COUNTING BEADS

All accounting is in egotism. In this accounting, there is no
Peace (sggs 36). God cannot be obtained by counting; the
mortal wanders in doubt — Maya, duality etc. (sggs 510).
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All religious symbols and unmeaning rituals are openly, incisively and emphatically rejected by the Gurbani — Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS). But still, as seen everyday, the emphasis of most of the clergy, clerics, Bhais, Raagees, Kathaakaars, Giaanees, Parchaaraks, Sants, Baabaas, etc., is to promote religious symbols and rituals. Which is not only totally against the divine teaching, spirit, philosophy and purpose of the SGGS, but also injustice to its authors.

In this Gurbani Reflection, for example, let us consider rosary or Mala (pronounced Maalaa). Rosary reminds us of the truth that we should constantly remember God, thus it symbolizes complete surrender (of the ego-mind) to God. The point is to collect the scattered mind and focus it on One Word, so that it can become one-pointed and, ultimately, rosary itself. Rosary also reminds us of the truth that many beads are held by the one thread, similarly, each of us is like a bead strung on the same One Thread of the Self. Now just think what's the use of loading the body with Maalaas without keeping these principles in the mind. It is this ignorant practice of ours that's repudiated in the Gurbani. For example, many hang rosary around their neck, or wear a smaller version on their wrist. The beads and the string on which they are strung come in many designs, shapes, colors and materials — Rudraksh, Tulsi, Chandan, stainless steel, pearls, precious stones, gold, etc. Some wear them for showoff spirituality, or to impress upon simpletons, or to indulge in gimmickry and histrionics. Yet others count a fix number of rounds of beads while reciting prayers, and so on. Counting is totally meaningless when it comes to matters like God and His Grace. The Gurbani holds that this sort of display of the stubborn ego-mind (Haume) brings no benefit; thus useless.

It is the scattered mind free to escape through the uncontrolled senses that wanders hither and thither, acting strangely on countless wavelengths. The Gurbani thunders forth the declaration that all calculations are of the differentiated consciousness — ego, Maya, Haume or Manmukhtaa — and that no one can realize God by such mechanical process that feeds on conceptualization of the instinctive mind sunk in relativist consciousness. Simply put, counting is the nature of the deluded or selfish ("filthy") mind. It is the way of the false ego or modified consciousness. Since Maya is false, all such calculations are false as well. Thus of no use.

As God cannot be calculated, any businesslike conduct of the ego-mind is rejected by the Gurbani. Because any amount of symbols hung on the perishable body or any amount of empty rituals performed under the spell of lust, greed, selfishness, etc., can never transform one's fickle mind enchanted with reactionary spirituality and unproductive thought-wanderings. Just a few short prayers (Ardaas), some calculated chanting, some counted Mantra recitation with rosary are totally insufficient. For this sort of unsustained meditation or Jap cannot change one. Man's psychological ego is so stubborn and powerful that unbroken inwardly efforts are needed. It is only with such intact inwardly practice negative emotions of the conditioned mind will disappear.

To release one's personality from its misapprehensions, the Gurbani's advice to all mankind is to become Spiritual Being (Gurmukh). All counting is for the conditioned or material being (Manmukh) for his world is in the realm of calculations — egoism or Maya. There is no counting or calculations for the Gurmukh; because he knows he is not separate from God. He thus relieves himself of all egoistic or mental calculations through constant abidance in his Pure Being or Shabad-Surti Within.

What sort of rosary are we urged by the Gurbani to carry? Sublime rosary! The beads of such rosary are not made of Rudraksh, Tulsi, Chandan, etc. According to the Gurbani, this rosary and its beads is none other than one's undivided meditation on the Divine in the Heart Within; one's good deeds; one's tongue upon which the Divine Name is strung; one's subjugation of the ten senses; one's good conduct; one's noble virtues such as kindness and forgiveness; and so on. This is the rosary of the True Being (Gurmukh or a Spiritual person). Meditation and spiritual Wisdom is not possible without such wholesome inwardly concentration. Therefore, to awaken the Divine Grace within, we are time and again reminded by the Gurbani to enshrine such a sublime rosary in the Heart, and to discard the outer rosary. In other words, Gurmukhtaa (Spiritual Life) cannot be tasted unless we are spontaneously and infinitely in love with the Supreme Self Within.

Thus is the sublime rosary prescribed for us in the Gurbani, which is to spontaneously and naturally be imbued in Divine Essence — Pure Consciousness, Truthfulness, Inner Purity, Joti-Svaroopa, Shabad-Surti, and so on — Within while sitting, standing, walking, eating, working, and so on. In other words, by becoming a Spiritual Being (Gurmukh), the seeker must plunge headlong into his Pure Self Within; without calculating and counting his devotion or meditation. A Spiritual Being is always fearless. Because he knows the Self — one's Spiritual Nature — is not a bundle of fears and temptations; it's instead a Blissful-Conscious-Existence. Only upon realizing this realm of Truth, the moss of doubt (Bharam) will leave us alone. Until then, it's all babbling in the false ego-sense.

The truth is that the majority of us do not really bother to diligently read the SGGS and understand the message it was meant to convey. The most of us are selfish. On account of this selfishness, we neither comprehend nor realize what we read or study in the SGGS.

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

Updated on Sunday, February 20, 2011 6:40 PM (PST)

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