanent really exists. Life belongs to that which is eternal: death to that which is ephemeral.
The non-thinking masses run after dreams; and sleep is the necessary pre-requisite for dreams. That is why the thoughtless need all types of sleep alias unconsciousness. In other words, the search for sleep is a symptom of the thoughtless being. The 'thinking' being inquires about the Truth, and for inquiry, it is necessary to stop sleeping, and to be wide awake. The 'thinking' person is all for consciousness, and all against unawareness. The wide awake life is symbolic of 'thinking'. 'Thinking' means awareness.
Once, when Siddharth was coming out of the house of Gautami, she said, O Siddharth! Blessed is the mother who has a son like you; blessed is the father whose image you are; blessed is the wife who chose you her husband.' Like that she blessed a number of persons. Siddharth did not say anything: but he thought to himself: This blessedness is transitory; is there any blessing which is permanent? Is there no way whereby one can be permanently blessed? -- and be for ever tranquil and in eternal bliss'? For, that which is here today, and gone tomorrow, is really speaking, not here even today.'
This is what I call 'thinking', true thinking, deep -- as opposed to superficial -- thinking. In Siddharth's mind flashed the right thought; and he realised that so long as there was desire or craving for anything, there was no peace of mind. So long as the fires of desire burnt hot inside, the cool serenity of Truth could not be experienced. Such Thinking opens the door for the awakened consciousness to move forward to its goal.
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