Discrimination & Mindfulness – Katha Upanishad

Hello Dear Readers,

I have been feeling the pull to read some of the Upanishads (ancient Sanskrit texts of spiritual teaching and ideas of Hinduism) and their wisdom is slowly becoming apparent to me. In this section, I will discuss their idea of discrimination and how it can be taken into this modern day time.

Here is the full text we will be referring to:

“Those who are devoid of discrimination and fail to distinguish between real & unreal, the fleeting & the permanent, set their hearts on the changeable things in this world; hence they entangle themselves in the net of insatiable desire, which leads inevitably to disappointment and suffering.” -Page 74 – Katha Upanishad.

Lets brake this idea down:

1. The concept of real and unreal here is referring to that which will always exist and that which is temporary. For example, my pen is temporary because it will be destroyed and be turned into another thing. Permanent, would be a the particles or atoms of the pen because these will continue to exist even after the pen is gone. Thus, the pen is a idea based off of the human mind. The atom, existed way before the mind and will exist as long as there is a world. And can’t happen because only life can come from life.

2. The advice that is coming forth is always be mindful of how much of your time you spend on unreal things such as cars, money, or a pen. Be grateful that there exists numbers, emotions, and the inner self. Spend your time and energy concentrating & existing in the permanent part of life–the NOW.

3. Patience in understanding this is required because so much around us is constantly telling us that we need this or that. Love is the all pervading force and no temporary thing can bring love to one’s self. Unconditional love is inside always and will always be. Surrender to THAT, and you will reach the ability and vision to discriminate between the real & unreal.

Another example to push this idea home, say you are fighting with a loved one. They say, “Hey, you broke my car.” Reminding this idea, we know that the language used to make these words are temporary. The concept YOU is temporary (you are always changing). A thing that is broken is subjective and temporary. The ownership of an object is temporary. Finally, the car is temporary. Thus, if one relies, “I love you.” They are given the best chance of saying truth because the I is permanent (if you believe in reincarnation), the love is permanent (if you see love as the unifying force of nature), and the YOU is permanent in this case because the speaker is referring to them as a being and not one single version of them self. It will not be what the person wants to hear, but it conveys truth. Or one could also reply, “I will fix it.” The truth in this statement is that of “fix” because it is permanent that all things will change and can be fixed when correct will power is applied.

To apply this into one’s living in the moment practice, you will not need to worry too much about this idea because it will come naturally with the practice. When the mind is still, all it sees is what is real or permanent. Just know that our desire for temporary things is what we fight on the battle field (mind, emotions, & body senses).

Thank you for Reading and know that much more is to come.

Read the Katha Upanishad by clicking HERE

Much love & mindfulness,

Scott Alan Williams