Empower yourself

The things that are happening in your life are not random events. They are the immutable unfolding of the karma of the lifestream which you have selected. You selected this lifestream because these were the experiences that you needed in order to grow spiritually.

Our True Self, the chitta, is the awareness within, the awareness that existed before this body was formed and which will continue to exist after this body perishes. Our True Self is a tendril of awareness from the Universal Consciousness, present in this body to experience the maya (illusion) of the material world.

This awareness has probably been around for a very long time and has experienced incarnations in  multiple physical bodies. Each incarnation is for the purpose of learning how to cope with the challenges of the maya. The purpose of incarnation is to learn to resist the lure of the material world. When the chitta has learned to disentangle from the maya, it will no longer be drawn to this world. Then it will no longer need to incarnate and will be liberated from this cycle of birth and death.

There are four paths to liberation. Each of these paths offers a way to disentangle from the maya.

• The path of bhakthi offers emotional fulfilment. Become devoted to any point of focus, be it a deity or any other physical manifestation. Devote your life completely to serving the needs of that focus. Then you become disentangled from everything else.
• The path of karma offers mental/emotional fulfilment. Dedicate yourself to selfless service. Wherever you choose to serve, offer your service with no thought about reward. Then you become disentangled from the things happening around you.
• The path of njana offers mental fulfilment. Strive to understand the illusory nature of the world. When you can see that the things happening around you are simply maya, then you can disentangle from them.
• The path of kriya offers total fulfilment. Learn to meditate, focus inwards and realise who you truly are. Then you are no longer entangled with the things happening around you.

One does not have to choose between these. It is quite alright to follow all of them to different levels of accomplishment. If you get satisfaction out of offering prayer, at home or in a place of worship, do that. If you feel good offering your services in a voluntary organisation, do that. If you yearn to know more and read good books or listen to inspiring speakers, do that. If you are fulfilled by sitting in silence and contemplating or meditating, do that. Do any or all of them to whatever degree that you are able to.

Understand that most of what is bothering you is in your mind. You are either lamenting the past or worrying about the future, neither of which you can do anything about. Very likely, right now, at this very moment, you're actually alright. So live in the present, accept the circumstances you are in as necessary for your growth and cope as best you can.

Give that a try. You'll be amazed at the results.

Sadhguru Says