Shiv Thandava

To me, the final stage of a human being is not the sage, not the Buddha, but Shiva Nataraj – Shiva the Dancer. Buddha has gone very deep, but the outer wall is missing, the outer wall is denied. Shiva contains all, contains all contradictions – contains the whole of God choicelessly. He lives in the innermost core of the shrine and dances on the outer walls too. Unless the sage can dance, something is missing.

Life is a dance. You have to participate in it. And the more silent you become, the deeper your participation. Never withdraw from life. Never renounce life, because in renouncing life you will be renouncing existence itself. Be true to life, be committed to life. Be utterly for life.

It happens when you have reached the innermost core of the temple – there is no reason for you to dance; you can remain silent. Just as Buddha says, “When you have attained enlightenment, then there are two paths open for you – either you can become an arhat, you can go to the other shore, or you can become a bodhisattva, you can remain on this shore.”

In fact, there is no reason to be on this shore when you have become enlightened. But Buddha says for the sake of others, for compassion’s sake, create great compassion in yourself so that you can linger a little longer and help people.