Patience and Positivity
Mystics from every faith agree that the Lord is within us. It is that living water, the life stream that manifests as sound and light, which is the source of all creation, the Shabd or Nam, that can free us from the unending cycle of births and deaths. The Masters tell us that the Shabd is our life; the Shabd is who we are and what sustains us. So how can we say we don’t have time for meditation?
If we have time to love our families, how can we not have time for that which provides the energy for all that we do? Meditation is the foundation on which we can build that allows everything else to run smoothly. Let’s not expect it to be a day at the fair. We meditate simply to do as the Master has asked, to please him, and to help him help us.
Masters offer to hold us in their arms, take us away, and carry our burdens. We just need to let go. That is what spiritual practice is all about, letting go of all that holds us bound to this body and the world. Our challenge is to tame the mind and cleanse our heart so that we can patiently prepare to meet the beloved when he deems fit. This rare opportunity to meet the Lord could happen at any time, as demonstrated in the following fable (published in an earlier issue of Spiritual Link Magazine) of a disciple who was hoping to meet the Lord.
A recluse lived under a large yew tree. Every day he spent much of his time praying to the Lord. After many years, he was visited by an angel who said it was his duty to report to the Lord on the progress of those who did their spiritual practice with devotion.
The recluse asked if the angel would find out when it would be his happy lot to meet the Lord. The angel agreed to do this and left on his mission. Shortly afterward the angel returned, and informed the recluse that he would not meet the Lord until as many years had passed as there were needles on the yew tree above his head.
The recluse immediately began to dance for joy. The angel was very puzzled by this reaction.
“Do you understand that there are millions of needles on this tree?” he asked “And that you will not meet the Lord until millions of years have passed?”
The recluse said he understood this very clearly.
“Why then are you so happy” asked the angel.
The recluse replied, “I am happy because at last I have received a reply from my Beloved, and he has promised that we shall indeed meet one day. When that meeting takes place is not important.”
At that very instant the Lord appeared and embraced the recluse. Surprised, the angel reproached the Lord, “You told me that the meeting wouldn’t happen for many years and now I look like a liar.”
The Lord responded, “These things are for ordinary men. When there is someone special who has transcended the laws of time and space within himself, then I also cast those laws aside.”
This story is a lovely portrayal of reaching the one we desperately seek. The Masters tell us that is what we are working for on this path of love – reunion with the Lord, our source. Yet there are barriers in our way that must be overcome for this to happen. But they tell us this will happen if we keep the promise we made at initiation – to diligently do our meditation daily.
True love knows no limits when it comes to the laws of time and space. We too can be happy because the Beloved has promised that we shall indeed meet one day. Not knowing when that meeting takes place should not deter us because we have the Master’s guarantee that it will take place.
Our mind and senses work tirelessly to keep us tied to the world and unable to embrace the Beloved within. Mind is our greatest enemy as long as it is the slave of the senses; and under that influence continues to pull us away from our spiritual practice with one excuse or another.
This can only be surmounted by a lifetime of devoted, spiritual practice. Plus, we have the grace of the Lord who sent us the living Master. Making the time for meditation is the first step in changing the mind’s tendency from an outward to an inward focus. This may be a monumental commitment when first considered, but in time it becomes less daunting. Slowly, we see the benefits it brings. With meditation and concentration, the attention collects at the eye centre, and with the help of Nam or Shabd it returns to its own original home. Then there can be no better friend than the mind.
Devotion for the Lord may not come easily, but devotion or friendship with the one we get to meet and learn from is an opportunity we can build on. We have the emissary, the representative of the Lord as the living Master. With a straightforward spiritual path complete with a loving, patient, and humourous Master to help us every step of the way, what more could we ask for? Developing a relationship with the living Master allows us to build confidence and love.
He is Shabd, just as we are, so how can we not make time for Shabd practice? This meditation practice will give us everything. With it we develop the ability to focus at the eye centre, the door to liberation. Maharaj Charan Singh told us this many times. He says in Spiritual Heritage:
What is the real form of the Master? Shabd. And what is the real form of the disciple? Soul. And what is the difference between soul and Shabd? It is the level of consciousness. The real form of everybody is potentially the same. Potentially everybody is God because we have the capacity to become God.
Our Master has promised that we shall indeed meet one day. When that meeting takes place is unimportant. However, he continually reminds us that slow and steady is the best way to travel this path. In fact, our Master often mentions that the Lord knows our every need, so we don’t have to ask for anything. Instead we can accept that what we get is what we need and a part of the overall plan to free us. We simply need to be patient and remain positive that the Lord will take care of us.
This is the awareness we are working toward; we nourish ourselves with that divine Shabd – a power mightier than all other powers. It is an infinite power that fuels the universe. Even though hidden, it is active at the back of all other sources of energy.
When the mind says meditation is difficult, Masters tell us otherwise. Make meditation our friend; learn to enjoy it. We are repeatedly told to find the positive in any situation. Maharaj Sawan Singh says in Dawn of Light:
Our lifetime is invaluable. We must always be careful to utilize it in the best direction. Any part of our time not used in spiritual practice is lost. Therefore, you should always try to save your time for meditation, because to incline our mind and spirit towards the things other than the Holy Sound is to lose our fortune.
Shabd is our life; Shabd is who we are and Shabd is what sustains us. Each moment we give to meditation nourishes the true self, the soul, and makes us stronger and more loving and gives us the strength to surmount the ups and downs of life. We just need to maintain our patience and positivity.