Monday, December 17, 2018

How to please the Lord




How to please the Lord

To be born a human is a rare blessing which comes only after numberless births and deaths in other species. It is only after being born human that a Jiva can attain to higher values of the spirit and finally to  Mukti. Strive as long as the body lasts for the final goal, liberation from the cycle of transmigration.

Place yourself as willing instrument into the Lord’s hands. This life is not ours but His All of us are like bullocks in the field with a rope through our noses. We move only as He decides who holds the rope-end in His hands. Only   He decides every moment of our life, which is not ours but His . Protect it therefore carefully as His and don’t forget it. We are only puppets with limited understanding.This life is not our own. Never forget to carefully protect it as His own. We have no separate existence.

There is no SAMSAR for those who serve you, o Lord. The time wheel (past, present, future) holds terror only for those who dont seek refuge in You. In truth the Jiva is God, Lord of all things. He enjoys the world of the senses which the Antaryamin manifests, but from this enjoyment he falls into ignorance and starts holding the body for the self, becomes attached to it and suffers the Samsara torments. Embroiled in Karma he wanders in transmigration from body to body, life to life, death to death and reaps the fruits of his actions .The bondage of Samsar ends when the spirit ceases to be attached to sense objects. Use the body to serve Me, your speech to describe my glory, surrender heart and soul, mind o me,renounce every desires for my sake. That is Bhakti Yoga. Who concentrates on Me, totally excluding all other thoughts, contemplates on Me continuously will quickly come to Me. Success in Dhyan comes when we feel that the Lord is verily in front of us, in our heart and the sole actor. Do everything in the living presence of Lord Kusumhara. Chanting His Name is as good as associating with Him. Just as storms blow away clouds so does His holy Name disperse clouds of worldliness. A mind which constantly thinks of Him dissolves into Him.The highest Dhyan is  when His Name is taken full of love. Consider every second as valuable as an age. Spend all your time in Nama Japa. By filling ourselves with love for Him we lose Egoism, Kama, Krodha, Ahamkar. Determine to get Him – try for it. NAME will first burn away all Karmas and then take us to Him.When a devotee lives solely for the Lord then he is a real Bhakta. Such a one becomes extremely restless and miserable at the slightest lapse in the remembrance of God. Only when every activity, mental and physical, is centred in God and His service can it be said that we are totally devoted to Him .He chooses is people and the time He wants to cidclose who He isHis people and the time He wants to disclose who He is. 

The cause of our present misery is our want of constantly feeling His Nearness. Once we experience it it is supremely pleasant, giving  highest bliss and supreme joy. We always  have the eternal ecstasy in our heart but chase after unreal, slight pleasures which bind us into births after births. Undying joy is our natural inheritance. The real purpose of life is to revive our dormant love of God. He will choose His people and the time He wants to disclose who He is in a wider sphere. We are only puppets with limited understanding.This life is not our own. Never forget to carefully protect it as His.

Lord Krishna (Gita, 9th discourse, V1): I dwell in pure minds of the high-souled ones who have sincere devotion  for me. Thy control he senses and steady their minds. Thakur: Make your desire to get me stronger and stronger. All of you are playing in my heart every hour day and night. You are verily my springs of joy. What will sustain Me if I leave you? The Lord cannot remain even for a moment away from his devotees He makes His nearness felt in many ways. Who surrenders totally finds immense Bhakti and experiences Him directly in bliss. He attains detachment  from sense objects and Samsar.Bhaktas see all beings as equal, as part of themselves. They renounce attachments, hate none, are celebate, keep silence and see the Lord in all things everywhere. Understand that all works are the Lord’s works, every minute our thoughts, deeds must be seen as His.

