Any Time Muniverses (ATM)
What does it take to become a monk, or a muni? Is it something external, like shaving your head, or wearing saffron robes, or chanting mantras all day long?
Or is it more internal, like a shift of perspective, or opening one’s inner eye, or connecting to eternal desire?
Imagine an organic Utopian Dream of a perfect place in perfect Time perfectly aligned with perfect Art and perfect Science, in perfect Bliss.
Would you like to live in such a world?
This is the manifestation of such an organic utopian dream.
A:tmic Transcendental Monk (ATM)
Imagine living
by the shore of a river or sea
but never bathing in its waters!
We know that children believe many unreal things to be real. Comparatively, adults are more skeptical, that is, they mistake many real things to be unreal. Sad but true.
And for a long time, I couldn’t tell which one of these I preferred. Before I found a third possibility – of knowing the real as real, and unreal as unreal, which, upon further analysis, revealed itself to be the ultimate goal of Transcendentalism.
I had found myself a dream!
A dream conjured by ancient transcendental philosophers and poets. A dream so real (Satya) it puts illusion (Maya) to shame, unraveling the deepest secrets (Rahasya) codified in reality. This is ‘The Great Indian Dream’ from across the ages (Yugas).
Q. What deepest secrets?
A. It all begins with the terrifying-
We are born; we live; we die!
Still, 3 eternal questions remain –
- Who am I?
- Where have I come from?
- Where am I heading?
To the cynic and the rationalist, these seem like impossible questions. Good! Transcendentalism aims to achieve the impossible, i.e. not only to investigate the above queries theoretically, but also enact them in practice, to achieve an even more impossible state of perfection.
Q. Who were the transcendental poets & philosophers you speak of?
A. The original proponents of Transcendentalism were the legendary Indian Maharishis – poet, philosopher and scientist combined in one human being – who first spoke of the that mystical final destination – that is, ‘Moksha’, ‘Nirvana’, or ‘Salvation’, detailing with mind-bending precision how the Soul (A:tman) may transcend the body in life itself (Sama:dhi) and connect with the Cosmic Soul (Parma:tman).
Concurrently, those same Maharishis coined the first-ever term for philosophy, that is, ‘darshan’, meaning ‘sight’, ‘appearance‘, or ‘vision‘. True Transcendentalism inherits this vision, i.e. the vision to perceive beyond what is immediately apparent.
Q. What is Transcendentalism?
A. Generally, Transcendentalism (a.k.a. Raj Yog) is to unlock our bodily prison and free the Soul (A:tman). In other words, it is the Union (Yog) of A:tman with the Cosmic Soul (Parama:tman).
Furthermore, Transcendentalism is an acknowledgement of the essential Brotherhood of Souls, emphatically rejecting manmade confines of race, color, religion, caste, or language, so as to reunite all of mankind under the all-encompassing panorama of humanity.
Oneness in Transcendentalism
The first thing to remember is that Oneness is cultivated through daily habit.
Thus, Oneness begins with the Self. Our thoughts can guide our actions only when Truth guides our thoughts, which, in turn, lends essential clarity to our Subconscious Mind, that is Soul. This alignment of thoughts and actions develops character and integrity, thereby establishing our authority on our chosen niche. Furthermore, it builds positivity and confidence for sterner challenges ahead.
In short, one mustn’t contradict their views / opinions every Tuesday, as such a person finds himself in disfavor of even the near and dear, let alone others. More often than not, they lose their inner harmony and slide off on a tangent, while the Law of Attraction plays out cruelly, whereby they find themselves smaller and lonelier every day.
Such people need immediate rehabilitation to reintegrate with their goals. Else, their lives are filled with remorse and guilt. Thus, Oneness with Self is a touchstone of transcendentalism, and must be cultivated early in life.
Transcendentalism is Farming of Human Spirit
As one practices Mindfulness, they begin to recognize the hermit (Muni) within, which calls them to Devotion (Bhakti), and Meditation (Dhya:na), accordingly leading them onto higher planes.
