Words from the Master

How many successful businessmen today are facing what is known as Depression of Success? They have achieved everything they wanted; they have realized their own dreams, borrowed dreams, everything. But they don’t feel fulfilled; there is a void in them.

They start wondering what for they ran so much. The desires and strong feelings that goaded them on in their rat race are no longer there. They are confused about themselves. The grip they had on themselves in their days of business suddenly seems to weaken.

This is because they ran without awareness, without stopping to give an appointment to themselves, without any self-inquiry. As a result, when they stop running or when suddenly they can’t run anymore, they fall back into themselves and suddenly find that they are out of synch or dis-eased with their own Being, and this is what becomes ‘depression’ or ‘disease’.

When you fall into depression of success, you can resort to three ways. One is, resorting to drugs – addiction that will lead to further depression. The second way out is suicide – which is escapism. The third way out is meditation – looking inward for the solution. The intelligent ones take the third way out.

A self-enquiry can be the way to bail you out of this depression. The problem is inside, while you search for a solution outside. You have neglected your Being for such a long time and the depression that you feel is actually the call of your Being. That is why again and again, Masters have given ever so many techniques to center yourself in your inner core and merely function in your periphery.

When this same thing is told to you when you are at the peak of your career, you will not be willing to pay attention, because you have enough energy, all the energy that you have come with, to face the downsides of off-centric behaviors. Once your energy starts waning, you will feel that something is wrong somewhere. That something is what Masters try to tell you again and again.

Albert Einstein, the great Physicist was on his deathbed.
There were some close people sitting around him.
One of them asked him what he would like to be reborn as if ever he was reborn.
Everyone expected him to say that he would like to be reborn as an even greater scientist or something like that.
Einstein replied, “If ever I would be reborn, I would like to be reborn as a plumber.”

He felt that he had achieved all that was to be achieved, but what for he achieved, he had not achieved. He gave the world great truths but felt that his whole life had become a great lie. During his last days, he felt that all through his life, he was caught up in the outer world incidents and he had missed the deep connection with Existence.

This is why he says that he wishes to be reborn as a plumber and not as a scientist once again. Even when you are caught in the peak of activity in the outer world, don’t allow yourself to slip into becoming a machine. This is an easy task for a spiritual person and a difficult task for a materialistic person.

You see, in this whole process of comparing and running, you actually become a machine. Much of your daily activities becomes unconscious. You are able to drive a car without even being aware that you are driving it. You become a machine just like the car.

Right from brushing your teeth early in the morning to going to bed, you work like a programmed robot, with absolutely no awareness of your Self. You become efficient in all that you do no doubt, but you have lost the humanness in you! You have gone so far away from the purpose of taking birth on planet Earth. You are so disconnected from your Being!

When you are in continuous awareness, you will not only be able to do things efficiently but you will also do things with totality, with a sense of fulfillment because you – the microcosm, will be in tune with the macrocosm or Existence; you will fly with roots on planet Earth. When you fly without this, you are forever in the fear of falling down any moment. So understand, working with awareness not only increases your efficiency but also ensures that you don’t stray from the purpose of your Being.

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