| LIFE IS HARD AND THEN WE DIE |
Stevan Orescan
I stepped over two dead bodies today; a homeless beggar and a large rat. Both died ignominious
deaths, in the gutter, alone, missed and cried over by no one, hungry and dirty, the lowest of the
low. In India death lurks around every corner ready to snatch us away in an instant and it is
important that we be ready for it. It is always there to remind us of the fragility of our lives, of this
instrument that carries within it the holy breathe, the Atman, the spirit, the One that animates the bag
of skin that we refer to as me, myself and I
Who am I? The rishis of old would ask in their silent meditations, the first of the five fundamental
questions all true philosophers seek answers for. Where have I come from? Why am I here?
Where am I going? How do I get there? We all ask these questions in our quiet moments, we all
seek these answers in the depths of our being but here in India it is a full time occupation with most
everyone, from the beggar and the rickshaw puller, to the businessman and the politician; all
philosophers, all lovers of wisdom regardless of education, occupation, rich, poor or the cut of the
costume, all seeking the fruit of human awareness and understanding and to die with a clean balance
sheet and thus the chance for a more fortunate rebirth.
Karma and dharma are two words one hears often here. Karma, what you sow you shall reap, or
better known as Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction, is the essence of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, the sum of all one’s past actions both
known and unknown, in this life and in lives past.
Dharma, often mistranslated as duty or moral obligation, means that which one is born to do. The
dharma of the sun is to shine, of the farmer to till the soil, of the philosopher to ponder the mysteries
and of the professional soldier to fight and kill. Adharma, or against dharma, is what impedes or
perverts that harmony or the true nature of things. Dharma equals integration, adhrama equals
disintegration.
These two concepts are inextricably entwined with each other and in order for an individual in
society to effectively follow his or her dharma they need to be aware of the razor’s edge that they
walk lest they fall into the hellish abyss of a noxious rebirth for many future lives. Between these two
poles lies not just our individual future but the future of mankind as well.
How does one reconcile that which he knows is his true nature and the demands of the community
that has conditioned him? Everyone has a different inner reality, a different nature, and one person’s
dharma is another person’s adharma. For the philosopher to take up the sword will more than likely
yield disagreeable results and for the soldier to delve too much into philosophy will no doubt result
in a less effective fighting machine.
As the Pied Piper of Crawford toots is horn and directs his desert rats in for the kill one cannot
help but reflect on the karmic consequences and bondage that will result from the desires that
motivate these actions. His is an army of volunteers - they want to be there for one reason or
another; for the spoils, for the lucre, for misguided glory, honor or duty, for king and country, for
anger or revenge, for “democracy”, whatever that means. World control by a single country, state
or coalition is both an illusion and a delusion and no so called democracy can become a world state
or new world order in and of itself. That’s the stuff psychopathic dreams are made of which the
world has been witness to many times over as history has taught us.
It is desire, tanha, or thirst for sentient existence that keeps us on the wheel of samsara that keeps
us ensnared in the web of worldly existence, of continuous rebirth and suffering. It is one of the four
main blemishes of character which must be eliminated before enlightenment or clarity is possible,
along with moha, delusion, loba, greed and dosa, depravity of mind due to anger, ill will or hatred.
The four classes of man in Indian philosophy represent the four stages of development in our
selfhood. Societal hierarchy is not coercion but a law of nature. We are all born on different levels
of moral and intellectual development. The earliest mention of these four classes is found in the Rig
Veda, the knowledge derived from the Vedic Hymns, which form the basis for most Hindu
philosophical and religious systems, and they are described as having sprung from the body of the
creative spirit, from the head, arms, thighs and feet. It is a metaphor or poetical image intended to
describe and convey the organic nature of society. These four fold divisions of society are the
indispensable elements of any social order and are regarded as dispensation from the spirit or God.
