It's Not About the Rain
Carl Jung often used to relate a story of the rainmaker of Kiao-chau as illustrative of several important aspects of his psychological insights. It was originally told to him by Richard Wilhelm, the famous sinologist who translated, among other things, the I Ching. Jung used it ‘as an example of “being in Tao” [perfect balance] and its synchronistic accompaniments’. In Wilhelm’s words:
There was a great drought where I lived; for months there had not been a drop of rain and the situation became catastrophic. The Catholics made processions, the Protestants made prayers, and the Chinese burned joss-sticks and shot off guns to frighten away the demons of the drought, but with no result. Finally the Chinese said, ‘We will fetch the rainmaker.’ And from another province a dried up old man appeared. The only thing he asked for was a quiet little house somewhere, and there he locked himself in for three days. On the fourth day the clouds gathered and there was a great snow-storm at a time of year when no snow was expected, an unusual amount, and the town was so full of rumours about the wonderful rainmaker that I went to ask the man how he did it.
In true European fashion I said: ‘They call you the rainmaker, will you tell me how you made the snow?’ And the little Chinese said: ‘I did not make the snow, I am not responsible.’
‘But what have you done these three days?’
‘Oh, I can explain that. I come from another country where things are in Tao [balance]. Here they are out of [balance], they are not as they should be by the ordinance of heaven. Therefore the whole country is not in Tao, and I also am not in the natural order of things because I am in a disordered country [italics mine]. So I had to wait three days until I was back in Tao and then naturally the rain came.’FR
This story strikes us in many ways, but the ramifications concerning the conditions in the world today are impossible to miss. Unlike earlier civilisations that lived in much greater harmony with the world around them, such as the Native Americans and Australian aborigines, we have set ourselves to ‘conquer nature’, to create a technologically dominant, entirely materialistic civilisation, that has become woefully unbalanced, even, one might say, broken. It is astonishing how few people realise how out of balance our so-called developed world is (and, alas, the developing world is rapidly following suit): we have stripped the planet of ozone, oil, and other natural resources, destroyed innumerable species of wildlife, not to mention the mass genocide of indigenous cultures. In order to get these resources and in using them, we have polluted our environment and lives in more ways than anyone can count; the entire world climate is out of order; the seas are rising and the poles are disappearing, suicide rates are rising astronomically, mental illness and so-called disorders have increased, and now a new, apparently unstoppable disease has appeared. The planet is seriously ailing, seriously out of balance, and so are we who live in it and are inseparable from it (much as we might like to deny this). Much, much worse than the drought of Wilhelm’s story. How could anyone be surprised that we now have what the scientists call a pandemic, but what in older times would have been called a plague?FR
Due to the crisis of the moment, our eyes are turned away from serious issues such as climate change, endangered species, mental illnesses and other symptoms of enormous imbalance, and totally fixed upon the present immanent fear of suffering and death and finding a way to ‘fix it’. Worse, our eyes are turned away from ourselves, our centre and our own imbalances.
As a result of repeated abuse of power by those in whom we had reposed our trust, the world is hopelessly – and justifiably – divided upon every aspect of the subject: some urgently want a vaccine to eradicate or at least mitigate the disease; some prefer to concentrate on a cure; others don’t believe there IS a disease in the first place; others that the vaccine itself is worse than the disease. Conspiracy theories abound: it is a plot by (a) big pharma to make a lot of money; (b) the military-industrial complex to take over the world; (c) the governments to thin out the human population; (d) Martians; (e) fill in the blank.
The point is that in history, in every case a civilisation has crumbled or been taken over, there has always been one common feature: fragmented factionalism. While we argue about the cause or solution to a particular manifestation of our imbalance we are distracted from paying attention to ourselves: ourselves as part of the problem. What is to be done?
The reasons for this tremendous imbalance may be a subject for another article. Many are obvious, some may not be so. In this article, however, I am attempting to focus on what we as individuals and groups can do about the situation and especially about our state of mind because we are the world. Where do we look, who do we trust, what can we do?
When people asked J. Krishnamurti what they could do to address the difficulties of the time, he always answered, ‘How can you fix the problem when you are part of the problem yourselves? First look to yourself.’ Sri Bhagavan said the same thing: ‘First find out who you are, then see if there is a problem.’
There is another thing Sri Bhagavan said that we should pay especial attention to. In answer to the question about how he did miracles, answered prayers, cured snake bites and so forth, he invariably said he knew nothing about the occurrence. He always maintained that he himself did nothing – absolutely nothing. But, he added, by doing nothing, a tremendous energy is created which he called Sannidhi, Presence. It is this Presence, he said, that grants prayers, does miracles, and so forth.
