Wednesday, October 15, 2008

PURPOSE OF LIFE-BOND WITH GOD

PURPOSE OF LIFE-BOND WITH GOD

Once, a Rishi of forbidding appearance arrived at the doors of the palace. No one dared to stop him as he made his way right up to the throne on which the saintly Kind Janaka sat. "What is it you want?" asked the king.

"A place to sleep in this lodge, inn"
"There is no lodge . This is my palace."
"May I ask who owned this palace before you?"
"My father. He is dead."
"And who owned it before him?"
"My grand father. He is dead too."

"And this place where people stay for a short while and move on - did I hear you say it was not a lodge?" Have you taken birth to study, to get married, to get children, to earn for them, get them married, play with your grand children and die? Does human existence only sum up to work and money or a good name in society? "You have come here to discover love and a communion with God", says Sri Bhagavan.

Life is throwing at you problem after problem, so that you will learn these two lessons. However, you do not face them. Instead of confronting, you escape from the problem thus landing in a more severe crisis and going farther and father away from love and God. Only when you discover a bond with God, a personal relationship with Him/Her, you will be liberated from your Karma. This relationship is necessary not only for those few who have chosen spirituality as their path. You could be a student seeking a glorious future or a graduate searching for a job, a well-settled engineer or doctor, a housewife, businessman; it is you who need this relationship with God more than anybody else. Without this communion your heart cannot flower and you will remain forever the victim of Karma and suffering.

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Contemplative Questions

Here is a set of questions that would provoke you and put you through some soul searching. They are not about religion nor about ethics. They are merely about you.

They are not meant to serve as solutions nor are they meant to lead you anywhere. These questions are meant to serve as tools to discovering yourself.

1) Do you perceive the Presence of a benevolent force guiding, protecting and shaping your life? What name do you give that Presence? When did you best feel this Presence?

2) What is your opinion of God? Is your opinion drawn from religion, books, parents and or your personal experience of life?

3) Do you pray? Do they get answered? How often?

4) Do you think it is possible to relate to the Divine? What relationship would you opt?

5) Here is a story for you - Two fierce enemies once did a penance to placate god and receive boons vying with each other. God appeared to the first man and asked what he wanted. He said "give me twice of whatever you give my enemy". Then God appeared to the second one. Even before God could say anything he asked, "God, would you please tell me what my enemy asked for? On knowing his prayer request, he said, "then God, blind me in one eye."
Now what would you wish for yourself, your best friend and your worst enemy if God gave you a chance?

6) Have you ever experienced a coincidence or chance that seems to have involved so many people and factors that you can't stop wondering if a mastermind was behind this operation? If yes, do you savour the experience often and have you shared it with someone close to you?