2. Trust Brings Bliss

Desires or hopes cause us much heartache. We spend so much of our time and energy chasing them that these desires control our life. Not only that, religion and society control us through our desires by the use of guilt.

Desires, if they are unselfish, deep, and pure, have the potential to become fulfilled. True desires rise from the core of our being and benefit the world and society at large. They have an underlying degree of common good for others. Such desires have the support of the universe which will bring in the energy needed to fulfill them.

Most of our desires however, are selfish and selfcentered, arising from greed or jealousy. When such desires remain unfulfilled, we become angry or depressed. On the other hand, if our desires are realized, the happiness wears off quickly, so we continue to chase more desires, hoping to find fulfillment again.

Our list of desires is endless. The truth is many items on the list are borrowed from our family, friends and neighbors. In other words, we want something because we see someone else with it. When our borrowed desires are realized, we experience guilt because we don't really need them. Desires which are born out of jealousy, guilt, greed, lust, or envy, take a heavy personal toll. Even when these desires are realized, they leave us feeling unfulfilled. They sap our energy and leave us swamped with guilt.

This guilt is an effective tool in the hands of religion and society. They are quick to penalize us by naming these guilt feelings as something deeper: sin. According to the church, sin is a divinely punishable offence. Our search for an antidote to our guilt takes a large amount of energy, leaving us tired.

The truth is that guilt and desires are labels of our mind, just like the labels people give us throughout our life: doctor, wife, husband, son, daughter-in-law, or friend. Society and religion wants us to believe that we cannot survive without these types of identities.

Over centuries, society and religion have put a system in place which survives only when it has followers; it does not need leaders. The rules are rigid and strict obedience is extracted. The rules gradually erode our self-confidence until no spirit remains. We merely cling to the system out of fear of hell.

In order to change this dependence on society, try this small experiment. For today, do not worry about what others are thinking about you. The truth is that they are in turn worrying about themselves and what others are thinking about them! So just for today, do not worry about them. Do not try to imitate anyone. Just be what you are without any fear of anybody or anything. Just have faith in Existence and your connection with it and Be.

You will see: This will connect you to your inner Being. Learn to trust it and become sensitive to higher life. This trust will eventually bring joy and eternal bliss: nithyananda!