Brahmins, whose function is to seek and communicate knowledge, are the intellectuals that gain
their satisfaction in philosophy, science or religion and set an example by non attachment and
disinterested pursuits of the mind: Plain living and high thinking. They give moral guidance and do
not interfere in administrative or power machinations. Only true philosophers should be kings, as
Plato observed, as anyone concerned with the exercise of power cannot be objective. A spirit of
detachment, patience, fearlessness and hope are those qualities of a truth seeker which, of course,
makes them unfit for success in ordinary, mundane life. Their strength prevents them from
compromising with the corrupting influences of power and wealth. The perversions of this class are
the dogmatic, narrow minded true believers.
The Ksatriya, those that have sprung from the arms, have the task of administering and protecting,
for devising the means to carry out the blueprints of social construction and moral values laid out by
the Brahmins. The qualities that mark the Ksatriya are nobility of soul, heroic bravery and an
unflinching resistance to oppression, injustice and foul play. The have an executive power over their
community which is valid only when they perform in accordance to the law; they are the servants
and guardians of the law and their duties are limited to the protection and defense of the law.
Dictators and those that rule rather than represent are the perversion of this type.
The third class is the Vaisyas, those whose tendency in life is to possess and enjoy, engaging in
pursuits of a utilitarian and practical nature and they are skillful and adaptive toward those ends.
The perversions of this type are abundant in this commercial age of consumerism as industry and
commerce have given us a false standard of values. “Women and gold”, as the Hindu saint Rama
Krishna declared, or lust and greed, is the bane of this type.
The fourth group of people, those that have sprung from God’s feet, are the Sudras, the workers,
those that find their means through labor and service. They are of a lower order in that their
activities are not governed by knowledge, strength or by a mutual service of cooperative give and
take. Their activities are more instinctual, mechanical and the fulfillment of their duties is primarily for
their physical gratification. The perversion of this type consists of a fifth sub category, the so called
Untouchables, those who gain their sustenance as scavengers, leather workers, slaughterers,
sweepers, toilet cleaners, those that dispose of the dead, etc.
The qualities and characteristics in these classes are not exclusive for all of us possess something of
each but there is a preponderance of one over the others in each of us. The crystallization or
calcification of these four types into rigid categories in India has been unfortunate and Gandhi and
many others have worked tirelessly to eradicate the injustices of the system but the fact remains that
all societies, all cultures, all countries have these categories whether we like to admit it or not.
Walk down any main street America and when the dirty spare change hand is thrust into your face
you might give a quarter or a buck but you aren’t likely to touch the hand. That’s a home grown
untouchable, American style. “Brahmin is by deed, not by birth”, as the Buddha said but old values
and habits die hard.
All of these categories are necessary for the fruitful development of society and must need to work
together toward that end. All of life in all classes inquire into truth and justice, seek wisdom and
understanding, and yearn for fulfillment and completion. Each has a way, a path, a guidepost
toward that completion, all of us.
The problems seem to arise when we desire to do someone else’s work, to walk another path
that we are not equipped for, that we don’t have the psychological or intellectual endowment for.
Nature assigns to us according to our inborn qualities of mind and heart. A desert chief becomes a
dictator, a rich cowboy becomes president, a soldier becomes statesman, a businessman a vice-
regal. This can only result in mediocrity for no one is doing what his true nature demands- except
giving in to that lower nature and making millions of dollars.
Those that seek the higher place should lead a life of self denial and simplicity that the system
requires and dharma demands. Otherwise chaos will follow as it doing now; disintegration, Shiva’s
dance of destruction, a state of disharmony, of adharma,
Thousands die everyday and the killing continues. Raga, the Sanskrit word for passion,
uncontrolled lust, anger and greed that now rages across the world. The age of Kali Yuga, when
nations become addicted to falsehood, where only wealth confers rank and brother kills brother. It
is that time say the Puranas when the human race approaches annihilation or Pralaya, dissolution, a
flooding, a cleansing, an ending before rebirth and another interminable round of suffering until the
lessons are learned.
Are we approaching annihilation? Camus said that the only philosophical question worth pondering
is whether or not to commit suicide. Is that what we are doing now as we commence the third
world war? Are we collectively drinking the hemlock, all destined to become dead rats and beggars
in a world gone cold and dark? Are we doomed to that ignominious death of the rat?
