transformation 101

Transformation through Love
This phrase has stuck in my mind and a dear friend who is an older brother too, advised me to write of things which are happy, of pleasant things rather than letting people, incidents affect me and in the heat of the moment write nastily which was against the grain of my nature.
I wonder whether the goodness people see in me is there or is just an illusion, a mirage which when one comes close to will disappear.
Remember the mist/clouds which gently touch one cheeks romancing taking one to another plane. Well as they say I am, rambling. Just blame it on the increasing years. Coming back to my original thought love is a mystery. We all have experienced it in some sort of way at some point of time, hit by Cupid’s arrow and feeling that one cannot live without the other. Well, sorry to disappoint you folks not talking about the chemical reaction or the crazy rush of adrenalin which gets the heart pumping and fuzzes one’s mind.
I am talking about love, the intense love for God. The most ancient traveler in the world is love, Swami Rama often told his students. This great Indian mystic, yogi said that bhakti is the intense love for God. It is a deep yearning to experience love in its purest and highest form to unite with that which is eternal and unchanging. We are forever engrossed in our worldly relationships, especially our near and dears. WE do not love others for their own sake but rather for the Divine Self that resides in them. In fact, the ancient practice of namaskar was started; as it was a salutation where one was bowing in respect to the One’ness which resides in the other’s soul.
The only way we can transform one is through the three stages aptly classified as the honeymoon phase, the desert phase and the state of surrender and grace.
When one gets married, we all go through the perfunctory period taking off to celebrate the union by a honeymoon where we explore each other’s mind and all is rosy , dewy and it seems the world is colored by whatever rainbow color you fancy! Similarly, the path to God is the same where the initial rush is the same where we experience love, sensations of joy light, upliftment and inner peace. It seems the world changes for the better and we face the inner sweetness which resides in us. This transition is always with external help, be it a teacher who is essential and it would be foolish to say one can do it by themselves. This is also the period where there is a danger that one’s ego will supersede or be supreme. Quite, a catch-22 situation, a juxtaposition of humility and ego-rise.
The beauty in this phase lies that we offer whatever we can externally to HIM. There is no need to suppress ourselves. This is via prayer, rituals associated with worship. Sufis dance and abandon themselves to Him. Those swirling dervishes become one with him, and awaken their anhad naad. Some read, write poetry. Do not be deterred every step brings you closer.
One prays chants, meditates, contemplates and does jaap of mantra. Prayer is of two kinds, one which is egocentric where we focus on path which will for us .Remember , all those deals made with God when examinations were approaching, the Prasad at the temple, the extra coconut ,. We actually end up bribing him so that the result in the future is in our favor, Well stop, doing this, pray genuinely. A heart felt prayer which comes from within. This prayer is sacred, beautiful pure and innocent. Do not laugh and say innocent… how does this fit in? When we pray for strength to face our problems and to solve our day-today problems with a calm balanced exterior. Such prayers are always answered. Mister Eckhart Tolle, said,” if the only prayer you say in your entire life is Thank you’, that would suffice. So say thank you, it doesn’t cost much, gives a smile and if it is heartfelt and again you are the winner!
Chanting helps one to rope in those wayward thoughts and emotions which keep on running helter-skelter and you think one is going through a perpetual state of PMS.Contemplation is what keeps us going on this path, we need to continue to exercise those grey cells to discriminate, to separate otherwise the vortex of emotions suck you in and you cannot move to the next level. Jaap, is important as this repetitive recitation of the Holy Scriptures, words at a fixed time and at a designated place is what grounds us. It is the gravity which keeps us grounded. None of us want the honeymoon phase to end, but hey nobody said living life was going to be easy. Where do you think all those smart, funny lines came from? As one walks this path we suddenly are faced by the desert where you wonder whether you will ever see the light. It is the point where one wonders whether all the seeking will ever bear fruit. Anguish, despair is the sign of the times and one is tempted to give all up and take the easy way. But, trust the maker; he sure has bigger plans for you.
This is all due to faith which carries you forward .Remember faith can move mountains. A student once complained to his teacher that the manta was not working. The teacher replied, just do your work and let the mantra do its work. It all happens on a subtle level, no electric billboards flashing the signs like a Las Vegas strip! Pawan Bal a sikh by birth but swears by the carols and the prayers she learnt knee high in England. It is not important what you say or what your religion is, it’s the faith which carries you forward.
Rupali Singh, swears by the fact that doing her path albeit in hindi but reading the Sri Guru granth Sahib shows her the way every day. Thus progress is there and that is what matters. The vehicle to the destination is immaterial.
In the end we experience the sweetness, the true flavor of the honeymoon stage but now it is grounded by knowledge because we have faced our inner demons, the darkness which threatened to engulf us, drag us down and have moved forward to gain wisdom, strength and compassion. Compassion is the true meaning of this transformation. This is what is lacking in this world and causing strife at all levels. Dr. Kalkat , quotes from the famous line “Aval Allah NOOr uphai, kudrat ke sabh bandei”. The crux of love is to realize that God is love and that these divisions, demarcations are all figments of humans to rule better. Religious divisions, caste based lines are a blot to humanity. We need to go beyond all forms and merge into oneness.
This will allow us to act in the world with greater balance, stillness and with more clarity and love.
It would be fruitless if there is light awakened in one but the practice is not there. Simple, practice it in your daily life with your loved one, the person at the door, the sweeper and of course the hired help who are always there to make our lives easier. Human love is grasping, clinging but divine love helps us as we start doing self less seva . Just remember to be kind to others and to greet them with humility. This grace is the biggest change and it can come only in the form of forgiveness from within.

Ravneet sangha