Meditation Mantra - The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead

The Supreme Lord said: You grieve for those who are not worthy of grief, and yet speak the words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead. (2.11)
When Jesus was informed that his friend Lazarus had died from an illness, his reaction was cool and indifferent. Jesus also expressed that those who did not hate their father, mother, son, or daughter were not worthy of him.

On the surface, Jesus, Buddha and Krishna here seem to advocate coldness or lovelessness. In reality, they are pointedly demonstrating the Mosaic Command, "You must have no idols before my face."

The concept of Mother, Father, Son, Daughter, the living and the dead are simply lables or images. Loving these identities AS IF they were the real person is the essence of idolatry. The real person lives beneath these roles. "All the world is a stage." So loving the charactor is to love the shell. Loving the actor beneath, is to love the eternal spirit that can play many different roles.

If parents truly understood this, there would be no more "tennis dads" or "soccer moms." Children would truly feel understood and generation gaps would evaporate. If husbands truly listened to their mates, the concept of a "trophy wife" would be foreign; women would feel deeply cherished.

We are all asked to play roles in our lives. Stop confusing the person with the role they must play. Hate your mother. Love the person who IS your mother.