Faced with some problems at home or work front a few people seek relief from some Gurus or take to some spiritual practice and in many a case some of their problems are soon resolved. They temporarily feel the effect of blessings of the Guru and understand the efficacy of the practice. But mind being what it is, immediately moves on and demands something else. More often than not, it does not materialize and disillusionment starts – as they say the existence can provide for needs of everyone but is incapable of satisfying the wants of even one person. They then start questioning and doubting their own positive experience – taking it to be a coincidence.
One of my friends was having problems at home front and was suspended from service. His headquarter was also shifted to some other inconvenient station. After initial doubts and finding no other way out, he went to a Guru who blessed him with changes for the better soon. On my advice, my friend started some spiritual practices as I told him that the blessings work best when one makes an effort to move on a spiritual path.
Within two days of taking up receiving the blessings and starting the practice, his headquarter was changed which was a big relief. I told him that God has given you a clear message through this relief that you must have trust in your Guru and the practice given by him. My friend agreed and continued with the practice. In a couple of months his suspension was revoked. Now he wanted the cases against him to be cleared and many other things. This is what he had to say to me :
“Sir we all face one or the other problem in life. We have enemies or we may meet people those who harm us severely for no reason. We may not be able to lead a normal life in this competitive world without being enough smart and without earning money. Is it not absolute escapism to indulge in spirituality and lose the touch with reality? As I have observed, immediate outcome of spirituality is we start becoming feelingless. Intensity of emotions come down. We change. Our response to situation changes but situation and conditions remain the same.”
My response to this is :
Effort to make a living using the physical and mental skills and attributes with which one is born is a must. Non-use takes the mind on wrong path. As the saying goes, empty mind is devil's workshop. With engagement alone one is cleansed.
But as we often see around, skills and efforts alone do not determine our placement or status in the society. Many a person without much intelligence and effort are highly placed by virtue of their birth in a rich or powerful family. Some born in ordinary families and average skills reach upper ladders. Some born with silver spoon in their mouth and with all their efforts and skills have a great fall in their fortune and reputation.
If one sincerely looks around (also past happenings in one's own life), it is not difficult to realise that there is something other than skills and efforts that determines one's success in terms of wealth, reputation and relationships. That something, we call as fate or Prarabdha. This is a consequence of one’s own actions in this life or in the lives before.
Success and failure thus does not depend solely on our skills and efforts in this life.
We also need to understand that there is no injustice in this existence, we get only that which we deserve. There are no enemies or persons who harm us without any reason. Such persons or circumstances are mere instrumental in dealing us what we deserve – the same way as witnesses, policeman, public prosecutor, judge and the hangman are instruments of justice. We fail to see the link between what is meted out to us and our actions as we have memory of this life alone and further, many a time, we may fail to take notice of our wrong doings in this life as well.
One has to contemplate deeply and realise this truth. If this is not realised anything what is said hereafter will not make any sense.
Now coming back to the issue, as mentioned before, one has to make all possible efforts to use skills of one's body and mind to deal with a situation – no issues on that.
Now the only question that remains is – how to respond to a situation when outcome of one's effort is not what one wanted it to be. If one does not take it as unfolding of one's own fate or Prarabdha, one will hold others (perceived as enemies – so called enemies are mere parts of a big and complex jigsaw puzzle of interwoven Karmas) responsible for one' plight. This will trigger reactions such as depression, vengeance, anger and violence. Anything done with such an emotion will be a fresh negative Karma which in due course will bring its own consequences – taking one from a bad to worse situation.
On the other hand if one's action is not accompanied by negative emotions, no fresh Karma is created and Prarabdha is exhausted. One is unburdened. This in no way implies that one should not be doing what requires to be done in a given situation – one can do it with all smartness at one's command but without illwill.
Spiritual practices only help us in acting without negative emotions but do not affect one's capabilities or efficiency. Only feverishness is gone which may sometime be mistaken for lack of drive, feelings, emotions or motivation by a beginner on this path.
