Words from the Master

Yes…

Swamiji, we often wonder – whatever is happening to us, is it fate or is it our choice?

(Swamiji laughs!) A very commonly asked question!

See understand: Your present moment is the totality of all your past decisions. Now you are here in this place. You decided to wake up early in the morning, take the proper route, come here, sit, and continue to sit, am I right?

Like this, all your past decisions form your present – like being here right now. Like this, your future is going to be a result of all your present decisions. Now, why do we think that it is fate? It is because we make our decisions unconsciously and don’t expect some of the results that come our way. When unexpected or unfavorable results happen, we call it fate.

When we make conscious decisions, we will be aware of the side-effects and after-effects. When we are not aware of the side-effects and after-effects, we call it fate. Actually, Life is your pure choice. It is we who make the decisions, never somebody else for us.

God is so gracious, even though the world is His, He allows us to have our choice! The only way you can make the right decisions is, by infusing awareness into your very breath so that every action of yours, every decision of yours happens with awareness and you never slip into any subconscious or unconscious decision-making, that’s all. Then you don’t have to worry about fate and destiny.

And understand one thing: No one is waiting to lay their hands on your wealth and cause you so called ill-fate. Somehow, we live with the constant fear that people are waiting to rob us of our wealth. This is the fear of losing our wealth.

In this fear, we build many walls around us. Finally we find ourselves entrapped in our own cell. That is why I say, “Open the door, let the breeze in.” Have faith that the Life Force will take care of you. Be very clear: I am not saying “Don’t lock your houses!” You need to lock your houses at the physical level. I am saying that at the mental level, drop the obsession with the lock, that’s all.

Just take for example you are traveling in a train. As soon as you settle down in your compartment, what do you do? You start conversing with the person next to you. You ask them where they are from. You try to make out what religion they might be from. You ask questions about their background etc. Why? Is it because you are genuinely interested in their details? No! It is because you see them as unknown and if you know all these things about them, psychologically your fear of the unknown reduces, and you will be at ease, that’s all.

If you are a Hindu and they are also Hindu, you feel relaxed. If your are Hindu and you find out that they are Muslim, you start feeling uneasy and afraid; you start eyeing them suspiciously. You might even start thinking about changing your seat. This is how your fear works. You are always unconsciously in fear of losing your property.

Sharada Devi says, “Trust others even if you are exploited. The very quality of trusting the Universe in your Being will make you live like God on Earth.”

When intellect sharpens, you will be able to understand like a scientist; when emotions sharpen, trust flowers; when feelings sharpen, Enlightenment flowers. So drop your fears and allow understanding and trust to happen in you.

So drop your fears about your property. Understand one thing: Everything belongs to Existence. You are a temporary possessor of it, that’s all. If you can understand this at a deep level, you will not allow yourself to be consumed by fear for your property.

We spoke of fear of strangers in the context of property. But take the case of how fear works in the case of prestige. Suppose someone wants to do certain things that society will not approve of, like having an extra-marital relationship or just a fling, what do they do? They have their fun with some unknown person, who will not in any way identify themselves with them in the eyes of society.

In this case, the unknown becomes an ally for the fear. Here, commitment and involvement give rise to fear and so you look to lesser-known people where commitment and involvement can be minimized if not totally avoided. Just see how fear plays! Just see how you are under the clutches of fear all the time.

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Guaranteed Solutions.

Ask The Master: 10 Oct 2007

Q. Is suffering essential?

Yes, in a way it is.

Because suffering can be a powerful catalyst to growth. Just like a seed first has to rupture before a plant can grow and blossom, intense suffering can break down the defenses of your ego, leaving you open and vulnerable to Existence. With your usual thought patterns shattered, you begin to see things as they actually are.

Pain is part of everybody's life. True maturity lies in knowing how to use that pain -- before it uses you!

A small story:

Two men, one a jnaani (a wise man), and the other an ordinary man, were traveling through a forest on a dark, moonless night. Suddenly, a shaft of lightning flashed in the sky.

The ordinary man began to tremble in fear. A storm! His mind was immediately given over to confusion. Should he walk on? Or should he find a safe place to stop till the storm was spent? The man began wishing that he had never decided to undertake this journey. He cursed himself as foolish and unlucky. In other words, he fell headlong into suffering!

The jnaani, on the other hand, simply used the moment to take a better look at the road ahead. He ensured that he was traveling in the right direction, thanked the lightning for its help, and moved onward.

Pain is just like this flash of lightning. You have no control over its existence. But whether you suffer from it or learn from it, is entirely up to you!

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Open the Door, Let the breeze in!