How sad….
deaths, in the gutter, alone, missed and cried over by no one, hungry and dirty, the lowest of the
low. In India death lurks around every corner ready to snatch us away in an instant and it is
important that we be ready for it. It is always there to remind us of the fragility of our lives, of this
instrument that carries within it the holy breathe, the Atman, the spirit, the One that animates the bag
of skin that we refer to as me, myself and I
Who am I? The rishis of old would ask in their silent meditations, the first of the five fundamental
questions all true philosophers seek answers for. Where have I come from? Why am I here?
Where am I going? How do I get there? We all ask these questions in our quiet moments, we all
seek these answers in the depths of our being but here in India it is a full time occupation with most
everyone, from the beggar and the rickshaw puller, to the businessman and the politician; all
philosophers, all lovers of wisdom regardless of education, occupation, rich, poor or the cut of the
costume, all seeking the fruit of human awareness and understanding and to die with a clean balance
sheet and thus the chance for a more fortunate rebirth.
Karma and dharma are two words one hears often here. Karma, what you sow you shall reap, or
better known as Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction, is the essence of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, the sum of all one’s past actions both
known and unknown, in this life and in lives past.
Dharma, often mistranslated as duty or moral obligation, means that which one is born to do. The
dharma of the sun is to shine, of the farmer to till the soil, of the philosopher to ponder the mysteries
and of the professional soldier to fight and kill. Adharma, or against dharma, is what impedes or
perverts that harmony or the true nature of things. Dharma equals integration, adhrama equals
disintegration.
These two concepts are inextricably entwined with each other and in order for an individual in
society to effectively follow his or her dharma they need to be aware of the razor’s edge that they
walk lest they fall into the hellish abyss of a noxious rebirth for many future lives. Between these two
poles lies not just our individual future but the future of mankind as well.
How does one reconcile that which he knows is his true nature and the demands of the community
that has conditioned him? Everyone has a different inner reality, a different nature, and one person’s
dharma is another person’s adharma. For the philosopher to take up the sword will more than likely
yield disagreeable results and for the soldier to delve too much into philosophy will no doubt result
in a less effective fighting machine.
As the Pied Piper of Crawford toots is horn and directs his desert rats in for the kill one cannot
help but reflect on the karmic consequences and bondage that will result from the desires that
motivate these actions. His is an army of volunteers - they want to be there for one reason or
another; for the spoils, for the lucre, for misguided glory, honor or duty, for king and country, for
anger or revenge, for “democracy”, whatever that means. World control by a single country, state
or coalition is both an illusion and a delusion and no so called democracy can become a world state
or new world order in and of itself. That’s the stuff psychopathic dreams are made of which the
world has been witness to many times over as history has taught us.
It is desire, tanha, or thirst for sentient existence that keeps us on the wheel of samsara that keeps
us ensnared in the web of worldly existence, of continuous rebirth and suffering. It is one of the four
main blemishes of character which must be eliminated before enlightenment or clarity is possible,
along with moha, delusion, loba, greed and dosa, depravity of mind due to anger, ill will or hatred.
The four classes of man in Indian philosophy represent the four stages of development in our
selfhood. Societal hierarchy is not coercion but a law of nature. We are all born on different levels
of moral and intellectual development. The earliest mention of these four classes is found in the Rig
Veda, the knowledge derived from the Vedic Hymns, which form the basis for most Hindu
philosophical and religious systems, and they are described as having sprung from the body of the
creative spirit, from the head, arms, thighs and feet. It is a metaphor or poetical image intended to
describe and convey the organic nature of society. These four fold divisions of society are the
indispensable elements of any social order and are regarded as dispensation from the spirit or God.
