Freedom From Belief – In Gita Verse 15.2 The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to the fruitive actions of human society.
Beyond Belief: Realising Your Own Truth
In the discourse of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna provides an illuminating metaphor: the eternal, inverted banyan tree whose branches reach both upwards and downwards, nourished by the gunas, the fundamental qualities of nature. This tree, with roots that bind to fruitive actions, paints a picture of how belief systems govern the landscape of our lives. But, like the banyan tree’s extensive roots, these beliefs can anchor us to illusion rather than elevate us toward liberation.
Freedom From Belief
Beliefs are the stones with which we build our personal prisons of thought. We water these stones with our convictions, making it difficult to escape from the leaves – the thoughts that proliferate and entangle our senses. To free ourselves, we must stop watering these roots. This does not come from acquiring new beliefs – but from relinquishing the reliance on beliefs entirely. Authentic knowing emerges only when we embrace our intrinsic innocence and distance ourselves from inherited knowledge.
Fruitive Actions
Our actions – karmas – are often bound to the desire for outcomes. The Gita teaches us that these actions, driven by expectations, are like the roots of the tree that extend deeper, pulling us further into the world of Maya, of illusion. Instead, we must act without attachment to fruit, to free ourselves from the cycle of cause and effect that ensnares our consciousness.
Truth Is Only One
The truth does not splinter into branches; it stands singular and untouched. The manifold pathways of belief, like the sprawling branches of the banyan tree, may seem to offer various truths but in reality are diversions from the one, immutable reality within us. As seekers, we must dissolve these myriad beliefs to encounter the singular truth that underpins our very existence.
The Path of Meditation
True transformation is not found in the repetitive chanting of mantras or the blind adherence to dogmas. It thrives in the vigil of meditation where every part of your being awakens. In the light of heightened awareness, the shadows of false beliefs dissipate.
Krishna reminds us: Awareness is the key. Let go of the beliefs that shackle you and allow the Truth, ever-present within you, to surface. Stillness and observation are your tools; with them, carve out the path to your innermost self where truth resides, unadorned and pure.
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