Looking at Problems from a Different Angle of Vision -- His Holiness Swami Chdan

[Guest guest]

Looking at Problems from a Different Angle of Vision -- His Holiness

Swami Chdananda

 

Sometimes a seeker will ask him or herself a question: Why is it

that a spiritual seeker seems to be plagued with so many vexing

problems, obstacles, hurdles and various complicated situations that

do not seem to be present in the life of a normal human being going

about his secular vocation? He may have some problems with income

tax or getting his child admitted in a proper school, but he does

not have too many deep problems and complications in the inner

dimension of his subjective life.

 

The answer is because spiritual life is going against the stream of

life. It is like the difference between a person swimming down

stream, going along with the current and a person swimming upstream

against the current. So naturally the person swimming upstream has a

great deal of counter-force to overcome, whereas the person going

downstream need not make much effort. They take the means of least

resistance, so flow along. This is an explanation of why you have

these problems.

 

You have set yourself a great goal, and to move towards it with the

minimum of difficulty, one method is to walk in the footsteps of the

great ones who have gone before.

 

They went the same way, lived the same life, encountered many

difficulties and attained the Goal. Follow the steps they took to

overcome everything until they reached the Goal. So contemplate the

lives of saints. Keep them as your ideal, see their life and draw

inspiration. Be guided by their wisdom teachings also. They have

given their life as an ideal, and they have left valuable pointers

through their own personal teaching and words of advice. We et all

these things from the lives of saints. So keeping the life of some

ideal saint as your inspiration and guidance is the wise method of

progressing upon this path.

 

A second method of sometimes dissolving what appears to be a big

difficulty, a hurdle on the way, is to look at it with a different

angle of vision. Say: " No, this is not a problem. This situation is

necessary for me. God knows my degree of evolution, where I stand.

At this point in my spiritual evolution, this is what I require in

order to learn many insights and to put forth my inner resources so

that I may progress further. "

 

This, therefore, is another way of looking at a problem. Welcome

it! " This is necessary for me, therefore, it is coming. Otherwise,

it would not come, if I go into a higher dimension or plane of

evolution, then such things will not come because I have already

gone beyond them. I don't need them. "

 

Thus, we take the problem not as a problem, but as an opportunity,

an occasion, to manifest whatever inner resources we have developed

up till now through our spiritual life and spiritual sadhana and

practice -- our dispassion, whatever we have learned. Now we have to

test it in the field. Therefore, the situation, the seeming problem

is giving us just that opportunity to test how far we are well

established in our progress. We take it as a challenge, an

opportunity to convince ourselves that we are well established in

whatever we have gained thus far -- we are not standing on a

foundation of sand, but of rock.

 

So, take everything in a creative attitude, in a positive and

constructive attitude. This is the way to keep up enthusiasm and

thus thrive in your spiritual life. See the inner value of these

situations; know that they are important and necessary and that we

can gain from them! May God bless us all!

 

Taken from Sivananda Bharathi, Spiritual Monthly -- April of A.P.

Divine Life Society, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh

 

Love and Love alone....

 

P. Gopi Krishna

Gopi Krishna <gopi