Brahmins, whose function is to seek and communicate knowledge, are the intellectuals that gain
their satisfaction in philosophy, science or religion and set an example by non attachment and
disinterested pursuits of the mind: Plain living and high thinking. They give moral guidance and do
not interfere in administrative or power machinations. Only true philosophers should be kings, as
Plato observed, as anyone concerned with the exercise of power cannot be objective. A spirit of
detachment, patience, fearlessness and hope are those qualities of a truth seeker which, of course,
makes them unfit for success in ordinary, mundane life. Their strength prevents them from
compromising with the corrupting influences of power and wealth. The perversions of this class are
the dogmatic, narrow minded true believers.
The Ksatriya, those that have sprung from the arms, have the task of administering and protecting,
for devising the means to carry out the blueprints of social construction and moral values laid out by
the Brahmins. The qualities that mark the Ksatriya are nobility of soul, heroic bravery and an
unflinching resistance to oppression, injustice and foul play. The have an executive power over their
community which is valid only when they perform in accordance to the law; they are the servants
and guardians of the law and their duties are limited to the protection and defense of the law.
Dictators and those that rule rather than represent are the perversion of this type.
The third class is the Vaisyas, those whose tendency in life is to possess and enjoy, engaging in
pursuits of a utilitarian and practical nature and they are skillful and adaptive toward those ends.
The perversions of this type are abundant in this commercial age of consumerism as industry and
commerce have given us a false standard of values. “Women and gold”, as the Hindu saint Rama
Krishna declared, or lust and greed, is the bane of this type.
The fourth group of people, those that have sprung from God’s feet, are the Sudras, the workers,
those that find their means through labor and service. They are of a lower order in that their
activities are not governed by knowledge, strength or by a mutual service of cooperative give and
take. Their activities are more instinctual, mechanical and the fulfillment of their duties is primarily for
their physical gratification. The perversion of this type consists of a fifth sub category, the so called
Untouchables, those who gain their sustenance as scavengers, leather workers, slaughterers,
sweepers, toilet cleaners, those that dispose of the dead, etc.
The qualities and characteristics in these classes are not exclusive for all of us possess something of
each but there is a preponderance of one over the others in each of us. The crystallization or
calcification of these four types into rigid categories in India has been unfortunate and Gandhi and
many others have worked tirelessly to eradicate the injustices of the system but the fact remains that
all societies, all cultures, all countries have these categories whether we like to admit it or not.
Walk down any main street America and when the dirty spare change hand is thrust into your face
you might give a quarter or a buck but you aren’t likely to touch the hand. That’s a home grown
untouchable, American style. “Brahmin is by deed, not by birth”, as the Buddha said but old values
and habits die hard.
All of these categories are necessary for the fruitful development of society and must need to work
together toward that end. All of life in all classes inquire into truth and justice, seek wisdom and
understanding, and yearn for fulfillment and completion. Each has a way, a path, a guidepost
toward that completion, all of us.
The problems seem to arise when we desire to do someone else’s work, to walk another path
that we are not equipped for, that we don’t have the psychological or intellectual endowment for.
Nature assigns to us according to our inborn qualities of mind and heart. A desert chief becomes a
dictator, a rich cowboy becomes president, a soldier becomes statesman, a businessman a vice-
regal. This can only result in mediocrity for no one is doing what his true nature demands- except
giving in to that lower nature and making millions of dollars.
Those that seek the higher place should lead a life of self denial and simplicity that the system
requires and dharma demands. Otherwise chaos will follow as it doing now; disintegration, Shiva’s
dance of destruction, a state of disharmony, of adharma,
Thousands die everyday and the killing continues. Raga, the Sanskrit word for passion,
uncontrolled lust, anger and greed that now rages across the world. The age of Kali Yuga, when
nations become addicted to falsehood, where only wealth confers rank and brother kills brother. It
is that time say the Puranas when the human race approaches annihilation or Pralaya, dissolution, a
flooding, a cleansing, an ending before rebirth and another interminable round of suffering until the
lessons are learned.
Are we approaching annihilation? Camus said that the only philosophical question worth pondering
is whether or not to commit suicide. Is that what we are doing now as we commence the third
world war? Are we collectively drinking the hemlock, all destined to become dead rats and beggars
in a world gone cold and dark? Are we doomed to that ignominious death of the rat?
How sad….
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