“The man who believes that in times of joy he is happy,
And that in times of sorrow he is sad,
In the eyes of such an ignorant person,
Joy and sorrow appear to be different from each other.”
- Banarasidasa

Joy arises in our lives, and disappears. Sorrow arises in our lives, and disappears. Really they are just situations, things that pop up for us because of our actions from the past. Really situations will just pop up because that’s the way it is, that’s the law of the universe.

How we see a situation arising and whether we fix an emotion to it - that’s our doing. That’s based on our very own ignorance that “this thing is good” or “this thing is bad”. “I like this” or “I don’t like this”. Likes and dislikes, attraction and aversion, raag and dwesh, attachment and hatred, pulling to and pushing away from. This constant fix that we get from labeling situations as positive or negative - this is all due to our ignorance, our misidentification with our body rather than who we really are - the soul.

Look at yourself. Seriously, take a long hard look at yourself, and tell me what you see. What are you? What are you made up of? How do you identify yourself? Are these identities causing you to become captivated by certain things that make you want want want? Are these identities causing you to push away certain things that make you feel sad or cause you pain?

The ignorant person will think joy and sorrow are two separate things. The day will come when you realise that joy and sorrow are one - just the same thing - and that they really don’t mean anything at all.

“If there be righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.
When there is order in each nation there will be peace in the world.”
- Sathya Sai Baba

We currently live in an age of doom and destruction - that’s just the way it is, and it’s going to get worse. The only salvation that exists, is to simply observe the situations as they pass, and express that purity that resides deep within your heart. It’s that effortless expression that will have a knock-on effect on all that matters to you and the world around you. Honestly, it’s not so much about having peace in the world - it’s about having peace in YOUR world.

So there’s stuff going on in the world around you could make you feel angry, or even crap and useless. Re-channel those negative thoughts by delving deep within yourself, discovering that purity, and sharing it with the world. That’s your role, that’s your part to play in the ‘war against terror’.

“That day will come when you can be with your partner with no guilt and no blame, no anger, and no sadness. That day will be wonderful when you can be completely open, only to share, only to serve, only to give your love.”
- Don Miguel Ruiz

For the intimate relationship that you’re in at the moment, or the one that you want to welcome into your life, do you realise that the more open you are, that it will open within you a depth of experiences that you’d never previously imagined possible?

Try it now. Try it right now with the love of your life. Try it right now with a friend, a family member, a colleague or someone within your community. Try it right now, pick up the phone, send out that email, write a letter, or have an open honest conversation with them over a hot drink. Do whatever it takes to right here, right now, begin the rest of your relationship with just one, that’s right, just one moment of open, honest, effortless expression.

How’s it working out for you?

“The secret of gratitude is to stop focusing on what you do not have, and shift your consciousness to an appreciation for all that you are and all that you do have.”
- Dr Wayne W Dyer

Thoughts really do become things. What you focus your attention on, you get more of. By paying attention to something, it means you attend to it - you be with it, you sit with it, you welcome it and you embrace it.

Appreciating all that you are and all that you do have, will lead to more of that in your life too. When you appreciate something, you simply raise it’s value. The more you appreciate it, the more of it that arrives in your life.

So take stock of all that you are and all that you do have. Have you noticed moments of fun and playfulness within you? Appreciate that. Have you spotted moments when you’ve expressed deep love? Appreciate that. Have you noticed moments when you’ve been so happy that nothing could knock you off from that place of peace? Appreciate that. Appreciate it all, raise it’s value, and welcome more of it in your life.

What three things do you appreciate the most in your life right now?

“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike - each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”
- Buddha

Those painful moments you experience in your life, others do too, to some degree or another. Those painful moments you experience in your life that stay for a few moments and disappear, others have those too. Those painful moments you experience that feel like they’ll stay with you forever, yet eventually disappear, others have those too. Just as pain enters your life and departs at it’s own pre-determined time, it happens for others too.

So when you see someone else in pain, you may not need to say a word - simply be with them, and observe how their pain shall eventually pass, just as it does for you. Just be with them, and help them stay strong and grounded while the situation resolves itself. This is compassion - to recognise the temporary nature of things, whilst being respectful to the fact that for those who are suffering, it appears to be a very real experience for them.

“The wise man, in times of plenty and in times of misfortune,
Stays the same,
As the Sun, whether rising or setting,
Retains its ruddy lustre.”
- Banarasidasa

Pleasant experiences will come and go. Unpleasant experiences will come and go. That art of living in sansaar, in this world, in this life, is to simply observe those situations, relationships, and material objects that arrive into our lives and vanish just as quickly. Observe them coming in, use them where you need to, and let them flow out. All things come and go. Even this moment, right here, right now, shall pass. What’s the point of becoming miserable by trying to hold on so tightly? What’s the point of being scared about what’s coming next in your life. All of it will come and go. The Sun, whether it’s rising or setting, will continue to shine. Have you found the light in you that continues to shine regardless of what’s going on around you?

“The fewer things you must do in life,
The fewer things you own, manage or are responsible for,
The fewer are the stresses that accompany them.”
- The Little Book of Calm

Constantly we get caught up in over-accumulation. Owning and hoarding more things than are ever necessary. What are the various roles and material objects that you own right now?

There is a story of a man who walked around naked everywhere! The community accepted it but the social norm stated that he had to wear something. So a man from the community gave him one set of clothing. However, he needed two sets of clothing for when one got dirty! Then he needed another if they took long to dry and if the one he wore became dirty! The mice would nibble on them so he got a cat, the cat needed milk so he got a cow, the cow needed grass so he bought a field, then he needed people to work on it so he employed them. Five years later he returned all of it to the man who gave him the set of clothing! He was better off when he was naked and had a simple life!

Drastic example, perhaps, but this is precisely what many Jain monks in India do. They give up all possessions, even their clothes, and only own a bowl to use when washing themselves. The more you own, the more your thoughts are focused on taking care of your possessions, of protecting them, of saving them from being damaged or being stolen. But you are not your possessions - these are all temporary things that arrive into and escape from your life. Take a deeper look inside - who are you? What is permanent, and what is momentary?

“Love is strength! Use it. Don’t stay in a relationship through fear. Question the fear, challenge it and turn it into love or bring the love back.”
- Hiri Kothary

The concept of breaking a relationship doesn’t exist. You cannot ever remove yourself from a relationship. No matter how loving or hurtful a relationship with another person may have been, your interactions with each other would have placed an imprint on your soul.

This very imprint is what will bring you both back together again at some point in the future, whether in this lifetime or a future birth. What are your most challenging relationships right now? What can you do, this very day, to strengthen the quality of that relationship so that any future interactions you have will be of joy rather than hurt?

“Many people are waiting for prosperity, it cannot come in the future. Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now, is true prosperity.”
- Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

True prosperity, as Eckhart puts it, is very much gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now.

At the same time, money and riches will come in the future, and they will go too, over and over again. That’s just the way it is. The fruition of the karma you have bound in your past determines when riches will come to you and when they will go. That’s just the way it is.

So in your life, don’t get so caught up in fighting to receive money. Rather than getting frustrated and binding paap (bad) karma, focus your attention on doing the work that binds punya (better) karma, that in the future brings you the opportunities for your further development. These opportunities could very well be financial riches, getting exposed to useful situations, or even the right people arriving in your life at the right time.