Seeds of Banaras: Graduation speech at Harvard

In the year 1996, I was fortunate to speak on the graduation ceremony at Harvard Business School. The seed of Banaras was already implanted in my mind.

I am reproducing the speech with some very minor modifications.




IN PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT SYMPHONY


Benares is the oldest city on earth. It is known as the spiritual capital of India. Benares is where Buddha chose to give his first sermon after the enlightenment.

Drawn by the mystique, a few years back I visited a “master” who lived in a tiny hut on the banks of river Ganges. It will be useful to point out that I am not exactly a “religious” person and I am against all fragmentation, dogmas and judgments.

As I entered the hut, I was overwhelmed by my feelings. There was a calmness, tranquility and serenity beyond words. As I looked at the master, a spontaneous smile flashed on his face. Time and space simply froze.

The other day I was walking in the lawns of the campus here. A child three or four years old was playing with his mother. Seeing me he ran, stopped and stood blocking my way, smiling. No purpose ….No reason. My response was not a thought but a flash. For few divine moments …there was no Harvard … no child … no mother … no “I”. I became the boy.
Experiences beyond boundaries, transcendental.

The master continued to smile. My ego soon took control. I came back to reality. In retrospect, I don’t know which the actual reality was: The moment of timeless experience or being back with the conditioned mind and all the thoughts?

I was again an intellectual ready to discuss and question. Looking at the master, I managed to ask,” Sir, why is there so much evil in the universe?

“Son, all the evil is in your mind. Clear it from there and you will witness a different world,” the master replied.

I felt offended and a little humiliated. I became aggressive, “sir”, I said,” I am a rational being and I have good control over my mind”.

He eyed me affectionately. “Go, in that corner”. He said,” sit inside the prayer circle for ten minutes in lotus posture. A revelation awaits you. While seated pray if you like, think if you like. You can think of all the evil in the world if you like”, he paused and added,” there is only one small condition. Do not think about a monkey.”

Puzzled, I went and sat inside the circle. As soon as I crossed my legs for the posture the first thought came … Guess what...?
Monkey, of course!
I closed my eyes…Monkey and monkey. The monkeys were everywhere. The whole world vanished and became a monkey.

I held my head and opened my eyes. Master was standing in front of me. His eyes were like eternity. His face was glowing with compassion, affection and love.

I got up and he embraced me. By now I was crying unabated like a child.

“Son”, he whispered,” You are born as a seed. Human life is not an actuality. It has some beautiful potentiality. You are not an Intellect. Intellect is competition and competition is primitive. An animal has these instincts by birth. A dog is born as dog and will die as dog. It has no other possibility. It is perfect as dog. With humans it is different. You are compassion, love and pure awareness. Abandon all your conditioning, fragmentation and fear.”
He looked at me for the last time and said, “Son, learn to think not with your mind but with your heart.”
With those words in my ears, the master went away. I never saw him again, ever.

Life is not the past, neither is it future.
It is only the moment, now.
Life is like a musical instrument. Music is possible. Symphony is a potentiality. Life is not keep repeating the same note again and again.

Life is longing for perfection.

Ravindranath Tagore, a great Indian poet and mystique, a Nobel laureate prayed his last prayer to God,” Oh lord, your world was beautiful and you gave me a precious life. I don’t want to disappear yet. I have to sing many songs; I have yet to paint many paintings. There is, yet, in my heart, which needs to bloom. Send me back. Please send me back.” This was his last prayer. He died praying this way. What a beautiful way to die. “Your world was beautiful. I wasn’t worthy of it but you made me. I am not worthy to be sent back but your compassion is great. One more time, send me back. I have to complete my song.”

A friend of Tagore was sitting by his bedside. He couldn’t stop himself,” Ravindra, You must be mad. Shelly is thought to be one of the greatest poets in Europe. He wrote only two thousand songs, you wrote six thousand. You beat him three times. You should be happy and contented.”

Tagore opened his tearful eyes—“I am not. Yes, six thousand songs I have sung but you don’t know the inside story. I wanted to sing only one song but because it was never possible… I tried once failed. I tried again failed. I failed six thousand times. Those are all efforts. That which I wanted to sing, my friend, is till unsung.”

My brothers and sisters, the pursuit of the perfection, let us begin, here and now. Pray lord, that this quest continues life after life after life.
In this journey my friends:
The pen is not important, only the poem is,
The brush is not important, only the painting is,
The instrument is not important only the music is,
The perfect symphony is not important, only the effort is.

Let us pray to the almighty to bless us to succeed in our pursuit of the perfect symphony.

God bless us all.

LC