Ways to Wisdom

The beginning of all wisdom, according to me, is the humility to learn from the last and the least, the friend and the foe, the rain and the shine, the good and the bad! On the one hand, when a person thinks that s/he has learned enough in life, that is the sign that s/he is gripped by the claws of pride, and that opens the floodgates of wisdom, if at all s/he has gained something from life, to let it flow in wastelands. Humility, on the other hand, is the gateway to all wisdom; one cannot bewitch to the goddess of wisdom and knowledge without first befriending humility. For, wisdom often resides in the most unexpected of places, and those who find her dwelling, find it easy to befriend her.

I have felt that some of the wisest men and women garner knowledge even as they fight a ferocious battle with death. I remember many years ago, a great mathematician and teacher, Father Goreaux going through Bengali primer, learning to read and write in Bengali, when he was on the verge of death bed. Someone would have asked him, what use it would be to learn a language when you know for sure, you would not have years to practice it! The utility is secondary; what matters first is to equip oneself with necessary knowledge to face situations, which may or may not require a set of knowledge. Truly wise men and women were ever ready to welcome wisdom in their midst at any time of their life’s journey.

As I venture into a new field or two, I find it necessary to learn the ‘tricks of the trade’. Sometimes there are no ready-made, handy guidebooks, like the hundreds of self-help books and guides you find on any topic imaginable. There is no better guide in life to learn something new than experience itself; however a friend or foe who has already gained knowledge would be in a much better place to open the gates of the new palace, to show which is where, so that I need not walk through all the corridors and rooms to find what is where. If I am ready to be rebuked and reprimanded in the process of gaining knowledge, then I know I am ready to take yet another lesson for life.

There was something mysterious in Christian Life Community (CLC in short) movement, which had attracted me, when I was attending a short course in the Holy City a year ago, and I am enthused to explore what I can learn from the many groups who practice the Ignatian spirituality, served in a way which is not only palatable, but also useful for their daily Christian living. There are young boys and girls, and there are adults, all of them translating the Ignatian vision into reality, through a spirituality which is so practical and pliable that all can feel the divine coming down from heaven to the earth. But ahead of me is the opportunity to learn from these men and women who had tasted God, and be enriched by their experiences.

I am prepared to learn from anyone who would be able to accept me as a disciple; I am also aware that at times my ego pops up and resists the lowly and the least sitting in the chairs of authority and teach me things I have not known in life. Sometimes these experiences may also make me realize how ignorant I am, and when I know what I do not know, then I will know that the doors of knowledge are wide open for me. This experiences are nothing less than spiritual experiences, where I can encounter God in the midst of His people, and I can be well on the way to bridge the gap between God and human beings; that is the role of every priest of God, to play the bridge between heaven and earth, and here is a golden opportunity I can jump and grab!

Homage to Goddess of Wisdom

Today is the feast of Saraswati, the Goddess of Wisdom, and it is appropriate that I dwell on what I consider is true wisdom, as a way of paying my humble tribute to this wonderful (and beautiful) Goddess. One way how I could pay her my respect is to fall back on the popular Saraswati Vandana, which some states had made it obligatory to be recited in all schools. Looking at the lyrics of the Vandana, one would feel that there is nothing which is averse to a person of other faith, except that it is addressed to a Hindu goddess. One may find it hard to understand the Sanskrit slokas of the Vandana, as is presented in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-5PhbqgJY0&feature=player_embedded.

I liked the words of the lyrics, which describe the goddess in a pictorial way, and at the end seeking her protection. Here are the lyrics: "Oh Goddess Sarasvati, who is fair as a jasmine flower, the moon or a snow flake, who is dressed in white and whose hands are adorned by veena, who is seated in a white lotus, to whom Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara pray, please protect us." If four names are replaced by some other equivalents, this can go as a beautiful prayer, and I would love to make it part of my prayer each day; it can as well become the prayer of every person who believes in the true wisdom which flows from God.

How would I make my own adaptation of this prayer addressed to the Goddess of Wisdom and knowledge? "O God of wisdom, who is fair... to whom all angels and saints pray, please protect us!" The different images that are used to describe her, jasmine flower, moon or a snow flake, dressed in white, veena, lotus, all represent different aspects of true wisdom that flow from her (have we not heard about God as a feminine, even in Christian tradition? Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, have referred to God as a female figure!).

Jasmine flower is representative of the fragrance that is natural, and which can fill the atmosphere with a heavenly presence; snow and white naturally represent purity; veena of all human artistic talents and endeavors, lotus of soft and gentle flower, which even while living on water, yet is not overpowered by it! It may be hard for us to become like Saraswati, because as mortals, we may only share a tiny part of the divine wisdom that flows from her; part of the wisdom is granted to us at the time of our birth, and the other part is to be cultivated during our life-time here on earth. Only when we synchronize these two parts of wisdom, do we become like true images of this God of wisdom!

Wisdom also implies a humility on our part which reminds us constantly that we are merely a shadow of all true wisdom, which flows freely and gratuitously from God, and as we receive his wisdom, we have the responsibility to nurture and produce fruits which can benefit the world around us. Thus all true wisdom has a purpose, a social responsibility. If someone were to claim that his wisdom and knowledge is only for his personal satisfaction and contentment, then we may assume that what s/he has gained is not true wisdom, and that may be merely a pigment of his/her imagination. For a jasmine cannot contain its fragrance to itself, and a veena cannot contain the music within itself, and a lotus cannot contain the beauty to itself - they are all oriented to reach out to the other! That is where true wisdom may be found!