Imagine a freshly made pickle – it’s sharp and intense. It has all the ingredients that a ready-to-eat pickle has but lacks the mellow taste. As it ages, it matures into something truly delicious. In the same way, when you gain knowledge, you may have the answers to many situations. But there are rough edges to your personality. You may speak words of wisdom. You are not living them.
You know you should exercise, eat healthy food, and be unselfish, but the challenge is putting that knowledge into action. You get distracted by the allure of instant pleasure. This gap between what you know and what you should do is not insurmountable.
Becoming wise is a journey. It involves three phases. The first stage is shravana, gaining information, like reading a book or watching a video. The second phase is manana, reflection, thinking, contemplating on these ideas, experimenting with them. Finally, the third phase is nidhidhyasana, living them. This is when you truly transform into a better person. The intake of knowledge is easy, reflection takes effort, but applying it in life is the real challenge.
You may have lived with the attitude of taking, feeling a sense of separateness from people and focusing on fleeting pleasures. Consider a different approach – the joy of giving, loving others, and rising to emotional thrills and intellectual delights. You will grow into a remarkable personality. The final plunge is to the spiritual realm. You will then see the futility of worldly pursuits, and not be carried away by the glitter of transitory joys. You will seek infinite happiness and reach Enlightenment.
Long before you take on the world, you must win against your deadliest opponent – you! You have imposed limitations on yourself. You worry about failing, and do not even consider the possibility of winning. Using golf terminology, you have lost your swing.
Find purpose. What are you living for? Life cannot be just growing, getting a job, going on a few vacations, growing old and dying. In the end you want meaning in life. More zest, energy, vitality. You want to wake up excited, with a thirst for life you haven’t felt since childhood.
The world is a projection of your mind. Change your thoughts and your world changes miraculously. The same world in which you felt insecure, vulnerable and threatened, now becomes a secure, welcoming and warm environment. All it requires is a slight change in attitude.
Everyone wants happiness. The ignorant seek and obtain trivial, finite ends. A few people visualise the transcendental and worship God. They are of four types: those who want to enhance their wealth. The distressed seek solace. Others are curious. But the jnanis, the wise, excel. They seek permanent happiness and reach Enlightenment. So, embrace the journey of transformation, and you will discover deep, lasting happiness in your own heart and soul.
For Bhagwad Gita webinars by Jaya Row every Saturday 6-7pm IST online on YouTube, WhatsApp 9820138429 to register
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