My Father’s Arduous Task

by The Father’s Child

I was struck with remorse to look within myself. So much dirt of anger, jealousy and hatred; a strong feeling of greediness for all that’s good in the world to be mine. And what’s worse, to know that all my ill-feelings arise for objects of the world that isn’t permanent. Why, I do listen to Swami’s lectures, and am not quite sure where all of that goes in me. May be there’s really no point for me to sit and listen and read the various scriptures. What’s the feasibility of me developing a love for God in this birth? Despite knowing me for all my worth, my Father says, “Believe that you WILL reach God in this very birth”! He doesn’t speak a lie, but here, is he talking sense?

Just as I was spiraling down into the abyss of no-hope, a flickering spark arose in the same dirty mind – how am I able to see the dirt that’s covering ME now, whereas I’ve had many moments in life to contemplate when I sat and fooled myself? How did I not see these flaws, or well, the true colors of my mind, earlier?


Maybe, just maybe this in itself is the grace of the Satsang I get? Both weeds and plants may grow on a patch of land. The land nourishes both the varieties with all that it can offer, not differentiating except until the weed is rooted out. After that, although the weed may be lying on the land, so to speak, it is not nourished by the land anymore. Similarly, Thank God for the little bit of good within, that I was blessed with Satsang, the process of weeding out the dark side I guess must have begun, Hooray! Now that I see the weeds as they are getting pulled out one-by-one, I pray that my Father will protect from any weeds to grow in me again. I can’t wait for the day when my Father will turn me into the fertile land where God alone will blossom.

Now, that gives me some hope, and I can feel that little spark of hope fill my bosom with joy, knowing that it’s not so bad after all. Father, keep singing the Holy Name in my ears as you weed out all that’s a blockage.

With hope and joy, I light the diyas for Diwali and my heart sings,  “Jai Guru Maharaj Ki.” And I can see my Father smile, all the while continuing his hard work!


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Slavish or Self-driven?

by Seeker

The word “slavery” has a negative connotation, largely due to the exploitation (or abuse) associated with it in the past few centuries. However, if slavery is chosen by a person on one’s own volition leading to one’s own benefit (or for larger good), then it is acceptable and it is sometimes praiseworthy. We indulge in such “slavery” often in life as in the case of an individual bidding the orders of superiors even if it means going against once own conscience: it is seen in armed forces, any organization, a family or in practicing religion also.

In religion, one always comes to this cross-roads in one’s journey (usually more than once):  “should I follow whatever is said by a person (or written in a scripture) blindly like a ‘slave’ or should I follow one’s conscience (could be in-line with or against scriptures) and learn from the consequences of my own actions like a self-driven individual?” On the face of it, one may say the former path is simpler and easier to follow as there is no need to re-invent the wheel as seen in following the latter path – assuming the personage and scripture is the right one to be followed (not an easy one to determine). On the contrary, I would say both the paths are necessary and it is up to the individual to apply the appropriate path in each case. More often than not, it is the latter path of following one’s conscience that helps a person to learn a great deal in life.  Usually, people glibly assent to a particular doctrine mentioned by a great personage or scripture, but that assent has no significant impact on transforming their lives. It would be better in such a case to actually go against the doctrine, if necessary, and face the consequences of that action as one’s life would then undergo a real transformation for the better.

Broadly speaking, the attitude of “slavery” to a personage/scripture forms the cornerstone in the path of devotion whereas in the path of analysis the usual method is to apply self-effort based on one’s conscience and learn through its consequences: recall the parable of kitten (resigned to its mother) and baby-monkey (clings to the mother by its own will) told by Sri Ramakrishna in this context. Many of us are of little faith and it is better for us to go through the path of self-analysis than delude ourselves to think that we are devoted to an ideal and then do nothing. Lord Jesus saying is apt here: “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20). But this ultimate faith or resignation to Higher Self comes only after the individual has completely exhausted all the options of self-analysis/self-effort. The parable told by Sri Ramakrishna: ‘a bird on the mast of the ship that sailed away from the port leading to it frantically flying in all directions, only to find no land nearby and then resigning itself calmly sits on the mast again’ is a good illustration.

