Life in the Land of Kal

Look upon the world as a bubble: him who looks thus upon
the world the king of death does not see. Come, look at this
world, resembling a painted royal chariot. The foolish are
sunk in it; for the wise, there is no attachment for it.
_{The Dhammapada}

When we stay at a hotel, we don’t try to fix the problems we face. This is because we are guests at the hotel, not attached to it, and we know we will soon be on our way. Similarly, a bridge is meant for crossing, so we don’t build a home on a bridge. Is it not strange, then, that even though we know we will not be in the world permanently, we act as if we will be here forever? Soami Ji says that we are so attached to the creation and love it so much that we have forgotten the Lord, forgotten our true home, and forgotten who we really are. We are trapped in this world of illusion and take everything that we see to be real.

It is not only mystics who tell us that this is a world of illusion, scientists say the same thing. Science tells us that at the subatomic or quantum level, nothing of the material world is left intact. There are only energy fields with no solidity at all, nothing for the senses to see or touch. Our physical senses are too dull and too slow to sense, feel, see, or experience these energy fields that are in fact vibrations taking place in a void. All the suns, stars and galaxies in the whole cosmos are a quantum mirage, winking in and out of existence millions of times per second. The whole universe is like a blinking light. The illusion in which we exist isn’t restricted to the material world. Our mental perceptions, emotions, and attachments are part of the illusory realm of mind and matter.

Meditation is the means to realize the fleeting and impermanent nature of human life, of all our attachments and endeavours – even of life itself. Meditation is the means to realize a higher, more permanent level of reality….

Yet how difficult it is to retain the spiritual perspective and resulting clarity as we live out our daily lives in the material world! Wherever we look, we see change, suffering, and conflict. Influenced by what is going on around us, we easily take the path of least resistance. How natural it seems to go with the flow – so we too ‘flow’ with the downward, superficial tendencies that appear to characterize our times, even though our Master demonstrates the benefits of choosing the upward path and shows us how to disengage ourselves from all and everything that pulls us down….

In a place where mind and matter are active, there can never be peace. Sorrows and wars of nations, or communities, or individuals shall continue. The soul must seek other planes to find peace. To find peace is the business of the individual. Everybody has to seek it within himself.
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh, Spiritual Gems}

To choose a positive path is to affirm one’s spiritual nature. And while we may never be able to make the world into a Utopia, the saints tell us that we can transform ourselves. Through the practice of meditation, we can gradually reclaim for ourselves a higher state of being. By turning inwards, by exploring and experiencing the spiritual reality of inner life, we can gain the strength of character to remain sane even as the entire world goes crazy around us.
_{Extract from Living Meditation}