His Will

Surely the most common obstacle we face is stress. It has been said that one of the main causes of stress is worry – repetitive thinking about a particular incident, event or situation, and analyzing the endless possibilities and anticipated outcomes. We end up in an anxious state of mind, and our body’s fight or flight response kicks in. Perceiving this stress on our mind, the body reacts with a variety of physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches and a myriad of other ailments.

Surely, this sad state of being, where we constantly have to deal with the mind’s automatic reactions to events around us, cannot be the only way to live in this world.

Saints tell us that this whole world is full of misery, sorrow and sickness. That is why we can never get everlasting happiness in this world, and why we have to constantly deal with the compulsions of the mind.

In fact, the worry we face often stems from our inability to relinquish control and let go of situations or circumstances. We think of ways to solve problems to get the best possible outcome for ourselves not realizing that we can never solve all the problems of the world.

Fortunately, spiritual Masters advise us that there is a way to rise above our circumstances. Like cream rising to the surface when milk is churned, we too can purify our mind to the extent that we can rise above our worries.

The saints give us certain handles or levers, a way of meditation, through which we can always rise above these problems. If we try to pick up all the splinters of the world, we cannot succeed. But if we have strong shoes on our feet, they do not bother us at all. The saints arm us with that meditation (the strong shoes), so that the ups and downs of the world do not bother us at all. We come to that stage, that level, where the worldly situation makes us neither happy nor unhappy.

The real happiness we can get only when we merge back into the Lord. So, as long as we are in this world, we have to face ups and downs; sometimes we are rich, sometimes we are poor, sometimes we are happy, sometimes we are unhappy. But we should not lose our balance. We should always try to keep our thoughts in meditation. That is why saints advise us to remain in his will.
_{Maharaj Charan Singh, Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III}

The saints teach us that meditation is the only way to anchor our attention on to that Divine power that sustains the entire creation and rise above our worries. But often, instead of applying the teachings of the Masters to our lives and accepting our situation, we blame others for our pain and suffering. We refuse to believe that ‘not a leaf stirs without His command’, as the saying so succinctly puts it.

Spiritual teachers explain that when events unfold beyond our control, it is simply a case of karmic accountability in action. They tell us that we can never really know whether a particular event is the outcome of an old karmic debt or an action that will trigger a new set of chain reactions. Therefore, with the best of intentions and to the best of our ability, all we can do is make the right choices and perform good actions.

Accepting the Lord’s will is the only way to free ourselves from the burden of worries and the stress that results from it. Practically speaking, it means facing our karmas gracefully and boldly while keeping our attention in meditation.

Saints remind us that we must never forget the Lord, especially if we are in a position where we are reaping the benefits of good karmas. It does not serve our purpose to give in to sensual pleasures or get carried away by worldly achievements. Similarly, in times of adversity and stress, if we worry, and feel sorry for ourselves, our attention scatters into the world and we lose our hard-earned focus in meditation. Since both good and bad karmas will always exist as long as we live in this body, our only course of action is to meditate and be persistent in training the mind to resign itself to his will.

So, the saints advise us that whether we are reaping the fruits of good karmas or of bad karmas, we should always keep our attention in the Lord. That is what we call Bhana. We have to remain in his will. We have to be resigned unconditionally to his will.
_{Maharaj Charan Singh, Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. III}

Guru Arjan Dev Ji has written: “Tera bhana mitha lage” (sweet is thy will).

Knowing that the Lord loves us and is taking care of us is the strongest balm, and it will calm our minds. Time spent in his remembrance is the only way to obtain comfort and peace in this world.

The Guru’s devotee treats pain and pleasure alike and remains detached from joy and sorrow. By effacing his ego under the Guru’s guidance, the devotee attains the Lord, O Nanak, and gets absorbed in the state of sahaj.
_{Jap Ji, A Perspective}