AHA-MOMENTS Nov 2020 LP
The empty flute makes sweet music
Having done your bit, surrender to the Divine and let Him be the Doer who unfolds your life, says Megha Bajaj
Someone shared a beautiful Lucy and Charlie Brown story with me. Lucy is looking out of the window and delighting in the view. She tells Charlie Brown who is napping, “Come, Charlie! See how beautiful the mountains, the lakes, the trees are. Come!” Charlie comes and stands beside her. He frowns. Lucy asks him, “What do you see?” He says, “I see some dirt marks, I see some paint smudges and some fingerprints!” To this Lucy smiles and says, “Charlie, windows are made to look through. Don’t look at the window—look through it! And that will make all the difference!”
Somehow, this story, simple as it was, touched me. The word ‘through’ is such an important one. It resonated with what every great musical maestro will say about the flute—the music comes through it and not from it. When I am writing, I cease to be the doer. I feel so empty, almost like I am simply typing what something much beyond my understanding is guiding me to. In that sense, the writing seems to be flowing through me and not from me.
When we operate out of our limited intelligence, there is only so much that can be done. Or achieved. By itself, the flute is, but a mere bamboo. In the hands of the master, the magic unfolds. The moment we allow the cosmos to work through us, we unfold possibilities beyond comprehension. Infinite through the finite is a potent combination.
However, if all of us knew how to use this Infinite power, we would not be struggling like we do. And each life would be one of legendary unfolding. This is not so because, often, doing the simplest is the toughest. To allow things to happen through you, the prerequisite is to be empty like the flute. Easier said than done, trust me. Though, there are some insights that have really helped me on this path, I would like to share the most important one.
There is a time to think and a time to not think. Both are equally important. I understand this best with this example: If I want to go to Paris, I have to do the planning, get the ticket, and take the flight. For the process, thinking is needed. However, once I have done all I can and have fastened my seat belt, I have to just allow the flight to take me to my destination. It’s time to un-think. Process is in our hands; results, in Life’s hands. Allowing thinking to happen when it must and allowing yourself to un-think when you need to, helps stay in the ‘through’ state.
‘Attached-detached’ sounds like a very paradoxical phrase and as I walk along the path of self-discovery, I am beginning to realise that ‘attached-detached’ is nothing but the above. Remain deeply attached to the process, and detached to the result. The moment we get too attached to results, the sight moves from the next step to the destination, which does not work. Visualise yourself trekking on a mountain; you are so fascinated about reaching the peak that you don’t focus on the next step and trip!
Being in the ‘through’ state is feeling one with the Divine. You cease, He exists. You are empty, He fills. Often, in relationships, I find myself struggling with it. I tend to either get too attached or too detached. And yet, I am learning to find the balance. So, often in a day, I smile and tell myself, “The music comes through the flute and not from it. All I can do is strive to be the best flute (doing) and remain empty (being) so that the Master can create wonders!”
An award-winning author, film-script writer and poet, Megha is an eternal seeker at heart. She also empowers people to write and get published through her online writing workshop. You can read more on www.WonderofWords.org.