Guiding Light: Four Things That Stop You From Blossoming

You are caught up in life. Why is it that you cannot see reality as it is? What holds you back? You are moving every moment towards the grave! Every moment is turning you into ash! Yet, you cannot see the reality, which is so obvious. Because you crave pleasure (sukha) and are afraid of sorrow (dukha), everything should have logic, though faith transcends logic, and you are obsessed with the feverishness of desire and are greedy for some achievement.

Pleasure, pain, logic and feverishness for desire—these four reins pull you back. Even after experiencing different pleasures in life, a human being thinks there is still more pleasure to be had somewhere else. You know from your own experience that every pleasure has been so momentary that it has left you empty-handed, depleted, and drained. Yet one hopes for more pleasure, some unknown, unseen pleasure.

Duhkha, or sorrow, is another hurdle in knowing the truth. What sorrow are you afraid of? What is going to happen to you? You have passed through many stumbling blocks in life, which you thought were impossible to survive. Yet, you remained untouched by any of them. Nothing could shake you. It appeared to have shaken you at that moment, but later, you found that you were as complete as you were before.

And then there is desire for more and more. You are burning in the fire of desire, and this does not allow you to relax in the peace of your being. Unless you let go of the desires, you can never find peace or rest in divine love. Love is the process of dissolving, of giving, of offering, and of serving.

Some people do service also to gain something in return, to have some wish fulfilled. If you do service to gain some merit, it is not service. Many people serve and want their name to appear somewhere. It is like paying an advertisement company! Wanting to get something holds you back. Your love and devotion do not flower. You belong to the Divine. Do you think the Divine will not take care of your pleasures, concerns or desires?

Let go of desires, only then will you blossom. If not for something outside, we start getting impatient for spiritual siddhis or perfections. Wait for the blossoming to happen within you. Every bud takes its own time to bloom; you cannot force a bud to become a flower. This is the manure by which the rose of love will blossom. When you blossom, you will find Satya.

Follow and be with the Truth or Satya. Be with the existence. The word ‘sat’ is the same for truth and existence in Sanskrit. It is not just about speaking the truth but expressing truth in your whole life. You are in the moment; express this moment. That’s why three things are said: satyam bruyat, speak the truth; priyam bruyat, speak the pleasant truth; and satyam priyam hitam, do speak beneficial truth.

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