This One Moment

The present moment may be one of the most underrated and undervalued aspects of our lives as human beings. We are caught up in the past, with memories, regrets and guilt, and consciously try to second-guess the future, allowing our minds to fill with anxieties and worries. Where then, is there any thought for right now – this very moment?

If we think about it logically, what possible value can come from incessant rehashing of the past? It cannot be relived, corrected or improved upon. It is finished. The Masters certainly want us to learn from our mistakes, and they ask us to try not to repeat them. Wallowing in those negative memories is not productive and does not assist us in making something positive of the now or the present moment.

As for the future, well, that is a most uncertain lottery. We fill our minds with hopes, fears and expectations based on past experiences. But there is no guarantee that yesterday’s experiences and outcomes can be relied upon to predict tomorrow’s events. We agree that there are only two certainties in life – change and death – and neither of these can fill us with joy or confidence where the future is concerned. But, like it or not, we cannot evade them.

This is what Soami Ji Maharaj had to say about death:

Keep the fear of death in your mind,
  for who knows when that moment will arrive!
Stay alert with every breath of your life,
  O thoughtless one,
  and devote every moment to the repetition of the name.
Indifference now will cost you dearly in the end,
  when nothing more can be done.
So do what must be done, right now,
  and don’t rely on that uncertain tomorrow.
_{Sar Bachan Poetry}

Soami Ji sets it out very clearly for us. At some point in the future, death will certainly come for each one of us. So, the big question is, what are we doing with our precious moments as death marches ever closer? Some of us might be actively longing for death, some might be dreading it. But whatever our own personal attitude, we all have moments that have to be filled before death arrives. We all must choose how we fill them. Will our choices be spiritually positive and productive or not?

We cannot plead ignorance as to how our Master wants us to fill those moments. We know he wants us to do our simran as often as possible during the day, and, most important, he wants us to do our daily meditation with as much focus, energy and concentration as possible. Although it is easy to comprehend the importance of the Master’s request, most initiates discover, sooner or later, that fulfilling his request is not so easy to do. The difficulty lies in the fact that to fulfil his request, we need to use the self – the same mind that anchors us in the past, obsesses about the future, and leads us into all kinds of entrapments in the present. The mind has its own ideas about how we should fill our moments, and sadly, simran is seldom the first choice.

The spiritual journey we have embarked upon is actually a journey of our soul. It is our attempt to reunite our soul with the Lord. In order to take this journey to its completion, we must connect to God’s creative power – the Shabd – which will draw the soul home. The Shabd is contacted at the third eye, and the mind, powered by simran, is the vehicle that will take us to this point of contact.

In Spiritual Gems, Maharaj Sawan Singh said:

The saints really have only one message to give, and that message they give in the manner which suits the times. Their message is: “Soul, thou hast forgotten thy source. That source is in Sach Khand, and the sound current within you is the way to it, and we guide you to that.”

We have forgotten our Source. Most of us have absolutely no first-hand knowledge or experience of our soul. We are told that in its pristine state, the soul is indescribably dazzling, bright and pure. However, as it descended into the creation, its light was obscured by the coverings associated with each level of its journey. Now, it finds itself in the physical domain – dominated by the mind, the body and the overwhelming power of the senses, all of which conspire to keep it trapped firmly in the creation. We are well aware of the power of our mind and our senses. Again in Spiritual Gems, Great Master explains our situation: “Mind alone is our enemy. It is with us to keep us out from the eye focus. We realise its power when we practise simran and bhajan.”

When we concentrate on our Master and try to keep our simran going throughout the day, we are adding to the treasure we have already been given. The gift of initiation gives us access to the jewel of the Shabd. We must put our heart and soul into focusing on this task. In so doing, we will be building our spiritual treasure. Whatever is left of our lifespan, we must use it as effectively as we possibly can. We must invest in a future that will yield spiritual results, and it must be done now – in every possible moment.

Our daily challenge is to recall our simran every time the mind leads us astray. It is a difficult task, but we must attempt to do it as diligently and lovingly as possible. Soami Ji told us to stay alert with every breath because indifference now will cost us dearly at the end.

We have all had to struggle, persevere and work hard in our lives. We are not strangers to the concept of battles – physical and mental. So, we are well equipped to take on the challenges presented by the mind to ultimately gain control over it. The well-known saying ‘old habits die hard’ is true where the mind is concerned. It does not want to relinquish its freedom or power. It is our task to constantly chip away at its foundation little by little. Every moment we turn away from the mind carries the opportunity to turn towards the Master, to empower the soul and draw closer to the magnificent sound and light of the Shabd. Surely this last battle is worth the effort?

Only as a human being can the soul seek to fulfil its purpose – to return to the Lord. But to achieve this, we have to disempower the mind and empower the soul. We have the privilege of human birth that affords us the golden opportunity to step off the wheel of reincarnation forever.

In Many Voices, One Song, Kanhoba, a Maharashtrian mystic, said: “What a treasure has been placed in your hand!… Nothing can compare with being born human.”

If we want to take advantage of this treasure, we have to infuse ourselves with a sense of urgency to reach the eye centre and contact the Shabd. Moment by moment, throughout the day, we need to choose simran over worldly thoughts. Simran is how we feed that beautiful little seed of love given to us by our Master. It needs care and attention to grow and blossom. This spiritual blossoming will drive our efforts during meditation so much more effectively than only duty or habit. When love powers our meditation, nothing – not even the mind – can stand in its way. Simran helps our love grow, and of that, there is no doubt.

Maharaj Charan Singh said:

Constant simran helps our attitude towards meditation, helps to draw our mind towards meditation.… That is why whenever we get time or we are mentally free, we do simran.
_{Spiritual Perspectives, Vol. II}

We must never give up trying. Every time we notice we have strayed, we must return to simran and claim every precious moment for our Master and our soul. Our long-term spiritual future is magnificent – it really is worth fighting for throughout each and every day.

Great Master said in Spiritual Gems:

Do not lose heart but fight courageously. The battle has just begun. Mind is not stronger than the sound current. The Master is with you. He is watching your every movement. He is prepared to fight your battles with you. Take him as your helper. Have faith in him. Fight the mind and you will succeed.