65. *God is loving, not terrifying*
# *God is loving, not terrifying*
Most of us pray with fear to God. You can see mothers telling their children that if they don't do certain things, God will get angry with them. These statements take root in the child at a very young age, and give them a wrong concept of God. This is the conditioning that you give your child at an early age. When they grow up, they face serious dilemmas because of this. Instead of embracing Existence with love and gratitude, they stand apart from it with respect and fear.
Religion, if followed out of fear, will not take you anywhere; it will not pave the way for a transformation to happen in you. You might progress materially by the faith that you have in your asking, but you will remain where you are at the being level. The purpose or real fulfillment of life can never happen on the material path; it can happen only at the being level. People who undergo what is called depression of success will be able to relate to what I am saying in a better way. We have discussed depression of success in the earlier sessions.
Religion has to be followed out of deep love and gratitude for the divine or Existence. Although society teaches you to worship God in the name of fear, I tell you: never do it. Always pray with love and gratitude towards the divine.
A small story:
A Sufi Master, Junnaid, used to pay his gratitude to God five times a day.
One time, he and his followers were wandering through some villages where Sufism was not accepted as a religion. In the first village, people accused them of begging, and threw meagre alms at them.
The next day, in the second village, the people refused to give them any alms.
On the third day, the village they passed through was so hostile that the villagers drove them out with sticks and stones.
That night as usual, Junnaid knelt down and offered his gratitude to God.
His disciples were watching him. It was too much for them. They could not understand why Junnaid was thanking God. They were furious.
They cried out, 'Master! For three days we have gone without food! Today we were even driven out of that village like dogs! Is this what you are offering your gratitude for?' Junnaid looked at them and said, 'You talk about three days of hunger! Have you thanked God for the food you have received for thirty years? And know one thing: my gratitude is not for receiving or not receiving anything. It is simply an expression of the deep joy and love in my being. It is a choice-less and prayerful expression, that's all.'
When you live with overwhelming gratitude in you, you have found a space wherein nothing else is needed. It means that you have fallen into meditation. Then, you will not worry about anything else. You are on the right track. Your mind is no longer a hindrance to your growth; your mind has disappeared. The mind cannot step in when you are brimming from your heart. When there is no space for the mind, where will discontentment come from? Discontentment cannot come from the heart. It is purely a product of the mind.
Awaken to the beauty of Existence
Your mind always stands between you and Existence. It prevents you from hearing, seeing, feeling and emoting with Existence. Once you go beyond your mind and see the beauty of Existence, gratitude will become your prayer and bliss your being! You will then enjoy liberation and permanent joy!
When you drop the mundane logic of your mind, you will flow like a river – choicelessly, effortlessly, joyfully with the flow of the current. You will then play your role and enjoy every moment of it. You will then understand that you are a part of a wonderful drama, where the more sensitive you are to the director, the more effectively you can play and enjoy your part!
When you go against the current, you need to put in effort and exercise choices. When you go with the current, you don't need to make any effort; you will not feel tired; you will not feel frustrated; you will only feel a flowing lightness! Everything will then appear beautiful.
A small story:
A man was on a cross-country train.
He spent all his time in the observation car, watching the passing scenery outside.
An elderly lady was seated next to him and he told her that the best part of the journey was the breathtaking scenery outside.
The lady shook her head, sat for a while looking out of the window, and left.
A little later, the lady came back, sat for a short while looking out of the window, and then got up and went.
After some time she came again and this time she sat behind him.
After a few minutes, she tapped him on the back and asked, 'Excuse me, but do you see something that I don't?'
We simply miss the beauty of Existence! We are always looking for reasons to enjoy, reasons to celebrate, questioning what we enjoy, and what not! We have lost our connection with Existence altogether because of this.
Instead of feeling gratitude towards everything around us, we are asking and questioning all the time. We need to get back this connection with Existence again. Gratitude can help bring back this lost connection. It can help you find your roots once again. It can help you commune with nature, with Existence.
A small story:
A man prayed very hard in a temple one day, 'Oh Lord! Please give me 1000 rupees for 15 days. I am very desperate to receive it. I will return the money to you on the 16th day from today when I get my first paycheck.'
The temple priest was listening to his prayers.
He felt very sorry to see the man in that state.
He had with him 500 rupees. He put it in an envelope and gave it to the man saying that God had asked him to give him the money.
The man was overjoyed. He took the envelope home and opened it.
He counted the money and saw that there was only 500 rupees and not 1000 rupees.
The next day he went to the temple and prayed, 'O God! Next time, please don't send the money through the priest; send it directly. He took half of it.'
We take everything for granted and remain discontented!