Lessons on the road

Sitting on my desktop is a complete list of towns and cities in the UK. Some time back I resolved to spend a full day in each place, talking to the locals and leaving them with some thought-provoking literature as a token of appreciation. So far I’ve visited 204 different locations... only another 302 to go! Last week’s travels took me to Worksop, Daventry, Grantham, Huntingdon and Stratford-upon-avon. Every town has its flavor, and every day is unique. It’s quite a task to stop someone in their tracks, cut through the myriad of thoughts, penetrate the bubble of their life and begin a dialogue about deeper subject matter. Some people naturally tune in to the concept of ancient wisdom, while others are skeptical, uninterested and otherwise-engaged. Either way we always have a laugh, a smile and learn something from each other!

Amongst everything else I do in life, this simple and sublime activity is what I enjoy most. It reconnects me with my purpose. It’s where I feel at home. It’s a constant source of inspiration. I’m also appreciating, however, that the ‘not-so-inspirational’ activities in life are just as important:

• Inspirational activities (what we have a natural affinity for) - keep us positive, enthused and fulfilled.
• Challenging activities (what we fear and shy away from) – cultivate our internal growth, help us become prayerful, and are often humbling and grounding.
• Necessary activities (responding to the “need of the day”) - fuel the priceless spirit of sacrifice, selflessness and genuine concern for others.

Each activity brings an indispensable ingredient to the table. It’s important to balance the three elements for wholesome spiritual progress.

PS: The next major project is a fleet of “traveling temples” that tour the length and breadth of the country! If anyone can help me get hold of a van / mini-coach please get in touch!

Read more »

Digesting Life

How should we react to life’s challenges? To answer this question, a teacher once told his student to bring a cup of boiling water, a potato, some cotton wool and a bottle of herbs. The teacher plumped the potato into the cup. After some time the hard potato crumbled: “Some people become an emotional wreck and fall apart in difficult times – don’t be like this” he said. Next, the cotton wool was dipped into the boiling water. A few minutes later the soft substance had become solid and impenetrable: “other people become hard-hearted and emotionally indifferent – don’t be like this” he said. The herbs were then thrown in. Almost instantaneously a wonderful aroma began to emanate from the cup: “a few unique individuals use life’s challenges to bring out their best – be like this!” he concluded.

An interesting concept indeed. Sometimes we allow life’s challenges to overwhelm us. We become emotionally entangled and visibly frustrated. Not nice. On the other extreme, however, we may artificially erect a tough exterior and shut it all out. We resist the desire to react and opt to ignore. Facing challenges, however, is not just about gritting your teeth, disregarding emotion, and getting on with life. The external resilience will not cover up the internal unrest forever.

Undigested food turns and twists in the stomach; neither comfortable nor nourishing. Similarly, if we don’t internally digest life’s challenges, the emotions we neglect today will likely come back to haunt us in the future. Real tolerance is about good digestion. You accept what has happened, assimilate the events with spiritual insight, identify the lessons to learn, and let the rest go and move on. This approach liberates us from any negativity and helps us grow from the experience. The karmic law is all about character development.

Read more »