Pain is the Medicine

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam,

The following is an episode from Memoirs of a Yogini, SGGS--Path of

Life to Light, a project given to Guruprem Kaur by the Siri Singh

Sahib on the deeper,yogic meaning of Siri Guru Granth Sahib.

 

Pain is the Medicine

January 3rd, 2008

The Gurus followed up on my New Year's resolution of healing misery

with Gurus miracles by hitting it home. I woke up this morning with

the worst pain running down my right arm into my hand that I can ever

remember having. Pressure point stimulation on my shoulder and

especially in my elbow relieved it momentarily, but it came back full

force.

 

I asked for relief, chanting to Guru Ram Das, a miracle worker.

Nothing. Finally I asked how best to relieve it, and the answer was,

" Allow " .

 

Allowing, allowing, only mild soothing energy entered—still great

pain. But allowing opened my mind, my consciousness to process the

reason why the pain was so relentless.

 

Relaxing, giving it to God through Guru to understand, Guru explained

the reason my hand was curled in pain: the key was in the word

" opposites " .

 

What is the opposite of a hand constricted in pain?

 

A hand open in blessing.

 

This was a great revelation for me. I see my right hand as the Guru's

hand. It is my giving, serving side. For it to be in pain, the Guru

must be in pain. But why?

 

Guru is in pain from our worldly pain, our misplacement of life focus

on things rather than on valuing life and the divine within all. Even

those on the spiritual path commit this blunder. The whole world is

caught up in the disease of my-ness.

 

If the opposite of that pain is to give blessings, then I am to give.

 

My focus switched from dwelling on the pain, thinking of myself, my

death, my inability to heal myself—to giving full focus to

blessing—blessing each husband to free him of pain and blame,

forgiving all, my family and the sangat for not seeing me, the SGPC

and leaders in Amritsar (all men) who cause the Guru pain in not

allowing women to play kirtan and wash the floors of the Golden Temple.

 

It wasn't enough. The pain was deep and obstinate.

 

I raised my clenched hand to bless the waters, the earth, the sky, the

heavens.

 

The spasm persisted.

 

I gave my being with no thought of self to bless through the earth,

deeply and beyond to all the planets, stars, galaxies and spheres, all

consciousness, all spirit unto Infinity. Blessing, Blessing, Blessing

all beingness endlessly.

 

Only then did the feeling of death in my arm and hand naturally heal

and subside.

 

So vast is my destiny! Recognizing the soul's infinity, taking

responsibility to live to the highest Truth, to serve Truth in

blessing to all unto God is the only way to heal the pain of

creation's separation from God.

 

There is nothing physically wrong with my arm. Gurus used it as a

barometer to let me feel the magnitude of spiritual work to be done on

this planet.

 

We must all transmute our pains into equally vast blessings to

gracefully enter the New Age.

 

Pain is not a death. It is a challenge to go beyond death and physical

limitations and live for others, liberated while alive.

 

As Guru says, " Pain is the medicine, " (the nature of the Hukam to be

coupled with this episode).