Refute And Repudiate

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 15 June 2023 A Zen master asked his disciple a particular question. The question was answered exactly as it should be answered. The next day the master asked exactly the same question. The disciple said, " But I answered this question yesterday." The master said, " Now I'm asking you again." The disciple repeated the same answer. The master said, " You don't know! " The disciple said, " But yesterday I answered in the same way and you nodded your head. So, I interpreted that the answer was right. Why have you changed your mind now? " The master said, " Anything that can be repeated is not coming from you. The answer has come from your memory, not from your consciousness. If you had really known, the answer would be different because so much has changed. I'm not the same man who asked you this question yesterday. The whole situation is different. You also are different, but the answer is the same. I had to ask the question again just to see if you would repeat the answer. Nothing can be repeated." The more alive you're, the less repetitive. Only a dead man can be consistent. Living is inconsistent; life is freedom. Freedom cannot be consistent. Consistent with what? You can be consistent only with the past. Excerpted from The Psychology of the Esoteric Repeat is defeat. Existence loses its vibrancy when life becomes repetitive. ' Muhabbat Aur Zindagi Jab Khud Ko Doharane Lagti Hain, Vajood Mein Yaksaaniyat Aa Jaati Hai' (When life and love start repeating themselves, existence becomes monotonous), Sahir wrote to Amrita Pritam. Humans are repeaters. We've been repeating and parroting the same stuff for thousands of years. We've been repeating the same prayers, same useless scriptures, same redundant faiths, same gods and same definitions. There's nothing new or exciting. Our questions have been the same and their answers have also been predictable. Every individual is afraid of refuting and repudiating his/her own views, whereas Nyaya Shastra says that Satyarth Nihitam Khandanam-Mandanam (Truth lies in refutation and repudiation / खंडन - मंडन). When humans are evolving every moment, how can our yesterday's perceptions be relevant today? Refutations and repudiations lead to new realizations. Repudiation is not a sign of instability of mind. Rather, it's the sign of the mind's celerity. Every moment is new. So, our thought process should also be new and updated. Sir V S Naipaul said, " Create a new idiom for the new millennium," on December 31, 1999. We must create a new idiom and a new perception for every day. Consign all that's old to the dustbin of the past and surge ahead ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/refute-repudiate/d/129995 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism