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FREEMASONRY- MY PERCEPTIONS.
(Immediately after the Inauguration of the Sri Brahadeeswara Lodge Masonic
Lectures by our M.W.Grand Master, M.W.Bro.Vasudev J. Masurekar O.S.M, our
Immediate Past Grand Master, M.W.Bro. Dr. Capt. Balaram Biswakumar O.S.M.
delivered the first Lecture on 12 th January 2013.The full text is posted here
for the benefit of the brethren, who were unable to attend the Inaugural
Function)
"The story of the Blind men and an elephant originated in Indian Subcontinent
from where it has widely diffused. It has been used to illustrate a range of
truths and fallacies. At various times it has provided insight into the
relativism, opaqueness or inexpressible nature of truth, the behaviour of
experts in fields where there is a deficit or in accessibility of information,
the need for communication, and respect for different perspectives. In various
versions of the tale,a group of blind men ( or men in the dark) touch an
elephant to learn what it is like. Each one feels a different part,but only one
part, such as the side or the tusk. They then compare notes and learn that they
are in complete disagreement" so says the Wikipedia!
We all got initiated into Freemasonry, of our own free will and accord, most of
us with no clue about what we were getting into, as I did too. It was, as I am
very fond of saying, ' a leap into the unknown'. In our bizarre attire, we found
ourselves in a position, least desirable for us, bewildering to many, funny to
some, until we were taken to the North East corner, when someone asked us to
donate for the cause of someone less fortunate than us. That charge hit you- I
presume that it did hit most of you. At least it did hit me- that there can be a
situation like that in real life for me too. There I realised the meaning of all
the drama that had been enacted until then. My senses were awakened to this new
call in my life, to be ready to be serviceable to my new-found circle of friends
and then to the whole mankind. It opened my eyes to the fact that this life and
all its comforts and conveniences , so enjoyable and tempting were but
evanescent, and could disappear in a flash, leaving me poor and penniless as I
was at that moment. Whatever else that happened the rest of that evening were of
no great importance and I moved through those perambulations as a zombie! But,
that single plea of the JD to part with what I had was enough to make me ponder
that evening and through many other evenings of what this system was all about.
It taught me the great lesson that one should rise above one's petty selfish
wants to make oneself available to the service of mankind. It was this single
part of the ceremony, which was performed to great effect by the son of the
first Regional Grand Master of our Region, which opened my eyes to the basic
tenet of the system and hooked me to it. I took to the Fraternity like fish to
water and from then on, there was no stopping. Fortunately for me, I came under
the tutelage of stalwarts of the yester years , who recognised the hunger in me
to absorb more and more of the system and fed me with all their wisdom and
experiences in my formative years in Masonry , which effect still runs in my
veins. I realised that to understand the principles of this great Institution,
one has to be proficient in the Rituals of the various Degrees. Every time I
performed or heard a well- performed Ritual and meditated on it, sitting in the
side lines, a different nuance dawned in my mind, a new meaning , more profound
than the earlier one, flashed in my brain. I slowly started understanding the
Philosophy that Freemasonry was a peculiar system.
Added to the startling revelation of the Charge in the North East was the
warning given to me by the Senior Warden of that evening, another ardent Mason,
that harmony of the Lodge was of utmost priority and that I should never, ever
do anything to disgrace the badge with which I was adorned. Wearing it for the
first time made me feel as though I had been rewarded for some great achievement
in life! That pride was, of course, shattered to smithereens in the next few
minutes in the North East!
I mention all this to impress on you the fact the Initiation Ceremony is of the
utmost importance and should make an indelible impression on the Candidate's
mind. In that evening is decided whether you effort in bringing a worthy person
into our fold has been made successful or marred. Unlike in our times, nowadays,
the Candidate is better informed about Freemasonry that , perhaps, he is not as
surprised by the turn of events as you and I were in our days. Yet, the ceremony
of Initiation does have a profound impact on the minds of most by the
bewilderment that it induces and the peculiarity of the Language that our
Rituals employ.
The tenacity with which we pursue our participation in the affairs of our Lodge
and the bon homie that we generate and maintain over the years makes the Lodge a
haven of peace. You look forward to the next meeting with a longing to be in the
company of like- minded individuals who, otherwise would ever have remained at a
distance from you in your lives.
But such is the fallibility of human judgment that we are sometimes led to bring
in our midst persons who don't really belong there but have got in with ulterior
motives, proving Oliver of yore right in being warned to be choosy in our
membership. I have seen , in many Lodges, ruination caused by wrong selection of
candidates and the influence wielded by some resulting in havoc through discord
, disharmony, jealousy, distrust, hatred and frank animosity. All these do
happen whenever the Leadership falters. To my mind, the basic cause for these
ills is jealousy which should not find a place in a Freemason's dictionary at
all.
Having said that, it has often made me wonder, how we as Brothers, are prepared
to condone the shortcomings of one another and endeavour to live in Unity. I
feel that this is something that becomes a part of the fabric of a good Lodge,
that even in the years of a poor Mastership, this single quality of mutual
admiration and tolerance , keeps the unity of the Lodge intact and make it move
forward despite the lapses in administration and Leadership. Such is the basic
tenet of our system that Brotherly Love prevails and dominates and preserves the
health of the Lodge. It is this single characteristic of Freemasons that makes
them stand apart in a world full of piques and quarrels. It is this fine, shiny
feature that separates the wheat from the chaff. Freemasonry serves to remove
the veil of ignorance and illusion of the material world. It helps overcome the
grief of personal calamity and misfortune, ever reassuring its Son to look for
brighter prospects , leaving one's lot in the hands of the GAOTU. It teaches the
sublime truth that, to the virtuous and righteous man immortality is assured if
he steadfastly pursues his path of attaining that supreme knowledge, the
knowledge of oneself, under Divine guidance.
There is a musical Kriti composed by Muthuswamy Dikshitar, one of the celebrated
'Holy Trinity" of Music in the Carnatic tradition, sung in praise of The Lord
Subrahmanya, in which there is a word 'Savitha'which talks of the Sun . Here the
word does not mean the Sun to be the destroyer of darkness but emphasises Sun's
creative nature. The hymn alludes this nature of the Sun to the power of The
Lord, of not just vanquishing darkness of the mind, but also to fill the void
created thereby with Wisdom.
In a similar context, in his introduction to the famous 'Bhaja Govindam'' of Adi
Sankara, set to the lilting music of that Melody Queen, Bharat Ratna,
M.S.Subbulakshmi, Rajaji (I refer to that W.Bro. C.Rajagopalachari , of Lodge
Salem, the First Governor- General of Independent India and a master Statesman
and seer ) talks of the evolution and attainment of Wisdom. He says " Knowledge
, when it becomes fully mature is Bhakti. If it does not get transformed into
Bhakti such knowledge is useless tinsel." Such Bhakti is devotion to the Supreme
Being- devotion of not a cursory nature but absolute, utter surrender or '
Saranagathi'-.
From one of the first questions put to the candidate by the Worshipful Master to
the very closing of the Lodge there is always a reference to the GAOTU in our
Rituals driving home the fact of our dependence on Him, the Omnipotent,
Omniscient, Omnipresent God,who was from all beginning, is now, and will remain
for ever, one and the same, in all perfection and original in his essence, all
creatures being dependent on His mighty will and power. Such a reference to the
Supreme Being in all our Rituals tends to transform the mind of the
ardent,devoted Mason and helps him rise from the base levels of contemplation
and attachment to things material and earthly, and transcend to levels of
Spirituality . This metamorphosis brings about a calmness and serenity which can
only be felt and not described . This is the fragrance of Freemasonry, that like
a jasmine flower in full bloom , can only be appreciated by smelling and
savouring the environment , and cannot be described in any language, however
poetic. This is the devotion that is conveyed by our Rituals though veiled in
allegory and illustrated by symbols.
We have heard the Master informing the Candidate that Freemasonry is founded on
the purest principles of Piety and Virtue and that it possesses invaluable
Privileges. Over the years we keep wondering what those extraordinary privileges
are. By being members of this Fraternity we do not gain any special rights in
the society nor any preference in matters of admission to any assembly or
gathering or position of power. To my mind the special privilege that it affords
to its members is the Right to Visitation and the phenomenal privilege of being
a Brother to innumerable good-natured human beings . The practice of the Piety
mentioned leads to a higher plane of Spirituality. The practice of Virtue
ensures one to be law-abiding, patriotic and fills the heart with a sense of
fulfilment that any amount of wealth or material possessions cannot give. After
all how many people can talk of a sense of satisfaction and contentment in life
except for what one derives from an ardent pursuit of the Tenets of the Craft?
