Urgency and Acceptance: The Path to Progress

Urgency and Acceptance: The Path to Progress

Dear friends, 

There is a story about Shuka who was sent by his father, the rishi Vyasa, for instruction to the sage-king Janaka. It is said that Janaka asked the palace guards to make Shuka wait outside for three days, and during this period Shuka waited patiently and calmly without feeling any anger or resentment for the treatment. After this, he was invited into the palace with due respect and led to Janaka who asked how he could be of assistance. 

Shuka told Janaka that he wanted to learn how he could possibly remain steadfast in focus while being surrounded with so much luxury and comfort. Janaka promised to answer his question but said that he had some urgent business to attend to. He suggested that Shuka look around the kingdom, however there were two conditions: Shuka had to complete the tour within the stipulated time and also carry a pot full of oil on his head, ensuring that not a single drop was spilled. Upon return from the tour, Janaka was pleased that indeed not a drop of oil had been spilled. He then asked Shuka what he discovered during his tour. Shuka replied that he could really not tell as he was preoccupied with caring for the pot of oil, afraid that the oil might spill out. Janaka then asked him if he had the answer to his question. 

Revered Babuji gave us an important definition of wisdom. He said, “Live as if you are going to die the next moment.” Reading this for the first time, we go through so many emotions. The first thing is that we are reminded Urgency and Acceptance: The Path to Progress death is inevitable; if we knew it was coming the very next moment we would focus only on what is most essential. 

Revered Babuji gave us an important definition of wisdom. He said, “Live as if you are going to die the next moment.

Let us say you plan to undertake a long road journey. The knowledge that you are going to be on the road for a long time might make you decide to invest in a reliable car with comfortable seats. Now let us suppose you get the idea then to invest in a trailer that could provide more comfort on the move: you could have a comfortable bed, a washroom and even a shower stand. In fact, you could have a mini-kitchen installed that would take care of meals. Then someone tells you that you could also get a good entertainment system for the times you would want to sit back and relax. Very soon you are lost in a myriad of choices and possibilities that would make your journey ever more comfortable. So much so, that you could actually forget all about the purpose of the journey in the first place: your destination. 

There is a real risk that in your attempt to secure a comfortable journey you end up considerably delaying it, or worse, never actually embarking upon it. And having spent so much time and energy on the vehicle, how do you feel when you finally have to leave it behind? Are you ready to move on, or do you want to stay in the vehicle to roam around, just to justify the investment you have made? 

In the above example, if we knew that time was short, would we not choose differently? It is a strange thing that man is constantly worried about his future, but when it comes to what is seemingly a distant future, he almost tends to  be in a state of denial. As Revered Chariji used to say, death becomes a certainty the moment we are born. In fact, the longer we live the closer we are to it. Yet it would seem that the longer we live the more we are convinced of our own immortality. 

So wisdom is in spending a life with utmost vigilance, in order to maintain a high level of purity.  

When the moment of death is right in front of us, what do we think about? Is it the most essential thing, or do we wish for this and that in life? Would we then crave to attain name and fame? Would we go on with what we know to be shameful acts? Would we show off our riches, pray for worldly possessions, and find ways to evade death? Even if God did grant an extension of 24 hours to our life, what would we do with it? While these are no more than speculative thoughts, the end could come at any moment. So wisdom is in spending a life with utmost vigilance, in order to maintain a high level of purity. This can be done by keeping our attention towards the pot of oil as Shuka did, reminding ourselves that the journey is only meant to carry us to the destination. For this we need to live consciously. 

There is a joke I would like to share with you here. A beautiful young girl was going skydiving for the first time, and unfortunately, due to turbulence, she fell out of the plane before securing her parachute. An elderly gentleman jumped out straight after her, and managed to reach her and hold on to her arm before opening his parachute. They both landed safely and without any injury. The young girl was from a very prominent family, so the elderly gentleman was hailed by all as a hero. But he was not at all happy about the situation, grumbling to the pilot, “Who pushed me out of the plane?” 

Was he a willing hero? No, he had no intention of jumping out to save the girl. He was an unconscious participant. Most of us live our lives in this way, unconsciously doing things that other people push us to do, and as a result we reach the end of our life without any direction or preparation for what is to follow. Heartfulness practice teaches us how to move away from this unconscious lifestyle. In meditation, we progressively feel each new moment of consciousness, leading to a purposeful life and a purposeful death. 

Heartfulness practice teaches us how to move away from this unconscious lifestyle. In meditation, we progressively feel each new moment of consciousness, leading to a purposeful life and a purposeful death.

The question arises: what is that pot of oil in our life? What can remind us to remain steadfast in our focus? The answer lies in a sense of urgency: the urgency that Shuka must have felt to complete the task without spilling a drop of oil. Going through the process would have no doubt been difficult, painful even, but it is very much like an uncomfortable journey that makes us want to move on without lingering for too long. When Babuji was very sick or when Chariji was on his deathbed, those moments again triggered a tremendous sense of urgency in us, compelling us to think, “What if …?” 

