What Brings us down
There are strings attached to life. These strings either pull us in the positive direction or the negative one. The pull towards the negative territory is controlled by three major strings - jealousy, laziness, and expectation. These three factors are the creation of the mind and when we identify with the mind and act through the mind, we give strength to these. Love, on the other hand, tugs at the heart and through the heart we enter the realm of consciousness which takes us in the righteous and positive direction.
Jealousy, laziness, and expectation may be compared to the senses of sight, smell, and taste. The senses are closely linked with the mind. It is through the sense of sight that we lay eyes on what others have. The mind collects this information and does the rest through comparison with our situation and what we don’t have. When there is friction created by thinking about what others have and what we don’t have, sparks of hostility fly and the ensuing flame is jealousy which burns our peace of mind right in front of our eyes.
Laziness may be compared to the sense of smell. When we encounter a pleasant smell, we may get lost in that fragrance and everything else fades away and we become prisoners of that smell. Similarly, when we experience the “smell” of money, such as getting an unexpected windfall or inheritance it makes us lazy. The mind feels very pleasant and appears not to give us any trouble when it smells easy money. That thought pulls us down through the string of laziness.
Expectation is a form of greed. This is associated with the sense of taste. When the tongue experiences tasty food, the mind immediately reacts and wants more. Life offers many tastes, some good and others bad (all in the view of the mind which divides and identifies). We expect to acquire what feels good and there is an equal expectation of getting rid of what feels bad. A lot of energy and time is lost in thoughts of expectation, and when time is lost it is never regained. When we respect what we have, we will not expect.
The wise would say, look at the futility of keeping what you have from the thief of time. Why expect more when we know that even that will be lost one day. Instead of a loss, enjoying what we have is a net gain. Through that enjoyment, we gain the energy to work for the welfare of others. That overcomes laziness. When we are constantly working towards some good, our eyes will not be on others but on the work at hand, which helps us overcome jealousy.
When there is no expectation, laziness or jealousy what is left behind is generosity, righteous work, and gratitude. This takes us towards universal love and that is a powerful rope which we can always depend on. When we lighten our burdens by not submitting to these three negative strings, the soul pulls us in rather than us struggling to extract it from within.
Blessings to all
Swami Ponnurangam
Jealousy, laziness, and expectation may be compared to the senses of sight, smell, and taste. The senses are closely linked with the mind. It is through the sense of sight that we lay eyes on what others have. The mind collects this information and does the rest through comparison with our situation and what we don’t have. When there is friction created by thinking about what others have and what we don’t have, sparks of hostility fly and the ensuing flame is jealousy which burns our peace of mind right in front of our eyes.
Laziness may be compared to the sense of smell. When we encounter a pleasant smell, we may get lost in that fragrance and everything else fades away and we become prisoners of that smell. Similarly, when we experience the “smell” of money, such as getting an unexpected windfall or inheritance it makes us lazy. The mind feels very pleasant and appears not to give us any trouble when it smells easy money. That thought pulls us down through the string of laziness.
Expectation is a form of greed. This is associated with the sense of taste. When the tongue experiences tasty food, the mind immediately reacts and wants more. Life offers many tastes, some good and others bad (all in the view of the mind which divides and identifies). We expect to acquire what feels good and there is an equal expectation of getting rid of what feels bad. A lot of energy and time is lost in thoughts of expectation, and when time is lost it is never regained. When we respect what we have, we will not expect.
The wise would say, look at the futility of keeping what you have from the thief of time. Why expect more when we know that even that will be lost one day. Instead of a loss, enjoying what we have is a net gain. Through that enjoyment, we gain the energy to work for the welfare of others. That overcomes laziness. When we are constantly working towards some good, our eyes will not be on others but on the work at hand, which helps us overcome jealousy.
When there is no expectation, laziness or jealousy what is left behind is generosity, righteous work, and gratitude. This takes us towards universal love and that is a powerful rope which we can always depend on. When we lighten our burdens by not submitting to these three negative strings, the soul pulls us in rather than us struggling to extract it from within.
Blessings to all
Swami Ponnurangam