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Renunciation and Justice – a Problem of a Devotee and an Answer by Swami Yogatmanandaji

by Charlie (Prana) Feldman

This is an email that I wrote to Swami Yogatmananda about a spiritual problem that was concerning me. Swamiji was able to clarify the issue with his reply, which is printed below.  
Dear Swamiji,
I think you once mentioned that while eastern religions accentuate renunciation, western religions accentuate justice. I think that is a major cultural difference between east and west. Even though I grew up with no religious ideal, I had the ideal of justice in the background. Because justice cannot exist without injustice, that ideal seems absurd. Some people realize this and don’t bother to advocate for justice at all, and go on to do antisocial things. Examples would be the Yippies, the Gestaltists, the Subgenius, and others. Their goal in life seems to be to play, with the goal being power, but not caring whether they get it or not, since it is all play. I had a mentor in college who took this point of view, so I ended up thinking that this was an unjust world or later, an unjust cosmos.

Then I joined the Vedanta movement, where I learned the ideas of yama and niyama. But it still felt absurd because doing good seemed self-defeating. Doing good seemed to be hopeless. There seemed to be no point to it. Before I joined the Vedanta Society, my main preoccupation was trying to find a rationale to make sense of doing good. I thought those who were playing at being antisocial were really trying to do good, deep down. But I didn’t know how to explain the reasons for doing good.

A major problem here is that all of these groups, who you could call existentialists, even though they were playing, were playing at seeking power. Tonight you described what can be called renunciation as a goal. That is the opposite of seeking power. I think it may make sense for me to emphasize renunciation in my life rather than justice. I will have to see if this works. It is easy to fall back into thinking that I should strive for a just world. . .  .

It may be hard for me to adjust, but I now think I need to look towards renunciation, rather than justice, as the means and explanation of doing good.

Namaste,
Charlie
 
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Dear Charles,
The ideas of ‘doing good’, ‘working for justice’ ‘renunciation’ are indeed closely linked and, far from contradicting one another, explain and amplify each other- this is how I see them. The mistake that we tend to make is, what I see as justice, I consider as objectively justice and so must be seen as justice by all. But this is wrong; I may feel my eating a potato is just; but will that be the feeling of the potato? I guess, not. So also about ‘doing good’, about ‘renouncing’ etc; while everyone must strive to do good, strive to renounce, which acts constitute doing good or constitute ‘renouncing’  will differ from person to person. So, while it is very important to work for what I think is good and just, I must categorically renounce the idea that I know what is good for the whole Universe and what is objectively ‘just’. I MUST strive to do good and strive to bring justice – absolutely! And must also understand that these are relative concepts.


Lovingly – SY

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Grace of Swamiji

by Vithoura Ngo-Phat

Out of the blue
You came back into my life
Lost contact with you since I moved away
Lost contact because, you were retired
And no longer took care of devotees
But your rang my phone unexpectedly
You said with your loving and soft voice
Come back to Massachusetts
But Swamiji, my life and work were here in Maryland

A few months after
Getting a notification
Of a pink slip
Realizing that I would lose my job
I remembered that phone call
Around Christmastime
Looking at the ice storm
Outside of my window
Freezing rain
Glazed ice
Covering green pine trees

Red heart beating fast
I hopped in my green car
With my children and husband
Driving straight to Boston
Through the night
Arriving at dawn
At Amba’s house
Sleeping in her driveway
Waiting to enter her house
In early morning

Looking for a job
Stopping at a job fair
I got the interview
Stopping at a huge job fair
In a big Marriott hotel in Burlington
Hoping to get hired
Walking from booth to booth
Trying to get an interview
Finally, I stopped at one booth
Someone finally noticed me
Noticing that I came from far away
With my family for a job fair
A tall man with an English accent gave me a chance
For an immediate interview
 I went upstairs for the chat
Coming back down the hallway with
My future director
My son ran into me
Escaping his dad
He came to me
And said Mommy, Mommy
With his red, smiling face, and sweaty head
Grabbing my legs
He was happy to see me
My son hung on to me
I bent down and took him in my arms
I introduced my son to my future boss

It was my year
I got the job almost right away
Thank you Swamiji
For giving me some hints
Whenever I feel lost!

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“I’m at a much better place now”?

by  The Father’s Child
I hear myself say often, “I’m at a much better place now.” Am I really at a better place? I heard a friend of mine say this the other day, and the phrase started circling in my mind. It made me wonder; if we are at a better place, how come, then, that without much change to the environment/circumstances, we still become unhappy, distressed at other times? It hit me then, no we are not in a different place; we are going around in circles around the same place as the center! The center is our object of focus, and we travel on the circumference along happiness, sorrow, despair, distress, anger, misery, and multitudes of such emotions that tire our very existence.

But Father, I really want to be at a better place…drag me out of this orbit. Drag me before I forget that am really stuck now.
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