Two precepts.

Mr. Magudeshwaran was my chemistry lecturer in the first year of my college.

He spoke less about chemistry and more about life. He used to say, “What is the use of teaching you information which is already in the book? You need to know a lot which is not in the syllabus.”

One day he gave two wonderful precepts.

“Enjoy more of Active Pleasure and less of Passive Pleasure.”

“Be conscious of what you do every moment.”

I did not realize then how profound they were. Though only with partial understanding, I put them to use to the best of my abilities. Now, I rejoice.

So, this post is a small dedication of gratitude to Mr. Magudeshwaran.

“Enjoy more of Active Pleasure and less of Passive Pleasure.”

I think active pleasure and passive pleasure can be differentiated and better explained by giving a few examples.

Eating food is passive pleasure. Cooking food is active pleasure.

Listening to a song is passive pleasure. Singing a song is active pleasure.

Watching a cricket match is passive pleasure. Playing cricket is active pleasure.

Reading is passive pleasure. Writing is an active pleasure.

Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages are passive pleasures.

Not that we should never enjoy passive pleasure, but minimizing them is recommended.

If I have to put it in a different way, it would be: Take less and give more.

“Be conscious of what you do every moment.”

The mind keeps oscillating between the past and the future. It regrets about the past and is anxious of the future. The regrets of the past, causes depression and the anxiety of the future, causes tension and stress. The best way to come out of this is to stick to the present moment and give our best shot now. What ever we do, if we can do it with full awareness without worrying about the past and future, our future is bound to become better.

This reminds me of a dialogue in the movie Kung fu Panda.

“The past is History. The future is mystery. The present is a gift. That’s why it is called present.”