His Help Will Transform Us

Many of us ask ourselves, “Why are we in this physical world? Why are we suffering?” The Masters compassionately explain: We suffer because of our karmas or actions that have caused pain to ourselves and others. We are here because of our shortcomings, whether these be carelessness, apathy, ruthlessness or a thousand other weaknesses. Our poor mind is ignorant and blind; the senses tempt it and make it vulnerable. Because the mind is in the driving seat, we (soul) have taken wrong turnings, so ending up at a potentially dead end.

Rather than letting this fact depress us, or indulging in low self-esteem that causes us to carry on in the same way – “Well, that’s what I’m like, I can’t change” – we can actually turn ourselves around by calling on our Master’s help. He will advise us what to do and how to use our mistakes as an opportunity to grow towards love and freedom, and he will also supply endless support.

Some years ago someone told the Master that they were unhappy because they were living in a country that was full of problems. Their fellow citizens were being treated badly and it seemed a hopeless and negative environment in which to live. The question posed was whether they should run away and start a new life elsewhere so that they could find peace and contentment. The answer to this specific person drew on a striking image: out of the compost heap grows a flower.

Now, this beautiful answer applies to most of us personally as well as socially. Out of negativity, positivity can spring. When things get bad, it is often the time when there is an opportunity to change them for the better. If we become aware of our bad habits, and this stirs us into action, they can be seen as compost creating fresh growth and transforming negative into positive. But if we dwell on our negative ways and drop our head in shame, or carry on as before, we will just become stranded in a pile of waste.

When we truly want to change and transform ourselves, the Master plants the seed of a beautiful flower in our hearts and minds, and he will give us the power to water the seed so that eventually our soul flowers and fruits most beautifully. Also, if we seriously concern ourselves with the task our own compost heap presents (the chance to grow and develop), we will cease to worry about the ills of the world, as our time and energy will be given to changing ourselves rather than others or the environment.

When we humbly cry to our Master for help and, through his grace, take him as our mentor and guide, we do eventually reach the final step to true positivity and freedom, which is to forget about ourselves and just remember him. Then all we see is transformed into positivity and all we experience is perfect.

Our most precious wealth is Nam. This is the one kind of wealth we should accumulate.… We should, therefore, carry on Nam Bhakti with abiding love, implicit faith and unswerving devotion. Then we will break asunder the chains that bind us tightly to the wheel of incarnation and death. Then we will end the recurring misery of endless lives and attain everlasting peace and bliss. Then the long separated drop will merge in the ocean and become the ocean. Then our soul will meet the Lord and gain liberation from the pairs of opposites forever.
_{Maharaj Charan Singh, Spiritual Discourses, Vol. I}