Tug of War

How often have we felt that a part of our being wants to be in this world, yet another part wants to be closer to the Master within? There is so much to do, both in our material and spiritual worlds, that there is a constant tug of war going on within ourselves.

It is not as if we do not value the path, the Master or his grace. But when we come face to face with this competitive world, we struggle to stay afloat; to make sure that there is food on the table, to pay for the education of our children and to maintain a roof over our heads.

We are so preoccupied in striving for success in this world, that we awaken each morning to a mind cluttered with problems and daily ‘to do’ lists. We often find ourselves struggling for time, and as a result totally neglect our meditation.

This is where our lives have become a total contradiction. The saints explain to us that just as a needle has a natural pull towards a magnet, our soul has a natural inclination towards its source – the Lord. And because meditation is the only possible path we can traverse to go within and meet our Creator, we will never find true happiness unless we channelize our energy towards our meditation.

So we constantly remind ourselves that whatever we acquire and accumulate during this life – money, property, name and fame – none of it will go with us when we die. And as long as we are in this human body, we should make use of it and search for our real home. As Soami Ji says in Sar Bachan Prose:

From this house, go to that house.

Meditation Is Not Difficult
Logically, if the Lord has designed the path leading back to him within us, there cannot be anything more simple and natural than just following it. But perhaps we are too complicated to practise something so simple. Our mind is forever analyzing, raising questions and doubts. How many times have we heard the Master telling us to stop analyzing?

Most of us are looking for quick results in meditation and hence encounter this frustration. Saints explain to us that everything will unfold at the right time. We have to learn to be patient and submit to the Master’s will. After all, he is more anxious to see us reach our destination than we are.

Maharaj Sawan Singh writes in Spiritual Gems:

I wish that all of you who have received initiation go inside the eye centre, become the dwellers of the beautiful mansions your Creator has made for you, and be masters of there in your own right. In a way it is not difficult. One has only to look inside one’s own self instead of looking out. Yet it is difficult in another way, on account of our having so little hold over our mind.

Bring Simplicity in Life
We have to work to bring simplicity into our lives. We have become totally worldly and are forever craving for more: more property, more money, more security.

We are amazed that there are people around us who can live humbly and simply. But we have all read the account of how simple, uneducated hill people who followed the Master’s instructions immediately upon initiation, experienced their consciousness leaving their bodies and their attention rising up to the eye centre. So what is our intellect worth if it cannot help us achieve the main purpose of human birth?

Contentment
Saints explain to us that contentment is an important aid to meditation. A mind that is forever craving for more is a restless one, and hence will not allow the body to sit still in meditation. We cannot have control over the one without the other. If the mind is uneasy and erratic, the actions of the body will be same, so we have to learn to develop an attitude of gratitude towards the Lord for giving us so much abundance.

For most of us, contentment means being satisfied with our financial or social situation. But the saints give a very broad definition of it. In the words of Maharaj Sawan Singh:

If one does not gain any object in spite of efforts, or succeeds to a very small extent only and yet remains calm and collected and does not feel troubled in his mind, he is said to have contentment. When one is surrounded by troubles on all sides, is not honoured by anyone, is talked ill of by everyone and is faced with defeat on all sides, but does not feel aggrieved by the thought that others are happy, then it is a sign of contentment.
_{Philosophy of the Masters Vol. III}

Cutting the Attachments
We are stuck in this whirlpool of birth and death due to our deep-rooted attachments. Our roots stretch back not only through this life but to billions of previous lives. The only way to get out of this is to cut these roots with the sword of Nam, as given by the Master. As Christ says in the Bible: “I come not to send peace but a sword.”

When we go through worldly suffering, sometimes a feeling of detachment is created within us. These sufferings make our stay in the world so miserable that we automatically look for that peace within, and we feel the need to give more time to meditation.

A Happy Ending
Let us be thankful that, despite our miniscule efforts to become one with the Creator, the story of our life will definitely have a happy ending. We will succeed in our endeavour because the Master is with us, and will be with us, all the way. The end is guaranteed to be happy, but the Master still wants us to put in that miniscule effort of attending to meditation regularly, and living in his will. It is the only way we can thank him for everything that he has blessed us with.

If the precious jewels and treasures of all the seven worlds and seven oceans were taken and placed before a lover, and someone were to ask him whether he would prefer this wealth or the Beloved, the lover would not even consider the treasures. He asks from God for only the nectar of his Name.
_{Guru Ram Das, as quoted in Philosophy of the Masters, Vol. II}