Not Everyone Whose Eyes Are Closed Is Asleep
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
4 July 2023
"We all see and that's good. But, blessed are
those who see and feel simultaneously, because their physical and inner eyes
work in tandem."
Walt Whitman, additional poems to "Leaves
of Grass"
One day,
the legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin held his violin in a concert but didn't
play it for an inordinately long time. When hours passed, a fellow violinist
dared ask the great master, " Sir, what happened? " The learned
audience was also silently waiting for the virtuoso to come out of his deep
meditative slumber. "Oh, sorry, I was speaking with my violin and went
into a trance," Menuhin said.
That night,
Yehudi Menuhin gave such a splendid display of his mastery over the strings of
a violin that everyone in the audience cried. The ever humble Menuhin said in
the end, " Thanks a lot, all the connoisseurs. Tonight, my heart suddenly
became aware and it did talk to my violin and urge me to give a memorable
performance before you. I'm happy that I could do that.' He didn't play violin
after that for sixteen long years. A fully aware person finds a lot many things
in life and around him as something mundane and that's not pontification.
That's unattached sublimation. Awareness is tied to none.
We all have
eyes but we are not aware. Only when the eyes of the heart do open, we suddenly
become aware and also enlightened. Awareness is a complete and comprehensive
transformation of one's existence. Not everyone whose eyes are closed is
asleep. And not everyone with open eyes can see. Awareness is something
different. It needs no eyes. All it needs is a sensitive heart that beats even
to the sound of a drop of tears that falls thousands of miles away.
Awareness
is not to be impervious to what's around us. It's a sudden revolution of all
senses, working in a perfect confluence. Buddha called it, Pratyabhoot Saakshatkaar
(spontaneous self-realization or satori).
In other words, awareness is a different kettle of fish. John Milton
wrote his best poetry in blindness. The great Hindi poet and the greatest
exponent of 'Chhayavaad, ' Suryakant Tripathi ' Nirala' wrote his finest
creation ' Saroj Smriti ' when he lost his daughter whose name was Saroj. Mind
you, a personal loss is not at all required or desirable to be (extra) aware in
life and creativity.
The point
is, a sense of loss often makes a person more aware and sensitive. A cynical
mind is not capable of awareness, whereas a sensual and sensitive mind that
feels, can walk easily into the arena of awareness. The inner light shines and
one does not need the external light to comprehend the deeper nuances of life.
----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/everyone-eyes-closed-asleep/d/130128