P. 261 SGGS
Lekhe katah na chootiyai
Khin khin bhulanhar
Bashanhaar bakhash lai
Nanak par uttar.
Tudh bhavai tan bakhash leh
Khhote sang khare
Nanak bhavai parbraham
Pahan neer tare
If one tries to fix his karmas and find God, its is almost impossible to do so. Any righteous act that you will perform including the three Guru Nanak recommended - Kirat Karo, Vand Chhako te Naam Japo -honest living, charity and meditate on God's name, will no doubt generate ego.
Simply getting rid of the EGO is a task in itself. There is always a danger of having a feeling that I do / don't do ..., therefore, I am better than others. EGO can be so subtle that it becomes difficult to be recognised. In the later stages of spiritual life, one thinks that they have been very cautious and have no ego. The moment your mind tells you that you have no ego, believe that you have it.
When I was meditating everyday, I was upset with my husband because he wasn't. Somewhere in the subconscious, I was superior to him for that reason. It's only when the desire to meditate vanished for no apparent reason, that I realised that without God's grace one can't meditate, just because of their own effort. So I learnt to thank God everytime I have the longing to meditate and be one with God. This longing to meditate and to be able to meditate is a blessing, not a result of our own efforts alone. Without God's grace, meditation is merely a breathing exercise or an effort to control the mind's chattering.
As we are humans, we make mistakes all the time. Which of the past and present life karmas are we going to undo with our own efforts? Past life regression therapy deals with such issues. It takes several sessions to understand one aspect of a person's life and then more effort to accept things as they are and to forgive the perpetrator of the wrong deed. How many lifetimes would it take to undo all those Karmas that are a hinderance in your life?
You don't need to have done a certain amount of good deeds or to undo all past deeds to receive God's grace. You merely need to accept life as it is and be grateful for it. The most unfortunate event of your life might be the one that will actually highlight how lucky you are. It is generally when we are at the lowest point of our life that we think of God.
'Dukh Daru Sukh Rog Bhaya' is my favorite line of gurbani that has been so true in life.
Shalok, First Mehl:
Suffering is the medicine, and pleasure the disease, because where there is pleasure, there is no desire for God. You are the Creator Lord; I can do nothing. Even if I try, nothing happens. You are the True Lord and Master;
Your Praise is so beautiful. One who sings it, is carried across. Why praise God and how does the praise help carry one across? So what is the difference between God and the humans he has created. Everyone desires praise. I was wrong. God doesn't long for our praise. The true praise comes from the feeling of gratitude. (See a previous blog on Gratitude for more detail). When this feeling is generated, it expells the effect of all karmas, while we are feeling gratitude, and at this time you will have the Grace of God and a miracle will happen. Have you got any reason to feel gratitude towards God? I can only find a billion reasons, so far.
Lekhe katah na chootiyai
Khin khin bhulanhar
Bashanhaar bakhash lai
Nanak par uttar.
Tudh bhavai tan bakhash leh
Khhote sang khare
Nanak bhavai parbraham
Pahan neer tare
If one tries to fix his karmas and find God, its is almost impossible to do so. Any righteous act that you will perform including the three Guru Nanak recommended - Kirat Karo, Vand Chhako te Naam Japo -honest living, charity and meditate on God's name, will no doubt generate ego.
Simply getting rid of the EGO is a task in itself. There is always a danger of having a feeling that I do / don't do ..., therefore, I am better than others. EGO can be so subtle that it becomes difficult to be recognised. In the later stages of spiritual life, one thinks that they have been very cautious and have no ego. The moment your mind tells you that you have no ego, believe that you have it.
When I was meditating everyday, I was upset with my husband because he wasn't. Somewhere in the subconscious, I was superior to him for that reason. It's only when the desire to meditate vanished for no apparent reason, that I realised that without God's grace one can't meditate, just because of their own effort. So I learnt to thank God everytime I have the longing to meditate and be one with God. This longing to meditate and to be able to meditate is a blessing, not a result of our own efforts alone. Without God's grace, meditation is merely a breathing exercise or an effort to control the mind's chattering.
As we are humans, we make mistakes all the time. Which of the past and present life karmas are we going to undo with our own efforts? Past life regression therapy deals with such issues. It takes several sessions to understand one aspect of a person's life and then more effort to accept things as they are and to forgive the perpetrator of the wrong deed. How many lifetimes would it take to undo all those Karmas that are a hinderance in your life?
You don't need to have done a certain amount of good deeds or to undo all past deeds to receive God's grace. You merely need to accept life as it is and be grateful for it. The most unfortunate event of your life might be the one that will actually highlight how lucky you are. It is generally when we are at the lowest point of our life that we think of God.
'Dukh Daru Sukh Rog Bhaya' is my favorite line of gurbani that has been so true in life.
Shalok, First Mehl:
Suffering is the medicine, and pleasure the disease, because where there is pleasure, there is no desire for God. You are the Creator Lord; I can do nothing. Even if I try, nothing happens. You are the True Lord and Master;
Your Praise is so beautiful. One who sings it, is carried across. Why praise God and how does the praise help carry one across? So what is the difference between God and the humans he has created. Everyone desires praise. I was wrong. God doesn't long for our praise. The true praise comes from the feeling of gratitude. (See a previous blog on Gratitude for more detail). When this feeling is generated, it expells the effect of all karmas, while we are feeling gratitude, and at this time you will have the Grace of God and a miracle will happen. Have you got any reason to feel gratitude towards God? I can only find a billion reasons, so far.
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