Invest Smart
“Return on Investment” or ROI is a well-known concept in economics. The theory helps evaluate whether we will get the benefit of our capital or labour in a given context. It encompasses our modern, capitalistic outlook, where we do everything based on expected gain. In some ways, it is the opposite of what we’re taught in spirituality – to act selflessly, with no care for reward.
But if, hypothetically, we apply ROI to our life in a deeper way, it offers a refreshing view on our actions. What really gives us valuable returns on the effort we put into this life? Is it wealth and luxury? Power? Fame? Good deeds?
Maharaj Charan Singh writes in Spiritual Discourses, Vol. I:
Our most precious wealth is Nam. This is the one kind of wealth we should accumulate. Unlike other wealth it remains eternally with us…. 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.
We must distinguish between what will stay with us forever and what will be taken away from us when we leave this world. The saints tell us that anything that is not permanent is maya, illusion. All the sensual offerings of the world are nothing but illusions, designed to keep us trapped in the cycle of transmigration. All the time and effort we invest in acquiring worldly possessions merely strengthens our attachments and tightens our shackles. In other words, excessive worldly pursuits are a bad investment that will only cause us more pain and keep us separated from the Lord.
The saints tell us that the course of our life and our well-being depend more on how we react to your conditions than the conditions themselves. The Covid pandemic has undoubtedly caused immense loss and suffering, yet many devotees talk about it as a blessing. We probably have been spending more time at home, with less freedom to socialize, go to the cinema or attend parties. This means we have had more time to give to our meditation and to discern what we really need in our lives and what we can do without.
We tend to place a lot of importance on our possessions and our objective reality, but if we think about it, we realize that those don’t make us happy. The urban billionaire may commute in air-conditioned luxury, eat fine foods, wear expensive clothes and procure the best of everything for his children. He may have spent his entire life chasing wealth, status and possessions to the point of exhaustion. The burden of responsibilities and the fear of losing what he has – social status, money, health, the well-being of his children – is crushing. Often, those with the most wealth and status are the most lost in terms of finding life’s deeper meaning.
Clearly, the Lord knows what is best for us. We have been given the eternal wealth of Nam, enabling us to return to the Lord once and for all. Applying the concept of ROI to our meditation can refresh our outlook on how we invest our time and attention. What do we give to meditation as compared to what it gives to us? By simply sitting still and repeating the names the Master has given us, we are doing more for our betterment than we have done in eons. We not only grow spiritually but also become capable of tackling the world with a sense of courage and balance. Our frayed minds begin to settle down, and we see things for what they are. We learn how to become good human beings. Even a few minutes of simran during times of distress and the cleansing effect of the Shabd offer immense solace, what to say of a lifetime of devoted meditation.
The Great Master elucidates our spiritual goal in Spiritual Gems:
The audible life stream which we call Shabd is the everlasting form of the Lord and is always within every one of us…. The function of Shabd is to lift the soul up; but it cannot perform this function until the mind and soul concentrate at the focus of the eyes…. It is by means of repetition of the five holy names – while keeping the attention between the eyes – that the currents of the soul gradually leave the body and collect behind the eyes…. No external circumstances can obstruct the progress of the soul.
We must slowly withdraw our scattered attention from the senses. It is said that if a disciple takes a single step toward the Master, the Master takes a hundred steps toward the disciple. We must stop deferring our meditation for later, when our business is established or our children are married. We will get whatever is in our destiny and must resign ourselves to his will. As Baba Ji tells us, we must fulfill our spiritual duties despite worldly conditions and troubles.
Yes, we all go through phases while on the path of devotion. We falter. Sometimes we get caught in a wave of karma and question our faith. Maybe we drift away from regular meditation. But we must never lose heart. The Master does not let us stray beyond where he can pull us back. We must persist, keep our devotion intact and invest smart.