Sporting our Scars

Unique Scars

Some years ago, whilst training Muay Thai, I landed a kick prematurely and I though the opponent was further than he actually was. As a result my first toe hit his body quicker than the ball of my foot which should be the body part making contact. It cracked and broke. Many years on, it still crackles. As anyone who practises sports, and even those who don’t, will know, some injuries lead to our body never “being the same again.” We learn to continue, to grow, and those things become part of us. It is the same with our experiences for better or worse. If each human being was given a unique reference every time they had an experience, and they became the combination of all their experiences, we would be ridiculously unique. We are shaped to be super unique with all our scars and imperfections, combining to make us who we are. In one sense, we alone are in our driving seat. Sometimes our car is on clear stretches of motorway, with clear blue skies, and sometimes it is in muddy terrains and we are going at excessive speeds with mud splattered all over our windscreens. The wipers aren’t working well, and we have to make do with the minimal visibility we have. Sometimes we get stuck in the mud, and have to get ourselves out. Sometimes we will be on dynamic courses, taking beautiful turns, sliding around, taking corners, and enjoying our ride. Everyone is at a different stage on their own routes. Some will never experience the same or similar terrains as someone else. Some will have the experience of one terrain to use in another. Some will not. Some will have different experiences to bring. 

Obsession with Possession

When you give a 6-month old child something, their first tendency will be to put it into their mouth. Their view of the world is sometimes that things are interesting, and then they want to put it into their mouth. We are all looking for things we can relate to. This ability to relate comes from false identities we assign every time we do something. For example, if we see someone has an interest in something we do, then we feel more comfortable around them. If the 6-month old baby example was to scale to this, it would be akin to the baby saying to another baby “Oh, very nice, I have also put that toy in my mouth!” The extent to which we identify with those things we “taste” i.e. football teams, places, people, and for that matter anything - this will shape our mental conditioning. This is exactly why therapists look for triggers. What made you feel like this? Then they look to either re-direct memory to alternative thoughts, or to initially remove one from objects that trigger negative thoughts. We unconsciously make many associations, and all of these will shape the experience we have on the next leg of our car journey. 

Beauty & The Sage 

In the Mahabharata, there is a beautiful and insightful story of the grandson of one of the great original 7 sages, Kashyapa. Kashyapa has a son called Vibhandaka. Vibhandaka had a son who was a very strict and devout sage called Rishyasringa. Rishyasringa was indeed the sage that gave the father of Lord Rama, King Dasaratha a potion which led to his wife’s giving birth to Lord Rama and His brothers. Rishyasringa was so devout and strict that the nearby King knew that if this sage resided in his locality, the gods would be more inclined to look favourably upon his kingdom. Part of Rishyasringas strictness and ability to attract the good wishes of the gods was that since birth he had instantly taken to meditation in isolation. He had never been exposed to the opposite sex, and as a result he was innocently unaware of any male-female dynamics, which in turn led to his increased single-pointed focus on his meditation. The king being aware of this, and wanting to lure the sage to his locality thought he could entice him using a woman to attract him to his kingdom. He sent a beautiful girl who was willing to do the task, to lure him. Rishyasringa was alone in his ashram when she arrived, and he greeted her with respect and offered to wash her feet as a gesture of respect to a guest who had journeyed through the mountains to meet. He was still unaware what a female was. She respectfully declined her feet to be washed saying she was not worthy of this, but instead asked if he would embrace her. Not knowing her motivation, he agreed, and it wasn’t very long before they were physically close, and enjoying their time with each other. She then suddenly left, intentionally. He didn’t know what has happened, he had been swept off his feet, and his mind went into turmoil. When his father arrived, he asked what was wrong with him since he looked so morose and downtrodden. He explained to his father how a man came to his place, and he had never seen a man as beautiful. He said he has to find this man and see him again. He described the physical features, and his father then understood the situation and explained it to him. Eventually the sage married another lady, however remained a devout sage. The story illustrates the nature of certain natural attachments that exist in this world. This is an extreme example, however the nature of attachment is that we tend to personalise things. In this story, the beautiful lady existed before the sage knew her, she existed after he met her, and in one sense they had nothing to do with each other. However, he completely personalised the experience at the time, and this “personalisation” gave rise to attachment that caused his severe disappointment. 

We can learn much from nature. Nature is impartial, it just acts as it does. Depending on how we choose to view it - whether we wish to claim it is ours, or to admire its beauty neutrally, this will determine our understanding and emotions linked with nature. Nature is in one sense the ultimate backstop we have. Nature is extremely pervasive, extremely powerful, and extremely patient. Nature has its own sense of time, it isn’t rushed by anyone, it just is, and acts according to its constitutional properties. If we apply a vision which is characterised by this objectivity, removal of self-claim, and appreciative neutrality to situations and experiences in this world, it is likely we will learn more and deepen our real understanding of things.

