I just finished reading Grace and Grit (yes, I ALWAYS read great books pretty late. I read the Da Vinci Code, Shantaram and some other huge bestsellers a good 4-5 years after they were released! but better late than never I say eh?) by Ken Wilber and I'm still reeling from the affect the book has had on me.
Treya is dying. And with her, on this journey walks Ken Wilber. The book is like a tapestry woven with the most intricate, intimate details from both Ken and Treya about what it means to have death staring you in the face. The guilt of having 'created this reality', the slow and painful deterioration of the body and its faculties, the affect of this eventuality on their marriage, the fear of dying, the hope of living....
For me the book brought so many insights. Treya writes often about the male-female duality - the male nature of doing versus the female nature of being and how often women struggle with this: living their natural truth in a male-oriented world where doing, accomplishing and achieving are important. The love between Ken and Treya - the pain, the anger of dealing with imminent death, the strain it takes on both of them as individuals and as a couple - is both awe-inspiring and heart-warming.
And then there is meditation - the preparation for death - of the mind and body. Treya's narrative has so much value for everyone on this path. Sooner or later, we all are going to die. Treya knew when. And she knew she didn't have much time. So what did she do? She dove into life and decided to experience every moment fully, with more meaning. Osho talks abouts this ALL the time, infact I feel he spent all his life trying to drive this point home. Every single day, at the Evening Meeting, he prepares us for death....guiding us through the process of dis-identifying with the body and mind... and letting the spirit and soul remain. He also urges his people to live in the moment, with a sense of urgency so we don't look back and regret not having done this or that.
After finishing the book, I felt immensely grateful towards the two writers who, through their difficult period, took the time to chronicle their processes, their feelings and experiences, for all if us to benefit from.
A good reminder that death does not mean the end :)
Treya is dying. And with her, on this journey walks Ken Wilber. The book is like a tapestry woven with the most intricate, intimate details from both Ken and Treya about what it means to have death staring you in the face. The guilt of having 'created this reality', the slow and painful deterioration of the body and its faculties, the affect of this eventuality on their marriage, the fear of dying, the hope of living....
For me the book brought so many insights. Treya writes often about the male-female duality - the male nature of doing versus the female nature of being and how often women struggle with this: living their natural truth in a male-oriented world where doing, accomplishing and achieving are important. The love between Ken and Treya - the pain, the anger of dealing with imminent death, the strain it takes on both of them as individuals and as a couple - is both awe-inspiring and heart-warming.
And then there is meditation - the preparation for death - of the mind and body. Treya's narrative has so much value for everyone on this path. Sooner or later, we all are going to die. Treya knew when. And she knew she didn't have much time. So what did she do? She dove into life and decided to experience every moment fully, with more meaning. Osho talks abouts this ALL the time, infact I feel he spent all his life trying to drive this point home. Every single day, at the Evening Meeting, he prepares us for death....guiding us through the process of dis-identifying with the body and mind... and letting the spirit and soul remain. He also urges his people to live in the moment, with a sense of urgency so we don't look back and regret not having done this or that.
After finishing the book, I felt immensely grateful towards the two writers who, through their difficult period, took the time to chronicle their processes, their feelings and experiences, for all if us to benefit from.
A good reminder that death does not mean the end :)
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