That brings us back to the parable that I mentioned at the beginning of this
talk. Most of us are like the blind men in the story, each figuring out the
object in hand in his own way, none being right because they are all blind.
Although our eyes were opened to perceive the Masonic Light on the night of our
Initiation, yet we choose to remain ignorant and blind to the ideals and tenets
of the system despite several years of membership. To some it is an opportunity
to climb the social ladder.To some it is an opportunity for conviviality and
fellowship rather than anything else! To some it is a curiosity which dies down
after the initial charm and they simply fade away. Despite these aberrations a
core group of Masons remain ardent followers of the system and these form the
backbone of the Fraternity. However, a vast majority remain mute spectators and
do not participate in any activity of the Lodge, while continuing to pay their
subscription regularly, and even receiving the Long Term Service Jewels in due
course of time! Understanding the basic philosophy of Freemasonry is attempted
by a very few only, keeping in mind to make a daily advancement in Masonic
Knowledge,as they were exhorted to do on the night of their Initiation. Their
absorption and understanding of the tenets and of the veiled significance of the
various Rituals and of the moral and philosophical content therein is
appreciated by very few. So the parable mentioned earlier bears a remarkable
similarity to the attitude and behaviour of our populace in the Fraternity.
Freemasonry makes an individual richer! Yes, it may sound very funny to some but
it is true. It is not the richness that is measurable in terms of Bullion or
metallic worth such as Gold or Platinum nor in terms of Currencies or Bills of
Trade. It confers upon its proponents the richness of human understanding,
empathy, compassion, concern for the less-fortunate, an abiding yearning to do
good to the vast humanity, to the teeming Millions of poor and underprivileged
fellow-citizens, that Charitable Disposition becomes a second skin to the true
Freemason. To him charity is not something to be for name or fame but is only a
means of expressing the moisture in his eyes and heart to provide succour and
relief to the needy. To the involved Freemason, the place that he has carved in
the bosom of thousands of his Fellowmen and a niche in their hearts is the
richness "sans pareil". He is a true Freemason who truly practises in his daily
life that dictum " to reign sovereign in the hearts and affections of men is far
more gratifying to a generous and benevolent mind than to rule over their lives
and fortunes" He, thus, becomes a true leader and is rich beyond imagination,
having earned for himself an immeasurable quantity of the Love of his Brethren.
I shall quote a beautiful passage forwarded to me recently,written by Joseph
Fort Newton,in 'The Builders' in March,1916.
"When is a man a Mason? When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the
far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of
things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage. When he knows that down in his
heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as
himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellowmen. When he knows
how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, even in their sins--knowing that
each man fights a hard and lonely battle against many odds. When he has learned
how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with
himself. When he loves flowers, can hunt the birds without a gun, and feels the
thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child. When
he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life. When
star-crowned trees, and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him like
the thought of one much loved and long dead. When no voice of distress reaches
his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response. When he finds good
in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of higher things, and to see
majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be. When he can
look into a wayside puddle and see something besides mud, and into the face of
the most forlorn mortal and see something beyond sin. When he knows how to pray,
how to love, how to hope. When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow
man, with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song--
glad to live, but not afraid to die ! In such a man, whether he be rich or poor,
scholarly or unlearned, famous or obscure, Masonry has wrought her sweet
ministry!"
In conclusion, my Brethren, the message at the very core of the Masonic
principles is ' To be happy and to communicate Happiness'. To be happy is not
possible all the time in this strife-torn, problem-filled mundane existence . So
one has to learn to overcome one's grief and distress. This lesson in life is
best learnt from Masonry. To attain that equipoise, that equanimity, that
sobriety, that calmness of mind in times of trials and tribulations one has to
steep oneself , immerse oneself in the philosophy of Masonry which teaches us to
rise above one's grief and surrender oneself at the feet of the Supreme Being in
the certain knowledge that He never lets down one who kneels before Him with all
his heart and implores His aid. This is the ' Surrender ' or 'Saranagathi' that
we mentioned earlier. When that kind of surrender takes place there is nothing
but calmness and peace of mind, a superior kind of 'Happiness'. This is the
happiness that each one of us has to strive for and communicate to each other
with benignity and unconditional Brotherly Love.
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