Life appears mysterious when we begin to think about it deeply and earnestly. On the surface, there is no mystery whatsoever. We seem to have a solution to every problem, an answer to every question. But when we dive beneath the surface, we stumble upon questions that have no easy answers. We may want to reason and find rational explanations, but life refuses to remain confined within the narrow lanes of logic and rationality.
Forgetfulness is irrational. No one knows why we forget one thing but not another. No one knows when the forgetfulness of a thing starts. No one knows in advance how long it will continue. What we do know is that forgetfulness ends with remembrance. The only way to not forget things—especially things that really matter—is to find ways to remind ourselves of them as often as possible, and in as many ways as possible.
Vedanta narrows down the problem of our present malaise to forgetfulness. I am birthless and deathless, pure and perfect, and eternally free. Yet I experience myself as someone who was born and who will die, someone who is far from pure and perfect, and someone who is weighed down by a million concerns and worries. I am divine—and yet I experience myself as human.
How could such a radical change occur? Why did this happen? No one knows how and no one knows why. Vedanta teachers’ answer might feel like being in denial, but it is really not. They say that the change never really occurred. Nothing really has happened. Everything is as it has always been. I am as I always was. I am still divine, even here and even now. It’s just that I seem to have forgotten it somehow. All that I need to do is recover my lost memory. The problem is exacerbated because I have not simply forgotten who I am but have also begun to see myself as someone else.
Finding innovative ways to remind ourselves is one thing we all can do. We already do it in life. To remind us of the things we need to buy, we have shopping lists. To remind us of our appointments, we have calendars. To remind us to wake up at the right time, we set alarms. To remind us to meet our exercise goals, we get an app. To remind us of our loved ones, we keep their pictures. To remind us of the right route, we use GPS.
How can I remind myself of who I really am? Through using personal alerts. I like to call them “wake-up bells.” Just as the sound of a bell immediately attracts our attention, the wake-up bell alerts us to the things that tend to slide out of the mind. Forgetfulness is a kind of sleep. In sleep we forget who we are and where we are. The only way to recover our forgetfulness is to wake up. By forgetting our true nature, we have become bound (baddha), immersed in the sleep of ignorance. We recover our memory and become free when we are awake (buddha). The wake-up bell helps us to do just that.
So where do we find these wake-up bells? They are all around us everywhere. We just need to recognize them. Everything that we do in life can potentially become a wake-up bell. All that we need is creativity to associate the occasion or the activity with an opportunity to wake up. We need to (1) be aware of the ideal, (2) recognize the need to remember it always, (3) acknowledge our forgetfulness, and (4) set up our own reminders. That is how a wake-up bell is born.
Here are a few samples of possible wake-up bells—the kind of things I can recite or say to myself.
Before cleaning a room:
My own room
Is an extension of my mind.
When I clean my room,
My mind becomes clear.
Before picking up the phone or joining a conversation:
Words are powerful
And time is precious.
I’ll listen with attention
And speak with a clear mind.
Before a meal:
Food preserves life.
Wasting food is wasting life.
I’ll eat slowly, responsibly,
And with gratitude.
Before beginning work:
My body and mind are instruments.
I’ll care for them and use them well.
When they are nourished,
I feel strong and happy.
While getting into a car:
A car travels fast,
The mind travels faster.
Let me use them both
With care and caution.
Before meeting people
(sticking the following to the back of your room’s door is a great idea!):
Every person I meet,
Is, like me, the Ātman.
May I always treat others
With love and respect.
Feel free to modify these, so they best reflect who you are and what you value, and also create more bells of your own! If you feel like sharing your bells with others, use the space for comments below.
These wake-up bells help considerably in overcoming forgetfulness. They have been tried and it’s amazing how effective they are. If you don’t believe in miracles, the wake-up bells will change your mind.
(This reflection is partially adapted from the chapter on “Practice” in the book, Knowing the Knower: A Jñāna Yoga Manual.)