This blog is about me contemplating and trying to make sense of this fascinating journey called life and penning down various life lessons that I learn along the way.....
So make yourself a nice cup of coffee..pull a chair and sit back and enjoy the little ponderings that I share with you...


Wednesday, January 29, 2014

A True Lesson of Eternity in Today’s Age of Instant Gratification….





“The timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness ; and knows that yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream” – Kahlil Gibran
All of us on the spiritual path come across the word eternity so often. We reach a point when we become truly aware of concept that we are immortal souls… not immortal bodies. We intellectually understand the concept that we don’t have a soul…we are a soul and we have a body. But how ingrained is that concept in us.... how well do we accept or even have the patience to understand this obviously most important concept of eternity. How well can we take this lesson? Somewhere on the journey at some point the universe is kind enough and shows you the way.. your answers..your final goal…many people call it differently.. Nirvana, Moksha, Re-uniting with the Source, Being one with God, etc….whatever you may choose to call it …probably exactly what you were looking for but didn’t understand it before. And as per the laws of the universe also it seems knowledge is not given without a test. But how do we react to it…..Why do we struggle with it so much?

 Universe : OK.. Here’s your yummy lollipop...You've been looking for it forever haven't you?  And its not just yours..but its always been yours for eternity..and will always be.. You seek it and It seeks you…And heaven awaits you and blah blah blah…
You : What?? Really?? Sounds truly unbelievable!! Isn’t it too good to be true? But feels right to me...…Ok then… I want it now!! And I want it in this particular way only!
Universe : Excuse Me!! Now?? What is Now?!! You have to do this and that and get yourself sorted first and be compassionate and kind and help humanity and be loving and understanding.. But all this should be easy for you and should come naturally to you anyways if you have truly reached a certain stage…Remember I express all my desires through you.. Your desires are not just yours. They are part of my plan!! :)
You : What??? All that is fine. But it seems like a cruel joke!!
 Universe : Looks like you didn’t absorb the concept of eternity very well…You are just getting narrowly stuck with one chapter of life. You’re not going anywhere without this lesson properly!! You asked for the real thing.. didn't you? Can you not handle it now? How much more grief and shocks do you need just to let go of your silly conditioned concepts!!
You: Hmmm!! I shall go and meditate on that!! :)
Telling you.. This whole spirituality thing can be quite hilarious at times if seen in a lighter vein and the joke it seems is on you!!  :)

Reminds me of a quote which always makes me smile by Douglas Adams from the Restaurant at the End of Universe  The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”  

That’s exactly how our reaction to this lesson is… usually in frustration and we self-contract and recoil and go in denial. Why? Just because there is no instant fulfilment and ownership the way we are conditioned to believe in today’s world. But the sooner we accept this lesson and move on beyond it we realise there’s still so much more work to be done and only then can we move to further heights..
I believe most of us use the word eternity and being an eternal being very easily and casually.. but when we have to actually live out this concept consciously... we really start throwing in the towel and start losing patience. I personally find myself grappling with this concept. Our minds are so conditioned to a certain way of thinking that anything outside the box seems difficult to digest. But I realise that I have to get over this or I am not getting anywhere....Spirituality and eternity go hand in hand. I absolutely cannot move ahead if I cannot embrace and soak in this concept fully. I cannot get stuck in what just appears in the "right now".....chapters were different before and they will be different later too....
Most of us on the spiritual path have an idea on how the book of our life will supposedly end but whether that ending will be in this chapter or the next or after 100 more.. will really be the test of patience. And if we truly believe that our being is eternal and like a book and our various lifetimes as only chapters of this fascinating book…accepting these lessons become much more easier. Space can be made for more positive energy and to move beyond it. Atleast you can now slowly recognise the main protagonists from the rest. And that itself is a remarkable achievement…  very few have been able to achieve this itself…that is being truly successful with a whole new meaning.. something one should be truly truly thankful and happy about…After all what is happiness… “Happiness is the settling of soul in its most appropriate spot”….as said by Aristotle….