Try New Combinations, Be Creative in Life

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Try New Combinations, Be Creative in Life

 

A young boy left his home in search of truth. He met many people; he

became richer in awareness of his ignorance. Since people went to

forests to meditate, he too went to a thick forest. He did not know how

to meditate. So he screamed at the forest to give him knowledge. For

years his only mantra was screaming at the forest to give him knowledge.

He believed that if you are committed, existence will help you.

 

One day, a monk came to him. He asked: " What do you want, my

son? " " I want to know what the meaning of life is, " he

replied. " Go to the town. The first three persons that you meet will

give you the meaning of life, " the monk replied.

 

The boy went to the town. The first man he met was doing carpentry work.

The next man he met was doing sheet metal work. The third man he met was

making strings. Disappointed, he sat on the bank of a river. Suddenly,

he heard the sweet strains of violin music. Something mysterious touched

him. He suddenly got the answer he was looking for and he started

dancing.

 

The carpenter was preparing the wood for the violin. The sheet metal

worker was preparing metal for the strings and the strings were meant

for the violin. Life has everything; all you need is to be able to

connect the dots. You need to work out new combinations. And for that

you need creative perception.

 

You have to change the notion that difficulty is pain. In exercise,

there is difficulty but also joy. In sports, there is difficulty but

there is joy. In your relationships, when there is difficulty, treat it

as joy. Just re-programme your mind.

 

In prayer you don't have to do anything; just be available to

God's grace. Prayer is a deep readiness to receive God's flow.

It is passive alertness. Go deep and you discover your original

mind… it is deep passiveness. A greedy mind is richer than a Buddha,

but rich with desires and greed; so a Buddha is `poorer' than

you are. The Bible says: " Blessed are the poor for theirs is the

kingdom of God. "

 

When someone asked Buddha what he attained through his enlightenment, he

said: " I did not gain but I lost. I lost my ignorance, my dreams, my

dogmas, my likes and dislikes, my ambitions. "

 

You can live in two ways – mechanical or meditative. The meditative

way involves you being more aware; that awareness is passive alertness.

When you are passively alert, you will realise that you are born free;

you are not condemned to be not free. You have choices and that is your

freedom. When there is no freedom there are no choices.

 

Be more meditative and you will make the right choices that will make

you grow rather than feel trapped. Substance abuse is a bad choice. This

is a mechanical way of living. But the choice is before you.

 

If you choose wisely you are in paradise. When you are eating,

meditatively eat. Then eating will be a paradise. Totally be in your

eating. When you take a bath, be total in taking your bath and a

different paradise open up. Next, bring in love energy into whatever you

do… feel your inner being. With the energy of silence, be total. You

realise that you will be a moving heaven rather than a moving hell.

 

(By Swami Sukhabodhananda)