Viewed from this perspective, it is the sense of urgency, the trials and the discomfort that ensure our purpose, rather than the state of settled peace that we tend to crave. Urgency seems to open up a spring of wisdom in us, but this sense of urgency to complete the journey seems to be at odds with the state of acceptance. If we accept our circumstances and are at peace, how can a sense of urgency remain? 

It is the sense of urgency, the trials and the discomfort that ensure our purpose, rather than the state of settled peace that we tend to crave. Urgency seems to open up a spring of wisdom in us. 

There is a Chinese tale that tells of a mother cat that wanted to teach her little one how to catch fish. The mother took the kitten to a pond full of fish and said, “Let us see how many we can each catch.” Both of them found a spot, set up their fishing rods and waited. As nothing seemed to be happening, the kitten looked up and saw a dragonfly dancing in the air, as if inviting him to come and play. The kitten began chasing the dragonfly but could not catch it and it soon flew away. By the time he returned, the mother cat had caught a big fish. The kitten worried that he would lose the challenge and began thinking about fishing again. Soon a very pretty butterfly came flying around, and its wings were most enticingly colourful. The kitten simply had to catch it, so he went round and round chasing the butterfly, which too managed to fly away. When the kitten returned, his mother had caught another big fish. He then asked, “How come you have managed to catch two big fish, while I haven’t even caught one?” His mother replied, “If you keep going after dragonflies and butterflies, if you are always of two minds, how on earth will you catch a fish?” Much of the day passed and the kitten realized that it would soon be dark. So he sat down, determined not to budge. In time, he felt a tug on the fishing rod and, lo and behold, there was big fish ready to be caught.

 The sense of urgency, the possibility of returning empty-handed, propelled the kitten to finally endure the process of waiting with rapt attention, and this eventually led to success. In the life of an abhyasi, each meditation brings about a finer and subtler condition and a new level of consciousness, by the grace of the Master, but the inability to appreciate what has been given results in the gaze wandering away towards dragonflies and butterflies. The result is similar to Chariji’s analogy of putting a pot of water on the fire for a minute and taking it off, then putting it on again and taking it off, because nothing seems to be happening. Only sustained heating can result in boiling water. The processes of boiling water, waiting with focus, and carrying a brimming pot of oil and not allowing it to spill, are essentially processes of urgency, discomfort and waiting. Had Shuka not waited patiently, he would have returned empty-handed, perhaps with resentment instead of wisdom. Unfortunately, it can be said that the very means by which progress is ensured are often resisted by us. 

In the life of an abhyasi, each meditation brings about a finer and subtler condition and a new level of consciousness, by the grace of the Master, but the inability to appreciate what has been given results in the gaze wandering .

Babuji describes this so simply in the chapter ‘My Pain’ in his book Voice Real. He says that many of us pray for speedy progress, but the moment the conditions for speedy progress are created we start praying for them to go away. Given this resistance, common to all, it is to the Master’s credit that progress happens. It is an extreme balancing act where we are progressively challenged but not overwhelmed, encouraged but not indulged, helped but not forced, all in a constant and tireless attempt to ensure the maximum progress possible. 

Imagine the possibilities if we could cooperate, if we could re-wire ourselves to accept and maintain a state of urgency? 

We would embrace a state of restlessness instead of seeking respite. 

Such a state of restlessness arises only with surrender. 

Such surrender is only possible with trust and faith in the Master. 

Such trust and faith is built up by the reassuring experiences we have along the way. 

Such experiences come about only if we practise as prescribed. 

When faced with trials and tribulations in life, if we could go through them rather than trying to avoid them, precious time would be saved. The way is this: whether in our practice or in life, accept and make peace with the state from which we desire relief, while continuing to do our best in a state of surrender. Acceptance is not about returning to a state of rest, but instead nurturing a state of mind where we have made peace with unrest and discomfort. With this attitude, if we can remember Babuji’s words and know that the end can come at any time, we will be all the more anxious to go through whatever is required in order to swiftly arrive at the highest that can possibly be. This triggers an onward march, where we repeatedly find that every time “hills bend, streams wind and the pathway seems to end, past dark willows and flowers in bloom there lies yet another village.

Acceptance is not about returning to a state of rest, but instead nurturing a state of mind where we have made peace with unrest and discomfort. 

Imagine a state where a sense of urgency and the attitude of acceptance co-exist. Somewhere in between lies the magical solution. May this state be granted to all the aspiring seekers of the Truth. 

With love and respect, 

Kamlesh Patel 

22nd January 2018, Basant Panchami 

On the occasion of the 145th birth anniversary of 

Pujya Shri Lalaji Maharaj 

Kanha Shanti Vanam