Should You Really Be Here

Do you remember that story that was promoted back in the late Eighties about some famous stock trader, some real Wall Street identity, who left his successful lifestyle behind to become a monk in some cloister where no one spoke much, or more or less, at all.

There's more than one of these stories around, and about than one single person; I believe this kind of thing has happened several times, if not exactly, many times.

I have never been able to comprehend what this was all about, other than to impute some kind of vague but otherwise likely to be underhanded motivation.

Should you be here -
yes, here's your place card

But then I was at this Indian restaurant the other night, and lo and behold there was this guru-type grandfather, grand-uncle figure at a nearby table, who was able to quote the Vedas liberally  - and I can do a bit of that myself, liberally, too, yes, but not in any genuine order or completeness!

And the young doctor nephew, an obvious professional, sporting a nice gold Rolex, innocently opined that it would be nice to be able to gain access to the exceptional medical knowledge in the Vedas, and dispense (pun, ha-ha) with all of the obscure philosophy and cosmology.

And of course I couldn't help myself but spout out something I heard from my family's Tamilian cooks back in the ancient past - a time pretty close to when Krisna himself walked the the earth among us.

Naturally, several bottles of Taltarni later, I had received another great lesson in the Upanishads from an esteemed guru, which basically pointed out that according to the Vedas, at least, the highest (level of) cities in the Underworld - Hell, as it were - possess even more beautiful buildings and surroundings and amenities than evident in Heaven. Here, the master architect Mahamaya, constructs the most amazing architecture for the Naga beings (humanoid cobras who cannot help themselves but to bite and poison anyone around them too long, even their own family and 'friendly' associates). Rakashasas live in opulent palaces, with many wives and consorts, more beautiful by far than any ordinary human females. Material abundance is easily obtained, and pleasure and satisfaction is definitely evident.

What is wealth?

But these places are totally without any form of spiritual dimension whatsoever. They have specious forms, but no genuine ones.

And that of course, begs in my mind - well, what on earth is the 'spiritual dimension' anyway, and what is its benefit?

Now I can't really tell you why this is the case, but again recently, and even now as well, I have cause to be associating with some um, to put it mildly, celebrated types. Celebrities, you might say. And the interesting thing is they are all well aware of the relationship challenges that exist among them, when they get together, each knowing how extraordinarily talented the other is, and how much of a good impression they all desire to make - yet all of them seeing the next one as some kind of a god, so to speak, and thus having unearthly, perhaps unrealistic standards. 

Now the Vedas go into this kind of thing, and whilst explicitly, the Vedas say that in the Underworld's wealthiest cities, cannabis is plied by the maidens there, as well as other drugs, explicitly they also say no drugs are involved in Heaven - but - there is some other concoction, whose ingredients are itemized in Hindu sacred texts but these vary from region to region in the Subcontinent. This 'other' concoction makes the imbibers intoxicated, without which they would not be able to withstand the charisma of all the other members in their close proximity. Further, this concoction cures any disease and illness and prolongs life eternally.

Three things I know for sure:

When you live in a noisy world, and the sounds are just noise, silence becomes like a drug;

When you see that money and riches become empty of emotion, the pursuers of money then become like obsessed and mindless people;

And the third thing is a great secret.

A secret concoction

But I am not doubtful now that intelligent people leave Wall Street for a quieter place. And whilst I personally find the liqueur Chartreuse quite an odd tasting thing, it is in fact - and therefore to be remembered for this - not a beverage, but a medicine. It has the power to make you live forever... 

Ah, but you will need the spiritual dimension to comprehend this fact about it, and so, employ it in the correct way.