DHARMA OF A POLICE OFFICER
A white police officer in his early 30s came to see me on a Monday night when I always had late hours.
The waiting room was packed as usual, as these were popular hours for working-class people.
As he arrived, he appeared very apprehensive and restless.
He went through his regular check-up, and in the end, he said,
”Doc, I am very nervous. Can you give me something for it?”
“Why, what happened?” I asked
“Well, here is the story. Yesterday, I was on duty in Irvington (a town in New Jersey known to have a predominantly black community).
“While patrolling, we started chasing a guy we had been looking for some time due to his criminal record in the past.
“I got an intimation from the higher office and started following him. As I approached him, I turned on the flashers. He complied and pulled over. I pulled behind him, stopped my car, and announced for him to come out of the vehicle.
“I also received the message that there were children in the car, so there should be no shooting. I saw two children, a boy and a girl, in the back seat.
“After my announcement, he showed that he was attempting to get out of the car, but at the same time, he yelled at the children, ‘Get out of the car, get out of the car.’
“So, the children started getting out of the car. The boy got out first, but as the girl was trying to get out of the car, he got back in and started taking off.
“That frightened me because I was afraid that the girl would end up falling and get injured or worse.
“So, I shot him. The bullet hit him in the neck, and he died on the spot.
“I mean, I was trying to protect the girl’s life, but you know, I am a white police officer, killing a black guy. You’re aware of the potential repercussions. I started shaking like a leaf.
“After the incident, paramedics were called in, and they took me to a local emergency room for my care. I was admitted to a psych unit overnight for what I had gone through. They gave me some Xanax (a sleeping pill), but I couldn’t sleep overnight. This morning, a priest came to talk to me.
“But all that is not working, Doc. I am still very nervous. I am sure all this will be covered in the newspapers tomorrow. I need something to calm me down,” he described his situation.
I understood the situation well, and based on my exposure to spirituality so far, I realized that he was not at fault; he was suffering due to his lack of knowledge about Dharma.
However, it was not easy to explain spirituality in his condition.
I told him, “OK, Chuck (not his real name), listen to me. Please pay close attention to me. I will bring more clarity to your mind and make you realize that your anxiety is unnecessary.”
Dharma: An Ancient Prescription for Modern Anxiety
I drew upon the Bhagavad Gita to explain his Dharma.
I explained that following one’s Dharma sets one free.
Dharma says to perform your duties to the best of your ability in your chosen role and face what life has in store for you.
Arjuna was the best archer, and Krishna told him, “If you don’t fight and don’t do your assigned duty, I guarantee you, you will regret it the rest of your life.” I explained the Gita’s core teaching to Chuck.
Then I told him, “Chuck, it was your duty to save that girl’s life. You took all the precautions, followed all the steps needed, and as a last resort, you did what you did to save the life of that innocent girl.
“You did your duty. The truth of Dharma shall set you free.
“On the contrary, if you did not shoot, and that girl had died while trying to get out of the running car, you would never forgive yourself for the rest of your life, because only you could have saved her life in that situation. You were the Arjuna in that moment.”
Suddenly, I saw a sense of relief on his face.
He said, “Doc, Oh my God, thank you so much for such an explanation. I did the right thing. I feel more empowered within. Now, I can face the whole world if I have to.”
On his way out, he told my secretary, “You are working for a great man.”
All the suffering Chuck was going through was uncalled for. However, without spiritual depth, it was inevitable as well.
Spirituality can remove the mind’s stronghold on life and put your soul rightfully in charge of your affairs, establishing a kingdom of wisdom, truth, fearlessness, and righteousness.
The truth of Dharma sets you free, and it did for him.
In his own voice, Dr Shah narrates the encounter with a patient, who felt lonely and depressed.
PRACTICAL SPIRITIUAL LIFE
I have lived a fascinating, meaningful, and rewarding life.
As a primary care physician, I had the excellent opportunity to see many people seeking advice regarding several diseases from various strata of life. I always tried to establish a deep rapport with them, and I found that that was the most rewarding way to practice.
Primary care is one of the best fields in which to work.
In this field, one can learn about patients’ intimate lives, which adds an unforgettable extra flavor to one’s professional life.
Furthermore, having a private practice allows you to shape your patients’ lives according to your inclinations, interests, ideas, and philosophies about life in general, which ultimately helps to guide them in a positive direction, as the physician intended.
Spirituality was something I was fortunate enough to incorporate into my practice.
After practicing for about 15 years, spirituality had begun to subtly enter my life and eventually gained a solid foothold.
Spirituality had a profound and joyful effect on me that I could not help but spill into my professional life, touching the lives of so many patients. Undoubtedly, my desire was to help my patients in any way possible, even if it meant going above and beyond the traditional medicine I was trained in.
