“Growing up has never been as easy as drinking a cup of tea," we may say this whenever we find a situation where explanation is needed to those who come to us to solicit advice or otherwise.
If you observe very carefully, of all the aspects of wholesome living to achieve health and wealth where we rummage around high and low, it is always a missing component that makes each and every one of us moving forward, either knowingly or unknowingly.
If one has health and wealth, he may miss having good family. Likewise, one may not have wealth but rich with good health and good family or have good family and health but no wealth. It has to be that way! Always a missing piece!
Why? You may ask. I don’t have a clear answer to this question. Spirituality does lay out some excellent reasoning. It was probably, creator’s purposeful grand scheme that wants us to keep searching that missing element throughout our life, or perhaps in stopping the search at all!
Gurudeva, my spiritual master’s one of the best quotes,” It’s not in the searching but rather in stop searching.
Don’t analyze, just realize.”
How to do that is another question altogether. (More read-up can be done on www.gurudeva.org, in the on-line book section)
Life is about not living in material fullness, but experiencing the nature of actions one goes through so that we move nearer to the God we eager to see. If not, we can get “bored." Nothing to seek for, sitting in happiness 60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year throughout our lives! That will be heaven on earth! Don’t you think so?
I am not saying happiness in the normal term here. Happiness is a vast subject matter that can be argued further and explored in detail. What I meant here is happiness in the moment of living now, not something to do with future or the past. It’s all about now! Are you happy now, this very moment reading this write-up?
A feeling of fullness in any moment in time, though you may not have all your desired material richness, right now. This is what I meant, being happy in this very second in our lives, regardless what, when who, how, where we’re; disregarding all other inadequacy factors.
We may have “gifted” with superb mother, but horrible father; the best father but, unfortunately, fierce mother. Some lucky enough to have exemplary parents. The not so lucky ones get brutal parents and devilish as nightmare package.
Some may be born with a silver spoon, having the most-little challenges life has to offer because they’d much more conducive living environment; however, this might not be true, if happiness measurement is to be gauged for that matter.
Do they have a happy life after all?
Do they have a happy life after all?
How one argues about the inequalities of happiness when it is seen from the viewpoint of diverse family with myriad background situation?
“Why it happens only to me, not others?”, you lament when “bad” occasion met your way. Looking from the outer external perspective, it will be easiest to blame reasons not coming from the self, but due to the other people, whom we presumed, seemingly had created the situation or happenings we frown upon.
Many of us simply don’t want to accept a minute splatter of responsibility. Besides, there are individuals who even camouflage their true identity to avoid being looked as the creator of issues, playing innocent victim of circumstance.
Pointing the one finger unto others, blaming their misgivings or unfortunate situation are creation of their distractors, but missing the point, the remaining folded fingers are actually directing to themselves as the true cause of unhappiness.
This helpless soul goes through life never able to accept that all the problems that surfaced are originated from the self. They use intellectual mind faculty to reason out, unable to see beyond the surface, thinking what they do is right.
“This is indeed sheer ignorance," says the enlightened spiritual masters.
My Satguru, His Holiness Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in his reflective and amazing books such as Merging With Siva (MWS), Dancing With Siva (DWS) and Living With Siva (LWS) published in Kauai, Hawaii, encouraged each one of us to take responsibility of our own life and be happy at all the time, no matter in whatever situation we are in or going through.
Face life challenges cheerfully by taking up responsibility.
We can be jumping and running away from contentious situation created by ourselves, to another place when faced with life acid test. Never attempt to resolve them with proper understanding thinking we can find happiness elsewhere!
There are many unhappy souls does this actions, so often that they seem to be “enjoying” doing it continuously throughout their lives.
Love, promise, hate, anger, jealousy, fear, the capital case E-go, revengefulness, etc. never let them settle at one place. Their searching for that particular feeling of happiness keep eluding them; this includes me as well, to a certain degree though the source of issues may not be me, but as a person who vowed to take responsibility,
I’ve rested on a sailing master called “ownership," rather than blaming others. It’s really helpful in maintaining a balanced mind and looking from the inner perceptive, nothing is right or wrong concept. It’s all in the experience or in Sanskrit it is called “anubava.”
Keeping to promises made to all, live a spiritual life, accept the situation however bad they can be with cheer and work to improve the situation. Seek good company.
Regularly attend worships places of ones religion. Join pilgrimage and travel to faraway spiritual destination. Honest and truthful to one’s spouse, children, parents and being happy in their company.
Seek fresh air, be pliable and perform “sadhana," exercise and love all.
Regularly attend worships places of ones religion. Join pilgrimage and travel to faraway spiritual destination. Honest and truthful to one’s spouse, children, parents and being happy in their company.
Seek fresh air, be pliable and perform “sadhana," exercise and love all.
Additionally, do read spiritual books to intellectually understand religion and practice to best of your ability.
Seek spiritual masters as guide and adhere to their advice.
Seek spiritual masters as guide and adhere to their advice.
Be simple and take life easy. Be happy.
That is what all happiness is about! Can you see that now?
Hopefully, that flicker of happiness will soon be seen by you. Don’t enjoy, but rather be in joy!
Ravichandran Ceyon thanking his spiritual masters for their guidance, light and love.
14th August, 2014
