PLAYING GOD-By Amma

[Guest guest]

PLAYING GOD

By Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani ICYER, Pondicherry, India

 

Sometimes I feel like God. This is not, however, as elevated a

feeling as one might suppose. How can I explain this without stepping

on any one's toes? Let me see.

 

Since I am Director of an International Institution as well as of a

local Institute with several hundred students, I have intimate

contact with hundreds, if not thousands of people. Every one of them

thinks they are the most important person in my life, and that is

good. It is my blessed and most welcome Dharma to guide as an Acharya

and to bring out the best in all those who come under my direction.

So far, so good. Is that not also God's job, to bring out the best

(the Divine) in each and every one of us? How to do this. The main

work of both God and myself is to create the proper environment and

circumstances to " elicit " that " growth. " God and I, we are basically

both " educators. " We " educe " or " bring out " that which is already

present within each individual.

 

Both god and I use the same methods. Reward and punishment. The

Carrot and the stick. Some people call this " Karma " but for us, it is

a valid educational principle. Reward the good behavior, punish the

bad. Of course, both God and I have the same problem. All of

our " students " love their rewards but hate their punishments! In fact

very often both God and I discover that the very people we are

helping to grow become very angry with us. The main difficulty is,

that both God and I have the benefit of the whole organisation to

think about, while the individual is many concerned about his

own " good and pleasure " and has little vision of the whole. You might

say that God and I see everybody in the picture, the group shot,

whereas those we deal with see only themselves.

 

Another problem the two of us at the top face is that we work hard

creating the best possible " structure " in which the " instruction " can

take place. We both believe, God and I, that environment is the best

teacher, that conditions " condition " certain responses and behavioral

patterns conducive for evolutionary growth up the great " Chain of

Being. " To move from one level to the next, to graduate so to speak

from a mineral to a plant to a reptile to a mammal to man to angel –

takes careful nurture through nature. A lot can go wrong along the

way, and then its like the old favourite game " snakes and ladders "

down they go, landing back at the previous level with a thud hardly

even knowing what hit them! Both God and I can only shake our heads

in sorrow but frequently wonder whether " free will " was really such a

great idea after all.

 

Another problem that both God and I have in common is that when our

students succeed in their endeavors and develop talents, skills,

desirable qualities, they tend to think that they have achieved their

glories all by themselves, due to their own inherent greatness. We

get totally forgotten, pushed backstage, ignored, and sometimes, as

in the case of Peter 2000 years ago, even our very existence is

denied. Sometimes people attributes their own low motives to us also,

they project on us what they themselves secretly feel. That can be

quite a pain!

 

Once in a while, some bright soul discovers a way to get rid of us by

declaring us " dead. " Non-existent. Fantasies. Others adapt the

policy " use and throw. " Both God and I come in handy in times of

need, but when things go smoothly, we are carefully cut out of the

picture.

 

Of course, being God also has its compensations. Sometimes someone

will often us a leaf or a flower with great love, devotion and

affection. An act of awareness, gratitude, an intelligent realisation

of all that has been given and a perception of the subtle

layers " instruction " create an energy, which warms the heart of both

God and me. The glow in the eyes of a conscious, aware, sensitive

student equals the brilliance of a hundred brilliant suns.

 

The sun shines equally on the good and the bad. God's laws operate

both for those who obey them as well as those who disobey. An astute

Acharya (guide) knows where the pitfalls are, and tries to forewarn

those who follow behind him or her on the same path. God also warns

his creation, but his language is symbolic, the language of omens,

the nuances of cause and effect.

 

Like God, the Acharya first indicates subtly the student's error,

indirectly, giving hints. If this is not understood, the warnings are

verbalized, or materialized in slight disturbances. If insensitive

beings do not heed these subtle signals, more dramatic warning is

uttered – you're on the wrong path! Shouts! Even Karmic beatings!

Catastrophes are God's way of preventing his creatures from

committing deep and disastrous mistakes. Sometimes, both God and I,

however, have to give up. The student insists on jumping off the

cliff, shouting loudly as he or she falls " so far, so-good! " Then,

the final thud and silence. Back to square one.

 

Yes. Sometimes I do feel like God. I understand God. How He / She /

It must feel. My small little world is a microcosm of his mighty

universe. I am just amazed at God's patience, which is infinitely

greater than my own! He / She / It continues to support us, bears

with our greed, our ignorance, our polluting, selfish activities.

But, I know sometimes my patience wears thin and I realise that there

is no other choice but to bring every thing to an end and start

again. I wonder, but fervently hope not, that God has reached that

point in his relationally with this ungrateful mankind.

 

How good it is that God above has never gone on strike because He was

not treated fair in things He didn't like. If only once He'd given

up and said, " That's it, I'm through! I've had enough of those on

earth, so this is what I'll do: I'll give my orders to the sun – cut

off the heat supply! And to the moon – give no more light, and run

the oceans dry. Then just to make things really tough and put the

pressure on, turn off the vital oxygen till every breath is gone! "

 

You know, He would be justified, if fairness was the game, for no one

has been more abused or met with more disdain, Than God. Yet, He

carries on, supplying you and me, with all the favour of His grace,

and everything for free.

Men say they want a better deal, and so on strike they go, But what a

deal we've given God to whom all things we owe. We don't care to whom

all things we owe. We don't care whom we hurt to gain the things we

like, but what a mess we'd all be in, if God should go on strike.