The Seer and the Seen - Rishona Chopra

Photo by https://stock.adobe.com

The question about who we really are often bugs me. Who are we? Are we the mind? The body? Or are we the soul? 

There is a simple philosophy to finding this out. "The Seer Is Not The Seen". If I am seeing a plant, that means I am not the plant. So I, the seer, am not the plant (the seen). Now, I can see my body, that also means that we are NOT our body. We know our feelings and thoughts so in a way we can see our thoughts. But if we can see our thoughts that means we are not our thoughts so if we are not the body and not the mind, who are we? 

We are the conscious; our soul. But is my soul different from yours? No, we are all the same conscious and have the same guiding lights within us. We are only so different in our thoughts and body but we are all the same. 

The "God" we look for in temples and photos is within us. Our conscious and guiding light is God. Going by the definition, God is the creator and the light within us, in fact, the creator is the very reason for our existence. God is not living on Jupiter and noting our deeds in his long register. It's a power within us and that's what makes humans so special. We have the power to choose and to create. 

Let us take the example of two pots kept in a room. In that room air flows. Both pots also enclose air in them. But can we see that the air in one pot is different from the other? No, not at all. The air in both of them is just the same. Can we also say that the air enclosed within the pot is the "pot's air" alone? The same air is enclosed in the room too. 

Similarly, consciousness is one, but we assume each has a different soul by looking at different thoughts and looks. But the soul in each is the same and one. 

Rishona Chopra

Grade VII 

Gyanshree School

Minimalism - Rishona Chopra

Take a look at all the things in your house. Are they bringing any value to your life? Are they even close to you? Do you use them? Your room would probably be filled with things that you don’t use or don’t bring any value to your life. Imagine a life without those unnecessary things. Pretty plain and boring. Right? Not really. Humans have created a belief that is to love things and use people. 

Loving things will give you temporary happiness because as soon as things are finished, we crave them again and plead for them, and if we don’t get it, we are disappointed or angry. While on the other hand, if we love people with a true heart, happiness lasts forever. People crave things so much and so that without them, they are not able to survive. Imagine people can’t live without water, food, and now people can’t live without things! Doesn’t it look a little silly?

Honestly, I thought the same. I felt that things were the most important for me. My entire room was filled with things I didn’t really need, but for some reason, I just felt like holding on to them. 

A question that we could ask ourselves is, do we need all these things? Do they bring any value to my life? And in my case, the answer for most things was no. I tried to understand that all my items were necessary, but inside I knew they weren’t, and I am sure you know that too. 

Minimalism is all about giving away the things you don’t need, clearing away the clutter. It doesn’t mean that you clear the clutter and then repurchase new things. It means just make your life straightforward. To simply remove the clutter and not put more again. This is a vast and challenging step, but in the end, it gives you peace of mind. Even though I haven’t successfully accomplished this minimalism step, I did try, and we all can.

Rishona Chopra

Grade 5

Gyanshree School