The Puzzling Gap Between Mind and Action
As a physician, I took a keen interest in my patients’ well-being. The wisdom of preventing diseases made more sense than treating them with multiple medications, each with several possible side effects.
I always talked to them about a healthy diet, regular exercise, etc., which can ward off many diseases like obesity and its related complications, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancers.
But at the end of all such discussions, the patients always told me one thing.
“Doc, we understand what you are saying. We know what to do, but we can’t do it.”
This statement has always lingered in my mind.
The mind knows, but the mind can’t do it.
WHY???
I had no answer. I was puzzled; how can I help them?
Suddenly, spirituality brought a solution to all my puzzles.
Spirituality and science (especially medical science) are the best combination because a spiritual physician can touch and enrich thousands of lives.
When spirituality entered my life, I was still a scientist first and spiritual second (and I still am).
This scientist-to-spirituality sequence best suited my life because I could approach spirituality from a scientific angle, rather than relying on blind faith, which has consumed billions of people worldwide and left them devoid of genuine spirituality.
Science, infused with a spiritual perspective, is like giving a blind man infinite eyes, each with wonderful, infinite possibilities.
Blind faith just shuts off your avenues of exploration because religious leaders hypnotize you into believing only in rites and rituals, bringing your quest for God to a dead end.
But science does not go by hypnotism; it doubts. When science is applied to the spiritual path, the spiritual path also doubts to the fullest. But once it goes through treacherous explorations and eventually comes face to face with Godliness, the faith established within is unshakeable.
I am happy that my approach toward spirituality was scientific.
I studied many ancient scriptures and related the knowledge I received from them, putting it in context with real-life scenarios that unfolded daily in my practice.
I also regularly practiced meditation.
My guiding principle was: “If I cannot use spirituality to make a positive difference in my life and the lives of people around me, it is useless, and I will not pursue it.”
To me –
ANY KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT APPLICATION IS MERELY A BURDEN ON THE MIND.
That’s why my approach to the spiritual field was also the same, leading to the title of my book: “PRACTICAL SPIRITUAL LIFE.”
My reasoning was:
If our body has a problem, the mind takes charge, and we seek a doctor to find a solution to the bodily issue. The mind is smarter than the body; it knows what to do.
However, my patients brought to my attention a problem that lay at a higher level. The mind knew what to do, but couldn’t do it. The mind was not strong enough to act upon its own beliefs.
Who will fix the problems of the mind?
Who or what is more intelligent than the mind?
What is the root cause of the mind’s indecisiveness?
Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita
While pondering these questions, I suddenly came across two verses from the Bhagavad Gita, which I was reading at the time.
Dhyayato visayan pumsah sangas tesupajayate sangat sanjayate kamah kamat krodho ‘bhijayate.
Krodhat bhavati sammohah sammohat smrti-vibhramah smrti-bhramsad buddhi-naso buddhi-nasat pranasyati.
(Gita 2/62-63)
Translated, the two Sanskrit verses mean: Just by paying a little attention to the objects of pleasure, a connection develops, the connection turns into desire, and desire leads to anger. Anger leads to delusion; delusion leads to loss of memory; loss of memory leads to loss of wisdom, and loss of wisdom leads to destruction of the man.
This profound knowledge of scriptures was imparted to us by Rishis (sages) thousands of years ago, and it is still valid (more so now than ever).
I aptly named these two shlokas ‘The Axis of Evil,’ which show how man descends into a spiral of destruction from his perfectly normal state.
Once the path for descent is well understood, an ascent is possible.
I understood and digested these verses very well, and they provided me with a great deal of clarity regarding my patients’ sufferings.
This knowledge had already begun to change my life.
However, I now had to introduce it into my practice. And I did.
In this audio clip, Dr Shrenik Shah recounts what led him to introduce spirituality in his medical practice.
You can find more about Dr Shrenik Shah’s current work at: https://www.practicalspirituallife.org/
About the Book
In Practical Spiritual Life, Dr. Shrenik Shah takes readers on an illuminating journey where the realms of science and spirituality meet in the most unexpected place—his medical practice. As a primary care physician, Dr. Shah discovered that treating his patients’ physical ailments was only one part of the healing process. When spirituality quietly entered his life, it transformed both him and the way he cared for his patients.
Through relatable and heartwarming patient stories, Dr. Shrenik Shah demonstrates how incorporating spiritual principles into everyday life can lead to profound physical, emotional, and mental healing. Whether it’s finding calm through meditation or practicing mindfulness in the face of challenges, his insights offer readers practical steps to incorporate spirituality into their daily routine, positively impacting those around them.
The book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Spiritual-Life-day-day/dp/B0FFT9BD7G
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