Gautama The Buddha was a man of great wisdom. He answered all the questions of seekers. Whoever came to him never went empty handed. During his time, he broke down all the dogmas of then established religions. He penetrated deep into the Core Truth. Maybe that is the reason Buddhism is still flourishing today even after the 2500 years of enlightenment.
But in Buddhism’s legacy, there is a special chapter called Buddha’s unanswered Questions. Ananda, Buddha’s attendant and cousin, records this chapter neatly. He says Buddha will remain silent and closes his eyes whenever some so-called logical learned person comes to him and asks questions such as ‘Do we have an eternal soul?’, ‘What will happen to that soul when we die?’ ‘Is there a Life after our death’ ‘Are we living in a physical or metaphysical world?’.
Buddha mindfully avoided answering them. Curious Ananda asks, ‘you answer every question on the earth. You convince every seeker. But why do you disappoint these Logical Learned Persons?’
Buddha says, “When you’re struck with the poisoned arrows, you can’t say ‘I will remove these arrows only after knowing who hit these arrows to me? I will remove the arrow only after the culprit gets punished’. Your first job is to remove the arrow, treat the wound and get healed. Like that, our life is too short. We don’t have to waste time on subjects which don’t help us in achieving liberation”.
Like the Logical Learned persons, some UPSC aspirants start doubting the self like ‘Politicians are super powerful. Should I join Politics than Bureaucracy’, ‘many IAS officers have made assets and indulged in corruption. Is it good to join the service’, ‘there is an unavoidable nexus between Politician-Bureaucrat-Criminal-Capitalist. How do I fit there?’. We also indulge in unnecessary chit-chats with peers on Chai points. We discuss the range of issues. Most of the Topics are unhelpful for our preparation. It only satisfies our logical mind.
Also, Avoid entangling into any fancy relationships. Because they divert your mind. Avoid watching indulging videos. Because they provoke you to drain vital energies. Avoid eating Junk food coupled with an unhealthy lifestyle. Because they disturb your physical fitness needed for this war. Avoid any thoughts/ emotions/ behaviors which don’t add value to your journey towards the goal.
The time in your hand is very short. You have to succeed and exit this journey with the minimum attempts possible. You should enter into the Civil Service and start working for the country. You are in the War. In the midst of the war you don’t have luxury for other stuff.
Work like a true seeker. Every living second must be strived for the Liberation. Success may be delayed; but not be denied.
