The Unexpected

Natalie Portman in her unexpected and jaw-dropping role as a knowing young stripper in 'Closer'

How well do you deal with unexpected events in life? Do you find them thrilling and dangerous or do you find them brutal and absolute? The Zen philosophy is that we should anticipate nothing. But if we must anticipate something, then we should expect the reverse of what we imagine may happen.

The wise and soulful Hindus believe that we should live with the total acceptance of the reality that, our souls (our atmans) are all that matter about us as living creatures. Hence, we should set our sights on the eternal and the ultimate consciousness from which we all came and to which we all shall return. These earthly matters, the wise sages of India tell us, are nothing but maya (illusion) and we must take the reins and control our wild desires for pleasure, money and fame.

I believe both are true and that the stage of our soul's education in life is determined by constant battles between reality and illusion.

Swami Vivikananda tells us that we must learn always through all of the painful blows life brings to our souls, that while these blows may hurt us, they also teach us the necessary ability to discern between truth and fiction, between illusion and reality. Swamiji's name is based on the Hindu word 'vivek' which means to discern between good or truth and bad or falsity. His name suited him perfectly, and we should learn from his brilliant example, his rare ability to see reality and to dismiss and refuse to accept illusions.