.....Silently Patiently for the Divine is Meditation'
- Swami Akshara
'Manaha Trayate Iti Mantraha' - A Mantra is that which saves the mind. Whenever my mind goes into a sudden flurry of anxiety about not getting something it wants, these words of Swami Akshara just flash as if a solid support was provided from nowhere. The words of the Guru, in whatever language it may be, are Mantras.
Waiting, most often with patience, has come naturally to me and when I found it a problem and refused to learn, circumstances enforced it upon me. Waiting to pay fees, waiting in the bank for withdrawals and deposits, waiting in a bus shelter for a bus to come, waiting in traffic traffic jams, amid vibrating two-wheelers and smoking buses, waiting in Government offices while working on news stories to meet officials playing truant, waiting in meetings for the seemingly endless speeches to get over, waiting quietly to meet the people I want to meet....
Waiting has taught me the most important lessons of life. I am reminded of a joke I cracked at a function on Meditation. I was sharing the dais with six other speakers at a seminar in North India. The speakers were from all parts of the country and each took off, unmindful of the pain they inflicted on the listeners, with their long speeches. Seated on stage and with my turn to speak just following, I did not have the freedom to walk out as did several persons among the audience. Amusing myself, I nudged my friend and said, "One need not do any Yoga. Listening to all the speeches for three hours without any complaint can lead one to instant Mukti."
Jokes apart, I realised that when caught in situations of waiting, if it happens without complaints, without sulking - all those long hours can be converted to precious moments for meditation on the person speaking, on the situation trapped in or on anything I can lay my mind on at that moment. Waiting is Zen.
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2 comments:
Very nice post indeed.
The first step towards spirituality is patience right ?!
Yes Ganesh. It is the first step, the last step and all the steps in between! So fast you have read it. I finished this post, got back to give a small news item on my intranet, and came back to see one comment.
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