Good Words

One of my fellow monks is an extremely prayerful person. He has regular stories of the reciprocation and interaction that comes from conversing with God. Though inspired, I personally find it difficult to pray.  It usually feels unnatural and artificial; probably a combination of my impersonal character, hard-heartedness, lack of faith, and general life philosophy of “work hard and be practical.” Someone, however, recently offered me an interesting antidote – “pray for other people” they said. Whether a friend, family member, work colleague, or even a stranger you meet for the first time, just stop for a few moments and sincerely pray for something that will help them in their life. I began to try. Unconventional as it sounded, I could immediately appreciate the power of this approach on many levels:

• Personal level – Rather than being critical, judgmental or aloof, we evolve into selfless agents of positive change. Since prayer invokes divine intervention, we are not simply observers of the world, but can make a difference, even to people we have very little physical contact with. In such moments of noble prayer, we rise beyond self-absorption and forget our own difficulties.
• Relationship level – Taking the time to deeply contemplate someone’s life transforms our relationship with them. We learn to see beyond the external chaos, appreciating that everyone is a pure soul trying to break free from material entanglement. Prayer helps one to connect with people on a deeper level. 
• Social level – When a group of people form, each one sincerely wanting the others to excel, it creates a unique spiritual energy. That unity, fellowship and genuine warmth helps them to achieve their goals and transform the world. Prayer brings people together.

It reminded me of how Swami Prabhupada would sign off his correspondence with “your ever well-wisher.” His prayer was completely selfless; a natural consequence of his incredible compassion and concern for all. Saintly persons are said to feel another’s pain as their own (para dukha dukhi). Just as we spontaneously attend to any ailment in our body, they are spontaneously impelled to relieve the suffering of the general populace. Even if we fall short of that pure stage, we can still institute the process of selfless prayer as a vehicle to developing deeper sensitivity, which is so integral to spiritual advancement. After all, we find ourselves by thinking of others. Try it out this week – take a few quality moments to sincerely pray for the wellbeing of someone else. And if you’re finding it difficult to identify someone, you could always slip in a good word for this struggling soul. :) 

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Mission Impossible

People have a romantic idea of spirituality: escape worldly distraction, access higher states of consciousness, and settle into an internal serenity. The dedicated (and honest) practitioners, however, will frankly admit that it doesn’t always work like that. There are good days and bad days. Sometimes we experience a sweet pleasure from simple and sublime spiritual practices. On other days, however, it feels mechanical, burdensome, monotonous and uninspiring. Thousands of thoughts whiz through the mind and disturb our focus. But if spirituality is so natural, why does it sometimes feel so artificial? If we are connecting with our true nature, why does it seem so alien?

Before reaching spiritual maturity, one goes through the stage of anisthita bhakti – unsteady devotion. Here, the ebbs and flows of enthusiasm and dry patches are inevitable. The great spiritual preceptors therefore recommend that one take vows, committing themselves to a regime that will sustain their progress over a lifetime. Honouring vows in the early stages is easy since there is freshness and novelty. Honouring those promises in the mature stage is effortless since there is natural attraction and relish. In between, however, spiritual life can feel like a taxing struggle - freshness has worn off, and the ‘higher taste’ is a distant reality. This interim zone is the proverbial graveyard of numerous sincere spiritualists; they started, but just couldn’t continue.  Fear not, however, since this is also the zone where the beautiful principle of commitment can shine through. The depth of any relationship is proportionate to the commitment shown – husband and wife, friend to friend, parent and child, guru and disciple… and also the individual soul and God.

Spirituality is about experience, taste, inspiration and feeling. But another major aspect is too often neglected – discipline, duty, determination and doggedness. There is much to be said about “getting on with it,” despite how you feel. If we could fortify this unglamorous aspect of our spiritual life we could grow to unimaginable heights. The vows of the great saints were like lines in stone; once uttered, there was no question of retraction. Their vows were planted in the heart and watered for many years, eventually manifesting wonderfully sweet fruits. Thus, this point of commitment should become a deep meditation. Spiritual life is undoubtedly a joyful process, but, uncharacteristic as it may sound, we may have to shed some blood, sweat and tears to make it work. Difficult, but not impossible.

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