NEW INSIGHTS – WISDOM FROM THE EAST
TIME MANAGEMENT
POST 5 ON
= P A S T =
So far, we have dealt with many aspects of TIME MANAGEMENT in the following 4 posts.
TIME MANAGEMENT POST.1
TIME MANAGEMENT vs LIFE MANAGEMENT = OF WHAT USE IS OUR PAST? = MARITAL (&OTHER) RELATIONSHIPS = EASY WAY TO ENHANCE, RENEW AND REPAIR = POST 1
TIME MANAGEMENT POST.2
TIME MANAGEMENT vs LIFE MANAGEMENT = FIXATION OF GOALS = =EASTERN KNOWLEDGE AMPLIFIED = JNANA SAKTHI (POWER OF KNOWLEDGE) = SANKALPA SAKTHI (POWER OF DECISION) = KRIYA SAKTHI (POWER OF ACTION) = POST 2
TIME MANAGEMENT POST.3
RANDY PAUSCH = THE TIME MANAGEMENT EXPERT WITH A DIFFERENCE (POST.1)
TIME MANAGEMENT POST.4
RANDY PAUSCH = THE TIME MANAGEMENT EXPERT WITH A DIFFERENCE = (POST.2)
Time, as we know, consists of Past, Present and Future. In the current post, we will deal with PAST exclusively in some more detail.
DEFINING ‘PAST’ :
I define Past by the following equation :
PAST = FACT
Past can really have no other better, all inclusive definition. PAST is an unchangeable, static Picture. There is no FACT, other than PAST. This also means, the totality of the PAST is equal to totality of the FACT.
The present and future are not yet a fact. We will see that in the next post.
PAST is not available to us, to view or edit or delete! It is not available to us, for any purpose.
But, yes. Every Individual has a memory store. You can store any memories there and recall them in the memory itself. They are far from being perfect and far from representing the totality of the Past.
This memory serves a purpose. This means, our past serves a purpose. We have seen it in the previous post. Our past has a huge influence on the present and the future. Our past is the CAUSE and the present is its RESULT. The Past and the present together is the CAUSE and future is the RESULT. The CAUSE and EFFECT sequence links the past with the present and the future inextricably.
Your memory is NOT THE PAST. It is not the REALITY. It is an imperfect image of the PAST that you can store. Memory is a record of your PERCEPTION.
THE FIVE SENSES :-
Your Perceptions are received through your five senses. Your five senses are imperfect, limited and designed for specific purposes. They can’t serve purposes other than their designated, innate purpose.
For instance, your ears can perceive sounds above a certain decibels and below a certain decibels. It means, your ears function within a range of sound. Your eyes too, have a range of vision. Your skin has a range of touch sensation. Your nose has a range of smell sensation. Your tongue has a range of taste sensation. They don’t serve you beyond their range, nor, can they serve other sense purposes. Eyes can’t hear and ears can’t see. Your sense organs are a small facility given to you for a limited purpose.
THE MIND:
Your mind is a machine which synthesizes these sense stimuli, but in a very imperfect way. Mere seeing with eyes is not perception. Mere hearing with ears is not perception. When these are synthesized by the brain in its own imperfect manner, your perception happens. Your perception enables you to send outward signals for acting on the perceived stimuli. Your sense organs bring in the external signals into the brain. The brain, acting on them, directs the organs of action to act on them.
The organs of action are, mouth (for speech, for eating etc), hands (for holding/lifting etc), for legs (mobility), nose for breathing, sneezing etc, excretory organs for excretion etc.
WHO CONTROLS?
while the input organs (sense organs) and the output organs (organs of action) are in our conscious control, the internal processing organs are kept out of our conscious control. Our heart, lungs, digestive organs and every single organ below the outermost layer of the skin is put out of our conscious control.
The only internal organ which is under our conscious control – is the consciousness itself. We may call it the brain – but there is something beyond the brain, which is the real controller, which is our consciousness. The brain is a mere junction of the input and output organs. It is the consciousness, which is the real you, which controls all of your actions.
In Sanskrit – we call these all as (i) Jnanendriyas (Sense Organs or input organs) (ii) Karmendriyas (organs of action or output organs) (iii) Mano, Buddhi, ahankara, chittha – which are the four parts of the brain, responsible for thinking and feeling, decision making, “I” or ego sensation, memory – which are the junction between inputs and outputs (iv) Consciousness, the real controller.
Your memories are stored in you in the Chittha function of the brain. While perception as it happens itself is very imperfect, memory is much more so, and becomes further degraded and imperfect, with passage of time.
Memory of the Universe :
But then memories of past are stored everywhere in the universe. Every atom has a story stored in it. Every living cell and living being has stories or memories storied in it. The whole space around us has many stories stored in it. All this, however, are imperfect images and incomplete images.
We have no perfect, receptive or retentive capacity. The same is the case with other animate and inanimate things that store images of the past. They do not tell us the ENTIRE STORY OF THE PAST.
YOGA, THE GREAT ENABLER:
Can we put together a perfect edition of a PAST STORY? It looks difficult, almost impossible. The ancient Indian science of Yoga has some clues to this receptive capacity.
Maharshi Patanjali deals with a process called SAMYAMA in his yoga sutras, which is a great enabler in such matters. But then, people capable of these feats are not available to us for either scientific investigation or for enabling us to delve into past, for any of our mundane purposes.
INFINITY OF THE PAST:
Past is a continuum of all the changes that happened before this moment in the Universe. But, from when? When did the past begin? We do not know!
PAST as we are talking of, is far beyond the reach of our five senses and our mind.
It is truly infinite. Its beginning is unfathomable. But its end is somewhat reasonably in sight. Or, so we believe.
When we talk of past, we are talking of the continual changes that occurred at the micro to the macro levels in the universe BEFORE THIS MOMENT, but not including this moment. Past ended before this moment. As simple as that!
Since we have no access to PAST as the FACT that actually happened, we are depending on our imperfect perceptions and memories of the past. History as it is written and read by us is a huge, imperfect, incomplete record of these perceptions and memories.
We have defined PAST. We have understood that other than storing imperfect images of past in our memories or in stores around us (even magnetic / electronic storing materials), we can not in any way manipulate the past or access the past.
We have also seen that past is the cause on which the present and the future are built.
HUMAN INDEPENDENCE:
If every thing that happens is a mere CAUSE and EFFECT sequence, do we, as human beings, have any independent, intelligent role to play at all? Is there any thing at all, which we can call as TIME MANAGEMENT or LIFE MANAGEMENT done by us?
As far as PAST is concerned, there is no time management or Life Management.
PAST teaches us lessons. Lessons are useful for the present and future.
Do we learn the RIGHT or the WRONG lessons – is what makes the past USEFUL or HARMFUL.
In many cultures across the world, there are many harmful lessons doing the rounds. The emotional brain is at work in all of them – and not the impartial CONSCIOUSNESS.
This is bound to have its adverse CONSEQUENCES.
We will examine PRESENT in similar detail, in the next post.
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