The Ego becomes effaced in self-surrender. Surrender is a real offering to the Lord which pleases Him immensely.The most sublime religion is uninterrupted flow of heart and mind towards Him. Have always the Lord before you in all actions. Determine to get Him. Try for it. When fire is not constantly fanned dross will settle and may extinguish it. Likewise keep the fan of love for Him aglow and strong by making Him our constant companion in thoughts, words, actions. Ever look forward to his appearance. Our principal work here is to love Him. Success in Dhyan comes when we feel  that the Lord is doing everything, is verily in front, in the heart and aware of all my thoughts. Deep longing must be permanent. Strong must be our hope and faith. God cannot remain even for a moment away from His devotees. He makes His nearness felt in many ways. Even mentally uttered  words are heard by Him. For such He has a special liking.
The method of liberation is Bhakti.No moment of our life is in our hands. We are deceived thinking that we are the doer. Hold no longer the body for the Self. Through Bhakti everything can effortlessly be attained. He is only waiting to bless His Bhaktas. See all beings as equal, as part of themselves, they renounce attachments, hate none, are celebate, keep silence and see God in all things everywhere. Establish a close relationship with Him. Success in Dhyan comes when we feel that He is doing everything, is verily in front of me, in my heart and aware of all thoughts. Once the Ego is gone we are no longer an individual but consciousness, formless. It is the Ego that gives name and form. The 1st factor in Prema is humility, thinking one’s self low. Only those who forgot the own self are true lovers. Chandidas “count true lovers – you will find one in a million. Only those who have forgotten the own self are true lovers; Place yourself as willing instrument in His hands, neither grieve nor desire anything, behold the Lord equally in all beings, be His servant, have no own desires, rely totally on Him . Once we have no more material desires we actually received Lord’s mercy. Our work is to destroy the Ego in order that Atma, which we don’t know may be freed from the Ego-prisonhouse. All things other than Atma are delusion, have no reality of their own. As long as we don’t actively seek Atma’s true nature he remains hidden in Maya’s darkness .

Until our hearts are full of love the Lord of love will not come to us. We must live in love, live for love.Unless one loses the Ego happiness, real happiness can never be enjoyed. Who realizes that he exists not for his own sake but for the Lord is sane. All things beautiful belong to Him alone and have to be dedicated back to Him. Treat Him  as best friend, He is always anxious to do us good.There is none like God who understands the secret behind your peace and suffering and has the power to remove and  respond as soon as you are crying for help. The wind of His grace is always blowing but we have to unfurl our sails to catch it. In contemplation we are in spiritual contact with the unchanging light and become cleansed of all impurities. That vastly potent light of purity and love touches the soul and cleanses it of all shortcomings in the fire of divine love. That is Lord’s grace upon the soul in meditation. Identification with the infinite immortal Atma makes absolutely fearless. Strangle every thought of deficiency, imperfection, weakness, inferiority.
Love, pure and transcendental develops divine Bhava , creates a divine atmosphere in our hearts and it is only then that the Lord manifests Himself in our heart. There is none so kind and full of bliss as He. To hear about the Lord, to imbibe His message and follow is the unloosening of the Karma-screw.  Spiritual life means constant awareness of Lord’s presence within and without, ceaseless prayer, yearning and deep love for Him. By gradually becoming selfless one’s own property – the Lord – can be brought within reach. Live according to His ideas, desires and bear always in mind that He it is who occupied our mind, body and is guiding us. He plays through me, speaks through me. To have Him is the have the entire world.
What oil is to the lamp that are devotees to the Lord. They make Him who is otherwise not to be seen or known apparent. The purer, brighter they are the closer they are to Him.The Atma remains hidden in the darkness of Maya as long as one does not actively seek its true nature.Attachment for outward forms of Maya made us forget  our  Self as the Supreme Self and remains covered within just as we see the skin, colour and shape of a fruit and not the inner substance. We must see the Lord in all things around us, and seeing Him in them, serve Him. Feel ‘I am His, He is the owner of this instrument (me), of everything. Live always in Atma Bhavana, extend the circle of love, be devoid of Self-esteem. Who has Bhakti has already attained all Purusharthas. If He, whose instruments we are, does not take us up in His hands and sounds the instrument it can’t produce a sound. Man is powerless, a mere puppet . Understand that all works are His works. Every minute our thoughts, deeds, must be seen as His. Live according to His ideas, desires and bear always in mind, that it is He who occupied mind, body and guides us. He plays through me, speaks through me – we have no separate existence.
Lord Krishna advised Uddhava as follows:
“Become His creature with mind and soul. When we love Him He will never leave our heart
 for He stays where  He gets joy .Offer your life to Me and you will find unwavering Bhakti me,
 who am the eternal one.
Worship Me with all your heart and simply think of Me as being your own, your sole support. Then you shall be
 the greatest of my Bhaktas. ’

15th November 2018
Ruth Baur

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