Wisdom on Wisdom
Emerson’s Thought-stealing Ancients – Wisdom on Wisdom 1
Nietzsche’s Desirer of desire – Wisdom on Wisdom 2
The future is in the future, not the past – Wisdom on Wisdom 3
Pleasure is a smooth-talking lawyer – Wisdom on Wisdom 4
Pain is new for the sufferer, old for the observer – Wisdom on Wisdom 5
No place in the world is pain-free – Wisdom on Wisdom 6
Let life give new eyes to see old relationships – Wisdom on Wisdom 7
Acknowledging and regulating our passions – Wisdom on Wisdom 8
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.
You can live in the past, but there is no future there. Kalman Pakus. Some people specialize in living in the past.
They are always talking about the good old times, when we were young, life was so simple, things were like this, things were like that. And they always comparing the past with the present, and they are deriding the present, regretting the loss of the sweet old past. Yes, in some ways, the past may have been better than the present.
In some ways, the present may be better than the past. The point is, we can go into an objective analysis and weigh the past and the present and try to find out which was better. That can be done.
But the important thing is that we cannot turn back the clock, that the clock always moves forward. The arrow of time always moves ahead. And we cannot recreate the past.
The world is rushing forward ahead, and is always going to move forward. So, when that is the past cannot be recreated, then living in nostalgia of that past can often be simply a waste of time. Of course, it is important that we don't lose our connection with the past.
The memories of the past can be our sustenance, can be our guide, they can be our parameter by which we can move forward in our life. But still, we cannot live in the past. So, there is no future in the past.
That means that even if we want to learn from the past, and even if we want to adopt some of the things from the past for our future, the future does not lie in the past, the future lies in the future. That means we will not be able to recreate what was in the past directly into the future. We will have to adapt.
And so, living nostalgically is of no use. Learning from the past is of great use. But learning from the past in order to recreate the past is also not of any use.
We need to learn from the past so that we can actually live, we can take the best of the past and apply it, implement it in the future. Now, this is especially true for spiritual traditions, which base themselves on wisdom derived from the past. The wisdom derived from the past has been revealed in wisdom texts.
And those wisdom texts are often neglected in today's world. And those wisdom texts can be a source of great wisdom and guidance today. At the same time, those wisdom texts were spoken and lived in a particular culture.
And that culture is no longer existing today. So, with that culture no longer existing, it is not practical in today's world to recreate the culture. So, when we cannot recreate that culture, what we need to do is adapt.
And that is why every tradition, especially the tradition that is based on ancient wisdom texts, that has to have this dynamic balance between fidelity and flexibility. Fidelity is the connection with the past. Fidelity is what enables us to stay rooted in our past.
But flexibility is what enables us to live in the present. So, we draw from the past, live in the present and create the future. And this balance, which we need to achieve, we need to acknowledge the contemporary world.
We need to acknowledge the reality of what life is in the contemporary world. Without acknowledging that, we will simply be living in an ivory tower, not connected with the world. And the spiritual wisdom of the past will remain irrelevant for the vast majority of the people, if it is associated with or it is inextricably associated with the cultural packaging of the past.
And to the extent we recognize this dynamism, to that extent, we can actually benefit from the wisdom of the past in the present and mold a brighter future. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita itself demonstrates this. In the Bhagavad Gita, in the fourth chapter, Krishna says that, I gave this knowledge long ago to the Sun God.
In 4.1, he says, imam vivasvate yogam proktavānaha mauryayam vivasvān manave prāham manurikṣvākave braved. He says, I gave this knowledge long ago to the Sun God. And he says, now I am giving you this knowledge again.
Evaṁ paramparā prāptam imam rājarṣayo viduḥ sakālene hamahata yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa sa evāyaṁ mayāte dhyāyogaḥ proktaḥ purātana bhaktoṣiṇe sakhāceti rahasyaṁ hy etaduttamam. I am giving this knowledge to you once again. So when he speaks this, Krishna is not sticking to the same structure.
Krishna is not repeating the same words that he spoke to the Sun God. He is adapting that knowledge to the needs of Arjuna. He takes into account Arjuna's battlefield context and speaks that knowledge.
The Gita is not just a book. It is a living body of knowledge. And it is lived in the hearts of those who live the Gita.
And by living according to the Gita, we can move forwards and take spiritual wisdom with us. So our future is in the future. And those who are connected with the past, those who are connected with the present, and those who are prepared for the future, they can actually bring about the most substantial positive transformations in the world by taking the wisdom from the past and adapting it to create a brighter future.
By knowing that the future lies not in the past, but in the future, we can learn from the past and prepare for the future in the present. Thank you.