This is a crucial point for us. If we ourselves can come into balance (however incomplete), our sannidhi, our aura so to speak, can influence those around us. Certainly we are not jñāni-s ... yet ... but the more in balance we are, the better the environment we create by our presence. This is a very enticing personal and collective goal, whichever path we are on.
For those of us who are committed to a life of sādhana, who are no longer attracted by the world and who have only one great Goal in life, the answer is easy to understand: simply carry on. Eliminate oneself from being a part of the problem, a part of the tremendous imbalance of the world’s bumbling tenants, and become a blessing instead. The more weight we create on the side of balance, the less imbalance will be possible. It is in this way a Kali Yuga can be turned into a Satya Yuga. If we all pull together. An ideal example of this is the two samadhi halls in Sri Ramanasramam. People come from all over the world to be blessed by Bhagavan’s continued, palpable Presence.
Is this enough? If enough of us redouble our commitment and strive to eliminate any latent complacency, yes, I believe it is.
This article is focused more on those who may be just starting or anywhere in the middle – between a bustling worldly life and a quiet introverted spiritual one. One’s state of mind is of as much importance, if not more, as, say, social distancing and washing one’s hands.
The current atmosphere of panic that is enveloping the developed world is quite as contagious – and damaging – as bubonic plague. We breathe it in with every breath; it contaminates our minds and emotions, which invariably affect our health and those around us. And in the state of ensuing panic there is no madness we are immune to. Never mind the political ramifications, which I am deliberately avoiding, what about the personal ones? Families are on edge and at each other’s throats, personal relationships break down, there is tension and bitter quarrelling about things that just don’t matter. People lash out at everything and everyone OUTSIDE themselves, because looking within is impossible in a state of panic. There is nothing that destroys reason like panic.
So the point is just this: a call to take a deep breath and return to what we know is important: faith, love, caring, tenderness, simplicity, wonder – all of which naturally arise from our connection with our inner selves. Balance. It is here that meditation and other spiritual practices come in, and we dare not lose sight of them amidst the encircling chaos all are experiencing. If I am in balance, I can ameliorate the situation for those around me, do what is possible to do and leave the rest to the Divine. But first, I must be making the attempt to come into balance myself. Better, I should redouble my earnest attempts at meditation, prāṇāyāma, haṭha yoga – whatever sādhana appeals to me because by that means I am improving the atmosphere, the balance, not only of myself but of those around me. I’m not saying this is easy; but it is most definitely possible. At this time, especially with all the lockdowns, the opportunity is positively beckoning if we are not too blinded to see it.
For those of us not interested in spirituality who may happen to read this article, please note that what I am writing about ‘is not about the rain’, a symptom. It is about the cause – the imbalance itself – and what can be done to remedy it. There is always the opportunity to do something about whatever symptom of this imbalance (Covid-19, climate change, species extinction, abuse of animals, and so forth) appeals to one. I am not demeaning any form of constructive activism, that is, karma yoga. I tell my activist friends: ‘You do what you can, and I’ll do what I can. It takes two hands to clap.’
The divergent conclusions people have drawn about the cause and remedy of the current Covid crisis are themselves a symptom of our imbalance. How can this crisis be handled if we do not all pull together? However much we may be compromising our various positions, to continue with this warring fragmentation itself will kill us. Historically, it is well-known that the time to invade a country is when it is at its weakest, and our internal quarrelling, back-biting and insisting on our rights to maintain our position in the face of calamity leaves us open to ... well ... just think about it.
This applies as well to sādhakas who don’t believe in one or all of the symptoms of imbalance I’ve described, or who may, inadvertently, be contributing to them. Not wearing a mask because you yourself are not afraid of getting ill is selfish, consciously or not. One may be asymptomatic (as was Typhoid Mary), but what about not communicating the disease to others? And what is the use of a conspiracy theory if it takes your mind off your meditation, off what matters the most?
The Christians have a proverb: ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ The Muslims have a similar one: ‘Trust in Allah but tether your camel first.’ There is no reason why, regardless of our private opinions, we cannot make a peaceful coordinated effort to pull together and do our best both for our individual selves as well as humanity.
I’ll conclude this article by saying that this has been only my own observation, an opinion, and makes no claim to be anything other than that. As an aside, I have restrained myself from calling it, ‘The Politics of Greed’ primarily because, while greed plays a major role in the issue at hand, it is not the crux but a significant symptom of the issue. The crux, as I see it, is our human growing pains. We do not yet realise that ‘I am the world’. Because we are not separate from the world or ‘others’, what we do directly affects ourselves as well. If I pollute the air by burning fossil fuels rather than walking, by even cigarette smoking, I breathe that air myself. I hurt myself most of all. It’s not about the rain: it’s about the imbalance that created all of our world’s crises.
– "The Mountain Path", Oct 2021, pp.31-36