Spread the Fragrance of God's Love"

Spread the Fragrance of God's Love"

On Not Being A Prisoner of Our Own Thoughts

Do today what is planned for tomorrow. Do now what is planned for today. (Kabir)

What are the benefits of discovering our soul? Some people want to find bliss and happiness. Others want the knowledge of what lies beyond this world. For some, conquering fear of death is the motivating factor. For others, it is empowerment that drives them.

Let us not lose precious time. How many of us know someone who was snatched from life unexpectedly? It may have been a child or a teen who passed away; it may have been a loved one. It could have been someone who was in the best of health. When we least expect it, someone we love can die. We do not know when our turn will come. Even if it is not death that takes us, sometimes a sickness can afflict us. Some illnesses are so debilitating we can no longer perform our normal functions in life. It is crucial that we take advantage of the time we have when we are fit, healthy, and functioning. Who knows what will happen?

An anecdote from the life of Kabir Sahib illustrates this point. While visiting Benares, Kabir Sahib always passed by the same man daily, who was always sitting in his garden. One day, Kabir Sahib said to him, "Good Sir, instead of merely sitting in your garden doing nothing, why not sit in meditation and make spiritual progress?"

The man replied, "I have a family. My children are young, and I cannot find enough time for spiritual practices now. But I will practice spirituality when the children grow up."

Years later, after the children had grown up, Kabir Sahib met the same man again. "Now that your children are older, do you find time for meditation?"

This time the man responded, "I am in the process of getting my children married off so they can live independently. As soon as they are all married, I will begin my spiritual practices."

A few years passed, and Kabir Sahib met the man again. He again inquired about the man's spiritual life. "Now that your children are married, do you have time for meditation?"

"My children have grandchildren, and I am watching them grow up, receive an education, and then marry."

Some years passed, and Kabir Sahib returned to find that the man had passed away. Kabir Sahib shook his head and said, "The poor man has spent his whole life thinking he would find time for meditation, and passed away without devoting any time to discover his soul. His mind led him into such a deep attachment to this world that he did not take any time for his own meditations."

We do not want to end up like the man who was always too busy to search for God until it was too late. If we were to take a circle and divide it into three slices, label each slice: "physical goals," "intellectual goals," and "spiritual goals," what would we have in each of these arenas? All three are important. Many people think that when they pursue spiritual goals, they have to give up everything else. That is what Sant Darshan Singh Ji called "negative mysticism." Spirituality can be a path of what he termed "positive mysticism." This means that while pursuing our spiritual goals, we still take care of the other two aspects of our life, our physical existence and our intellectual life. We first need to prioritize. We can live a balanced life and attend to our physical, mental, and spiritual pursuits.- Sant Rajinder Singh

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