"Peace attendeth in all respects." 

Narada Muni responding to the gods regarding his welfare, Mahabharata, Section LIV, Nalopakhyana Parva, Vana Parva

Concealing Brilliance

 The Baby Leaf

The ongoing debate over destiny over effort is always an intriguing one; to what extent can we shape outcomes, personalities, events, and on the other hand to what extent are these innate, pre-programmed, with minimal room to maneuver. As the information age continues to deepen, learning sources continue to increase, which can be useful. It can also be dangerous as the sources of information can be flawed. Nature however, is a timeless and perfect teacher, it is self-evident reflects an unquestionable sense reality. In the juncture between winter and spring natures spectacles can be so beautiful. Trees whose leaves had fallen, whose bark had become dark and tainted, unbelievably begin to show signs of life.  One tree around 30 feet high, towering and with some glimpses of green at the top, however nothing lower down, exhibiting a very dry crusty bark in its trunk stood out. In between the puzzle-like lockings of bark, a fresh green leaf around 2 inches long struck in huge contrast to the faded darkish tone brown. The leaf was part of a twig, which was fairly robust and there were other small leaves about to sprout also. In an unlikely position, the leaf was beginning to blossom to an eye-catching level.

Revelations of Time

Back in the office, in the lead up to the forthcoming Indian elections, a number of Banks are hosting sharing sessions with officials to give an idea of forecast, outlooks and insights on expectations and impacts. Receiving a request, I made the relevant connections back with the Consul-General in Hong Kong on the topic and connected with our India heads. Within no time, contacts were shared to the extent of “here’s the details, feel free to reach out.” We had a task, we wanted to get it done, and we went about it. It was refreshing. It is Asia, it’s growing and there is ample opportunity for those who want to take it. Market saturation is an interesting stage in the cycle. In places where there are too few spaces, and too many takers, a culture of protectionism, lack of confidence in ability, and greed can lead to people not sharing openly, owning relationships due to the risk of being exploited by others. The case to share and not to share can be argued quite easily. Either way, it isn’t optimal, because the situation is not of abundance but saturation. The saving grace is, brilliance will find a way to shine. In the story of Genghis Khan, whose Mongolian Empire was famous or infamous for having conquered in the Asian subcontinent more than any group until his, the beginnings are very telling of this principle. As a small child, in an environment where invasions and consolidation of villages, towns, and countries were a commonplace, Khan’s family was killed in front of his eyes. In one depiction of the scene, there is an ancient Chinese quote which describes how one should not take advantage with a baby tiger for when they grow older, nothing will be able to stand in its way. The extent of Genghis Khan’s vengeance was unprecedented, he could not be held back with anything that generation and a few more, could come up with. Similarly we see leaders who have experienced bad treatment, they have emerged through many tussles and turn to be victorious in what their nature and ambition led to them doing over time. In this way, time and consistency in outlook will prove over time the extent to which our resolve is fixed.

Brilliance Can’t Hide

In the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic, there is a description of the Pandava brothers who were heirs to the throne. They were ousted by their cousin brothers the Kauravas from the kingdom on a number of occasions, due to ambition to sit on the throne. Dressed not in royal clothing, but in simple cloth with matted hair in locks, the Pandava brothers were enroute to a royal ceremony, and tried to stop by the banks of the River Ganges, the celestial being who was bathing there stopped them saying that they are not royalty, nor celestial, and therefore had not right to share the waters with him and his consorts. Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers refuted and said the waters didn’t belong to the celestial and therefore he will bath in them. The celestial quickly became angered and picking up his weapon charged at Arjuna. Arjuna quickly dispatched of him in an embarrassing fashion. Later in the same journey, a King approached the large-framed brothers and said whilst they are trying to disguise themselves, it is self-evident that they are extremely powerful and of an entirely different constitution to even the average Kings in the area. The Pandavas worked tirelessly, continued to refine their skills, meeting new teachers and acquiring more celestial weapons. They did not rely on their destiny and natural constitution alone. But it did play a part. Growth requires effort, the same way the leaf from the bark required nutrients, and resilience in order to grow, however it’s growth was inevitable. If we pay attention, there is certainly in our journeys understanding this perpetual interwoven relationship and reconciliation of effort and destiny in this world. Ultimately, reality, including brilliance of mediocrity will not be able to hide for long.

"Whether it be night, day or twilight, who can bar others from the ocean, the sides of the Himalayas, and this river? O ranger of the skies, whether the stomach be empty or full, whether it is night or day, there is no special time for anybody to come to the Ganges. As regards ourselves, endued with might, we care not when we disturb thee." Arjuna to the celestial Angaraparna, Chaitraratha Parva, Mahabharata