Mar 1, 2010, 12.00am IST
SANT RAJINDER SINGH.
We might face many difficulties, hardships, and disappointments in our lives. Things do not always go our way. If we listen to the discussions of others and review our own words and thoughts, we find that many of them are complaints about how life is treating us. There is a bitter feeling.
A different perspective would reveal to us how fortunate we are. During the Great Depression in early 20th century America, a government agency representative traveled through some of the poorer parts of the country to provide financial assistance to farmers to buy seeds, fix their homes and run their farms. The agent came across an elderly woman living in a shack without flooring. She had covered the broken windows with tarpaper. She barely managed to survive. The agent asked: “If the government gave you 200 dollars, what would you do with it?” The woman replied without hesitation: “I would give it to someone who is homeless.”
There is the story of a king, who, one day while sitting with his most devoted servant, Ayaz, ventured to share a cucumber with him. Ayaz thanked him and happily ate the piece given to him by the king. When he had finished, the king then took a bite of his own half. “Yuk!” he cried, as he made a disgusted face, and spit out the cucumber. “This is so bitter! How could you have eaten your piece if it tasted like bitter poison?”Ayaz replied: “My dear king, I have enjoyed so many favours and blessings from you all these years. Whatever you give me tastes sweet!”
A true lover of God lives in gratitude and so is able to consider the good, the sweet and the bitter as a gift from the Beloved. Ayaz had received so much from the king that he did not think it his place to complain if one of these gifts was bitter. He accepted all that the king gave him with love and gratitude.
If we could accept the cloudy days with the same gratitude as we do the sunny days, we would find our lives to be filled with more love, peace, and happiness. If we could appreciate the weeds as well as the roses, we would get enriched. Not only do we need to learn to be content, we need to expand our heart to embrace all Creation.
Like the poor woman from the Great Depression, in order to return to God we need to be compassionate and feel universal love. Most of us have love for a small circle of people which includes our family and close friends. However, as we progress spiritually, our heart expands to embrace community, society, country, world and beyond. The ultimate state of love is having love for the cosmos.
The practice of meditation enables us to cultivate the qualities of compassion and contentment. The bliss and happiness we experience in meditation stays with us even after we come out of meditation. It is a wellspring of love and peace that we can tap into, any time we wish. The experience is so powerful and fulfilling that it helps us to transcend the pains and sorrows of life. No matter what happens to us in life, we have a fountain of nectar within us from which we can drink at any time. This is the gift we can achieve through meditation.
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