Sri Sarada Society Notes (part 2)

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SRI SARADA SOCIETY NOTES

Dedicated to Holy Mother

Spring 2002, Volume 8, Issue 1

 

(part 2)

 

This realization frees us from brooding and chaffing at the

impositions of this transitory world, gross and subtle. What was

formerly a practice of patience and forbearance in personally trying

circumstances, becomes an attainment wielded without the slightest

touch of rancor, just as space (akasha) patiently provides location

for the entire universe. As we see in Holy Mother, she was not just

the mother of a handful of devotees; she was established in awareness

of her Self as the Mother of all beings in all realms.

 

To follow her example of steady patience, our discrimination and

detachment must mature and free us from suffering at all levels. In

the language of the Bhagavad Gita, all possible sufferings arise from

three categories: adhyatma, adhibhuta and adhidaiva. Though pain is

inevitable for the embodied, suffering, and its consequent anxiety,

irritation, and intolerance, are modifications of the mind, which is

distinct from the Self. Transcendence of these sufferings is one of

the great attainments of life and is an integral component of that

steady patience we see in Holy Mother's life.

 

Adhyatma is suffering that arises from internal causes associated

with the body due to birth, growth, disease, old age, decay, death,

or from those arising in the subtle body: the mind (manas), intellect

(buddhi) and ego (ahamkara). The sufferings of this latter group

include grief, shame, unworthiness, despair, anger, pride, jealousy,

fear, lust, greed, and so on -- all of which are brought on by our

false identification with mind and body, and our feeling of

separation from God. Mother once confided in a disciple that once she

had met the Master, she never knew what worry was. From her earliest

years, her mind was trained to think of and dwell in God alone, the

ultimate antidote to all anxiety. Swami Vivekananda has also stated

that all are atheists, even those who profess belief in God, if they

indulge in any kind of worry at all.

 

Adhibhuta is the suffering that comes from external objects. It

refers to what other people, animals and the environment can inflict

on the psycho-physical being, as well as the suffering caused by

seeking after experiences in the " external world. " It is important to

note that Holy Mother taught that & quot;the universe is simply mind

made manifest. It is our tendency to see creation as somehow outside

the Self that causes so much strife. From both the standpoint of

creation/multiplicity and Ultimate Reality/absolute unity, we can

hear Holy Mother saying, " No one is a stranger, my child, the whole

world is your own. "

 

Adhidaiva relates to suffering caused by the celestial and subtle

realms or powers, referring to those forces that benefit by one's

attachment to the world, who receive pleasure from the selfish and

unmindful use of the senses and sense objects. This refers in

particular to the cosmic forces that empower the senses. So long as

one leads a worldly life, these forces remain mostly quiescent.

However, those treading the path of spiritual life, practicing

detachment and mastery of the senses, often find resistance coming

from all quarters: family, friends, work, society. When detachment

and selflessness get established, these forces are overcome.

 

When we look at Holy Mother's life -- her residence in the tiny

nahabat, long absences from Sri Ramakrishna and hardships faced

following his death, trials with devotees and relatives, and ill

health -- we admire and revere her patience and equanimity under all

circumstances. Patience, practiced with discrimination and

detachment, in accord with Mother's example and teachings, begins as

a spiritual discipline for the purification of the mind. Through

self-effort and grace, it transforms into a natural spiritual quality

-- one of the gems possessed by the illumined being.