Reluctance

In my younger days, I served as foreman for the Ananda Construction Company, building houses in California. I loved that job because I enjoyed the physical work and the camaraderie that came from being part of a cheerful, hard-working team of fellow devotees.  Naturally, some were more skilled than others at particular tasks, but it was the ethos of our crew--to each be willing to do whatever was necessary to get the job done, whatever the task, and with no regard for status.    

Sometimes a new worker didn’t share our joyful “all for one, one for all” approach or shirked the more challenging assignments.  Such fellows didn’t last long and as foreman of the crew, it was my responsibility to deal with them.   I would test new workers by purposely assigning him a particularly disagreeable task, but after first letting him work alone for a short time, I’d jump in to help and we’d complete the job together.  If he showed good spirit and was willing to do any job cheerfully, we accepted him as part of our crew.  If not, he didn’t last long.   

I was reminded recently of those long-ago days when a distasteful assignment landed on my plate. “Oh no, not again!” I thought, “Why me?  How can I get out of doing this?  Maybe I can find someone else to do it.”  As the days passed, I found myself becoming grumpier and grumpier in direct proportion to my unwillingness to accept what life was asking of me.   On top of that, the mere thought of the project completely drained my energy. 

Finally, I remembered building those houses.  I wondered, “Might God be testing me like I tested those new workers?  Maybe this is my karma coming back to me.  Am I willing to cheerfully do any job assigned as I had expected of others?  Maybe God is with me right now, waiting for the right moment to help?”    

Nothing in life is accidental; that which comes to us unbidden is ours to resolve.  The question is, “How are we going to receive our assignments, reluctantly or with joyful enthusiasm?”  God’s grace is available to all who are willing to receive it with a cheerful and enthusiastic attitude. If we respond positively, we find energy flowing through us.  That’s the best way to invite God’s help to overcome all circumstances whereas reluctance is the surest way to stop the divine flow.  If we can honestly say “Yes,” with a positive spirit and be willing to do our best, circumstances have a mysterious way of arranging themselves to our benefit.  If we are reluctant and avoid what the Divine Foreman asks of us, we close the door to Grace and remain unhappy, with little energy and entangled in our karmic challenges.

Walk With Beauty

One of my favorite prayers comes from the “Blessing Ceremony” of the Navajo people, the largest tribal nation in America. 

With beauty before me I walk. With beauty behind me I walk.

Wiith beauty below me I walk. With beauty above me I walk.

With beauty all around me may I walk.

Through the returning seasons, may I walk.

On the trail marked with pollen, may I walk.

With dew about my feet, may I walk.

With beauty all day long may I walk. 

“I Walk with Beauty” is a timeless message that expresses the importance of living in harmony with nature, one’s neighbors, circumstances, and most of all, with oneself.  It is to walk the pathway of life in a state of grace rather than in disharmony and spiritual “dis-ease”.  

Many years ago, I had the good fortune to meet Swami Satchitananda, a direct disciple of the great Master, Swami Sivananda.  He was a friend of Swami Kriyananda and loved “word-play.”  He enjoyed reminding his audience that the life of a perfected yogi is one of “ease”, of being balanced, harmonious and in a state of grace. Such a life comes naturally when we transcend our little self, the ego.  In contrast, the worldly man’s life is far from “ease,” filled as it is with tension caused by worries, fears and a focus upon “I, me and mine.”  Such a life is one of “dis-ease,” of troubles, ill health, conflict, and emotional pain.  In other words, to live outside of an awareness of God is to live in the world of disharmony, tension and stress.  

Stress is our modern world’s pandemic manifesting as mental, emotional, and physical tension.  Though we all experience stress symptoms, few realize that its root cause is not found in our challenges, nor in our daily struggle with circumstances. We can never be “at ease” so long as we seek fulfillment in the ever-changing world outside of ourselves.   To focus upon our own cares and personal concerns in isolation from a larger reality is to inevitably live in a state of spiritual tension between the downward pull of our little ego and our soul aspiration for perfect freedom.

The best cure for stress is to adopt those attitudes and practices that expand our sympathies from limitation toward something larger than our little selves, toward something divine and beautiful.  

Tips to Overcome Stress

·      Recognize and accept what “IS” rather than mentally wishing for circumstances to be other than they are.  Stress springs from resistance or a wish for something to be other than it is.  

·      Embrace life with willing enthusiasm.  Cooperate with it.  Circumstances may be neutral, but they are not random.  Life has arranged itself for a karmic, divine purpose to help us grow toward freedom. 

·      Have faith. This is God’s show and we are His actors.  The Divine Director is behind the scenes, benevolently guiding us according to His plan. Our job is to play our roles well as God’s instruments, non-attached and in the consciousness of His presence.  

·      Practice meditation. Meditation is the supreme tool for transcending ego consciousness. Only in transcendence can true rest be had.  

·      “Keep the body fit for Self-realization!” Exercise, proper diet, cleanliness of mind, and healthy habits of living are vital for reducing stress and tension.