Hence, the transcendentalist develops from harmony with Self, to harmony with Nature, before graduating to oneness with all living beings. Such souls demand to know the Truth (Satya). They are the “monks who, in this world, sell their Ferraris” (phrase by leadership guru Robin Sharma), in exchange for transportation to the world beyond. We bow to such farmers of human spirit.
In the same vein, we salute all schools of spiritual thought across the globe, that guide individual souls toward the Ideal (Brahma). Theirs is the epitome of service to mankind, nurturing the very Seed of Spirituality – that mysterious Force within every soul, which inspires us to make the impossible possible.
Disciple of Transcendentalism
Not all students are disciples!
Significantly, a disciple (in any field) is he/she who isn’t satisfied merely with their Distinction Certificate, but one who carries forward education’s timeless legacy of Research, Discovery and Reflection!
The disciple wants to know more, or rather, must know everything. They ‘Ask’, they ‘Test’, they ‘Meditate’, (ATM) climbing the ladder of transcendentalism. Thus, they inherit the ‘Great Indian Dream!’
Ralph Waldo Emerson is one example. As is Plato. Which goes to show that one’s nationality is irrelevant in order to inherit this dream. What it needs is an incisive vision and a compassionate eye. Besides motivation, it needs inspiration and dedication towards Life’s purpose!
So we are disciples with a difference. You may call us sleuths, as we investigate the history of philosophy. By the same token, we probe poetry, unearthing its deep, thickset roots. While we are spiritual, looking deep within ourselves, we go one natural step further to investigate spirituality itself.
Or imagine dwelling
by the hills or mountains
but never climbing up its side!
Imagine growing up
near a dense green forest
but never knowing the shade of trees!
Moreover, imagine living
in a room full of mirrors
but never seeing your reflection!
Transcendentalism is Discovery and Fulfilment
In the quest for transcendentalism, the most difficult question we faced is this –
Q. Why dive too deep into a whirlpool of knowledge when we can, for the most part, just enjoy the waters we know?
A. We say maybe because the real fun is in deeper waters, eh? Can Truth be found swimming on the surface, especially when the surface is only a thin layer of polished veneer, a mask, a cosmetic?
Sure, there’s still life on the surface. There is food, family, money, and procreating for the survival of our species. But it lacks a most fundamental thing. It lacks being in the present. Correspondingly, it lacks super-consciousness!
It’s important to realize that the real water-world is below the surface. In the same vein, an alternate world plies the transcendental depths, that calls to us for the discovery and fulfilment of our Purpose!
Thus, the essence of transcendentalism is, but not limited to –
Artistry! Therapy! Melody! (ATM!)
Transcendentalism is reflection in the shades of eternally poetic trees.
It is a dive into the deepest philosophical waters.
And a trek up the steepest spiritual peaks. Yet it is so much more.
Thus, we offer insight to all inclined to study and pursue the poetic spirit. All who are willing to transcend. Who wish to know their Soul!
Transcendental Fusion
We fuse multiple universes, namely, the West with the East; Ancient with Modern; Poetry with Philosophy! Disentangling truths from myths, tools from functions, and means from ends, we embark on a voyage to discover the Source of everything that exists, so help us, God!
In the golden words of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the truest transcendentalist of 19th century India – “The human Soul knows Truth from Untruth, but erroneously, spurns truth and bends toward untruth, due to faults and weaknesses in his nature, namely, obstinacy, prejudice, ignorance, etc. all for the fulfilment of temporary motives and desires.”
Thus, we transcend untruth and fuse with Truth, to rid ourselves of such weaknesses. In essence, we disentangle ourselves from passing desires, to investigate Eternal Desire itself.
More importantly, this is an investigation into the much-celebrated, yet much debated Vedic wisdom of yore, that slaked the spiritual thirst of disciples in the East as well as the West, for countless millennia.
It is, likewise, a thorough investigation into the very spirit of ‘Aryavart‘, that oldest mystical civilization of the Maharishis, those enigmatic transcendental masters of the ‘Great Indian Dream’.
This is our ‘Muniverse’,* in three alphabets– ATM!
*Muniverse – the Muni’s universe, i.e. his creative world;
also, the Muni’s verses (poems)