Tag: awareness (page 2 of 2)

… is not simple. There is no escape from action, as Guruji puts it so aptly in his tape Contradictions in the Bhagavad Gita. And yet it is futile to keep your eyes on the result of the action. Do and let go, do and let go, do and let go… Another line by Guruji comes to mind, “If you’re focussed on the result, your action becomes weak.” Oh, it’s so difficult for me to even express an iota of my wonderment, of how much I am amazed by the beauty of the point. Many a time, I have felt that I want to go away – want to retreat someplace, want to get away from all that needs to be done. As if true joy and enlightenment can be found in the wilderness. I am sure that it can be found – and people have found it. But, as time goes by, I am more and more convinced that my path is here. In this world, among the people I love and possibly not love so much. Among the situations that test my nerve and the ones that make me fly. Among the bliss and the dumps, among Guruji and the other enlightened ones.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

When my dearest Guru is doing all this work, day and night, with the most benevolent smile on his graceful countenance, how can I complain? How can I run away – how can I sleep? That he is giving me a chance to be a part of his glorious work is itself such a blessing.

Oh, I am tired and spent of this mind – I am ready to throw in my towel and scram – I wish I didn’t have to do all this – but I am here to stay!

With Mom and Dad at home, there is a different sense of comfort. The summer has been ruthless this time, with temperatures inching close to the dreaded 100. Next week, we are off to Chicago for the annual Guru Poornima celebrations with Guruji and the rest of the Art of Living family across the world. Seems like the celebration is going to be HUGE this year with folks flying in from all over. There’re programs planned for kids, teens, youth – absolutely everyone. It’s going to rock the city… totally!

If I were to think about one thing that I am incredibly grateful for, it would be awareness. The ability to grasp what’s happening in the inner recesses of this complex mind mechanism, the discrimination to distance myself from its endless wonderings (and wanderings), to use the power of knowledge and Sadhana to bring it back to this point in space-time… and to go through the drill all over again every time. Yes, situations are created all around us expressly so that we realize – the real circus is in the mind. The world exists but in our own minds. To move from being a performer to being a spectator, to play the part flawlessly and drop it without a regret, to exit gracefully when the curtains have fallen – such a precious skill.