If one continues (perseveres) with the practices one is sure to find love and joy all around (including one's own body - as Kabirdas says "rom rom pulkit bhaya") – a state far superior to the experience of feelings and emotions we know of – coloured stones appear to be a treasure till one finds diamonds.
I would conclude by saying that spiritual practices may not change the external situations but definitely equip us better to go through and deal with them.
One of my friends was having problems at home front and was suspended from service. His headquarter was also shifted to some other inconvenient station. After initial doubts and finding no other way out, he went to a Guru who blessed him with changes for the better soon. On my advice, my friend started some spiritual practices as I told him that the blessings work best when one makes an effort to move on a spiritual path.
Within two days of taking up receiving the blessings and starting the practice, his headquarter was changed which was a big relief. I told him that God has given you a clear message through this relief that you must have trust in your Guru and the practice given by him. My friend agreed and continued with the practice. In a couple of months his suspension was revoked. Now he wanted the cases against him to be cleared and many other things. This is what he had to say to me :
“Sir we all face one or the other problem in life. We have enemies or we may meet people those who harm us severely for no reason. We may not be able to lead a normal life in this competitive world without being enough smart and without earning money. Is it not absolute escapism to indulge in spirituality and lose the touch with reality? As I have observed, immediate outcome of spirituality is we start becoming feelingless. Intensity of emotions come down. We change. Our response to situation changes but situation and conditions remain the same.”
My response to this is :
Effort to make a living using the physical and mental skills and attributes with which one is born is a must. Non-use takes the mind on wrong path. As the saying goes, empty mind is devil's workshop. With engagement alone one is cleansed.
But as we often see around, skills and efforts alone do not determine our placement or status in the society. Many a person without much intelligence and effort are highly placed by virtue of their birth in a rich or powerful family. Some born in ordinary families and average skills reach upper ladders. Some born with silver spoon in their mouth and with all their efforts and skills have a great fall in their fortune and reputation.
If one sincerely looks around (also past happenings in one's own life), it is not difficult to realise that there is something other than skills and efforts that determines one's success in terms of wealth, reputation and relationships. That something, we call as fate or Prarabdha. This is a consequence of one’s own actions in this life or in the lives before.
Success and failure thus does not depend solely on our skills and efforts in this life.
We also need to understand that there is no injustice in this existence, we get only that which we deserve. There are no enemies or persons who harm us without any reason. Such persons or circumstances are mere instrumental in dealing us what we deserve – the same way as witnesses, policeman, public prosecutor, judge and the hangman are instruments of justice. We fail to see the link between what is meted out to us and our actions as we have memory of this life alone and further, many a time, we may fail to take notice of our wrong doings in this life as well.
One has to contemplate deeply and realise this truth. If this is not realised anything what is said hereafter will not make any sense.
Now coming back to the issue, as mentioned before, one has to make all possible efforts to use skills of one's body and mind to deal with a situation – no issues on that.
Now the only question that remains is – how to respond to a situation when outcome of one's effort is not what one wanted it to be. If one does not take it as unfolding of one's own fate or Prarabdha, one will hold others (perceived as enemies – so called enemies are mere parts of a big and complex jigsaw puzzle of interwoven Karmas) responsible for one' plight. This will trigger reactions such as depression, vengeance, anger and violence. Anything done with such an emotion will be a fresh negative Karma which in due course will bring its own consequences – taking one from a bad to worse situation.
On the other hand if one's action is not accompanied by negative emotions, no fresh Karma is created and Prarabdha is exhausted. One is unburdened. This in no way implies that one should not be doing what requires to be done in a given situation – one can do it with all smartness at one's command but without illwill.
Spiritual practices only help us in acting without negative emotions but do not affect one's capabilities or efficiency. Only feverishness is gone which may sometime be mistaken for lack of drive, feelings, emotions or motivation by a beginner on this path.
If one continues (perseveres) with the practices one is sure to find love and joy all around (including one's own body - as Kabirdas says "rom rom pulkit bhaya") – a state far superior to the experience of feelings and emotions we know of – coloured stones appear to be a treasure till one finds diamonds.
I would conclude by saying that spiritual practices may not change the external situations but definitely equip us better to go through and deal with them.
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