Soak into the Present🔗

It was raining heavily and we were stranded in the midst of a dense jungle. I was worried and my Master looked at me and asked, ‘What is it that is bothering you?’

I replied, ‘Master, if it continues to rain like this, it will be difficult for us to go down the river tomorrow to the town downstream and catch our bus back home.’

He looked at me and said, ‘What a fool you are! Just look around you. Just see how nature is dancing in ecstasy; the rivers brimming with overflowing energy, the rapids rolling over each other joyfully, the trees making royal arches across the river, the whirlpools swirling to glory and the trees, hundreds of years old, guarding the beauty of the nature majestically.’

I said, ‘But’, then I opted to stop mid way. He continued, ‘All you can think, all you worry about is what will happen tomorrow. Everything around us is enjoying every second of its existence. Every single leaf, every single drop of water, every single insect, everything is soaking into the present. Everything is immersed in the blissful energy, every single thing except us, humans.’

He paused and looked at me with His piercing look. I asked innocently, ‘Master, isn’t it good for us to plan a little ahead?’

He smiled at me and said, ‘Chronological planning is not wrong but worrying about the future is wrong. Chronological planning hardly takes any time but we keep on worrying if we can execute what we have planned. That worrying is wrong.’

‘Just plan the plan but don’t scan the plan for its success,’ He continued, ‘See the rain around you. See the trickling drops of water around you. See the beauty around you. In the midst of your so called 'planning', you are missing this wonderful play of nature. You are missing this wonderful opportunity to tune into this extraordinary energy field because you are worried about tomorrow.'

For a while, nobody spoke except the rain, except the crickets, except the croaking frogs. I broke the silence, 'But Master, aren't we supposed to take precautions against what we think may disrupt...'

He stopped me mid-way and said, 'There you go. You think that something will disrupt 'your' plan. You think that something will not go according to 'your' plan. You think that 'you' have planned something good for everyone and something will spoil it.' 'But I do need to take precautions. That is how I have always planned. I have been trained to provide for contingencies.' I blurted out.

'You see, you are continuously thinking about 'you'. You think you can control everything. You don't even know if you will survive to take the very next breath. How many contingencies will you provide for?'

He continued, 'This present moment is what matters now. You plan, that's it, just plan. Then follow the process of that plan as you have developed. Don't keep looking back through the rear view mirror, while you are driving forward. If you keep worrying about where and how you will reach, based on what has so far happened, you will miss the present moment. You will simply miss the present moment that is so beautiful. Soak into the present moment. Soak into the energy around you.'

I was soaking in what He was saying.

'As long as we follow the right path, wherever we end up, that will be the right destination for us. What is important is to enjoy the path. Most of the time we are so stressed out in trying to reach a destination, that we do not enjoy the journey. What a waste of life! Look at those trees; see that flowing river. We, our bodies, are just specks of dust in front of them. Feel that energy around you and you will see that we are that nature itself, that energy itself. We think we can change things to suit our convenience. We would like to make life work the way we wish. No. That will never happen. We cannot control anything. All we can mind is our own mind. All we can do is to live life the way it unfolds. If you see and live the present moment and you will be in bliss.'

Front Flap

‘When a Master knows that everyone is caught up in the web of ego and if a Master is so compassionate, why doesn’t the Master reach out to everyone?' I enquired.

Master explained, ‘A Master is a master surgeon. A master removes a tumor called ego. A patient should first realize that he has a tumor, only then he goes to the doctor. That is why a Master waits till the patient arrives.’

Rear Flap

‘Master, there is so much of negativity around us in the society that we live in. There is so much of corruption, bribery and misuse of power… There should be something that we can do, isn’t there?’ I asked Him questioningly.

He said just three words, ‘Transform yourself first.’

‘In history, every revolution or freedom has ended in a dictatorship. He who seeks to transform others ends up dictating others. No social transformation is possible without individual transformation.’

Rear Cover

Each day, we wake up to new problems, new challenges, and new realities. We feel overwhelmed, stressed, uncomfortable, and depressed.

Why is the world so unjust? Why do people far less qualified than I get on famously in life, when I don’t?

Why are corporations singled out for unethical behavior? What makes people different when they run companies?

When I feel I can love the world at large, why is it so difficult for me to love my colleague?

When a Master appears, many of these questions are answered in silence. He does not need to speak. Questions dissolve into answers and confusion gives way to clarity.

A few disciples of Nithyananda recreate the inner process of silent dialogue that unfailingly resolves their doubts. You too will benefit from this process.