Aloha Beloved Ones~
Given the current state of the world that we live in‚ there is a lot of room for fear‚ anxiety & depression. It is no surprise that one in 6 Americans take some kind of psychiatric drugs including antidepressants‚ anxiety drugs, sedatives‚ sleeping pills & antipsychotic medication.
Here is an excerpt from my new book‚ Feel Good Now ~ How to Feel your Best & Have your Best to Give to shed Light on this topic. I hope that it brings you peace & comfort‚ to have & to share!
Love & Blessings~~Angel
The Cosmic Surgeon
There are two approaches that are needed to feel good now on a consistent basis.
One is to implement the practices that help us to rest in the peace that is our very own True Nature and is the substratum of our existence.
The second approach is to remove the disturbances that interfere with the experience of that peace.
One thing that can hold me back from feeling good now, if I am not very careful, is being upset by all the cruelty in this world.
It is incomprehensible to me how people can be so cruel to other people, to the animals, and to our precious Mother Earth.
This has been a major source of disturbance to me.
Here is a very recent example of a situation that I allowed to deeply disturb my Peace.
I am a partner in conscience, with Amnesty International, which is an organization that works very hard to abolish torture and to replace darkness with Light.
It came across my computer screen that a young man in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes in public, for blogging.
This young man did not commit rape, or murder, he simply had a blog that encouraged free thinking and free speech. In my code of ethics, blogging is not a crime, but flogging is.
I signed the petition to have this sentence lifted. I made a monetary contribution to the cause. I posted it on my Facebook page asking my friends to sign the petition, as well.
I called the Embassy recommended by Amnesty International to make my voice heard, literally.
I prayed with all of my heart, might and Soul to God for the enlightenment in consciousness to lift this sentence from this young man.
After all that, even though Amnesty International was able to obtain a lot of signatures to put an end to this cruel torture, it came across my email, that the first 50 lashes of this cruel sentence were carried out, and that it was scheduled to continue every Friday until the 1,000 lashes were complete.
When I read that, I felt sooooo sick. I went to the Waterfall and just started sobbing in such deep sorrow.
I sobbed a Waterfall of tears for that and for all of the ignorance, cruelty and suffering, in this world, that that torture represented.
If you are anything like I am, I imagine that the cruelty in this world disturbs your peace, too.
So, how do we return to our peace, and stay rooted in it, when we live in such an insane and cruel world?
What can we do to abolish this cruelty and replace it with lovingkindness?
Seeking the answers to these vitally important questions has been a deep source of inquiry for me.
I started asking my Beloved Gurudev these questions, from many different angles, from the age of 16 until he left his physical Body Temple in 2002.
I will now share with you what I have found out from years of inquiry, with the hopes that this understanding will help to bring you peace.
Here are the Teachings that Swami Satchidananda gave me to shed Light on these crucial questions.
Gurudev often transmitted his Teachings by telling us stories. These stories have served as guiding Lights for me since I was 16 years old. I still refer to them now to regain my peace, and often share these stories to bring comfort to my friends and students.
First, he told us the story about when there was a car accident and a doctor was called to the scene. Upon seeing the bloody injuries, the doctor fainted.
Then, another doctor had to be called to the scene to administer to both those injured in the car accident and to the first doctor.
So, Gurudev said, “If you want to be effective in whatever your service may be, you must be sympathetic and compassionate, but still keep your balance and peace.”
When I allow myself to get upset by the cruelty in this world, I am just adding to the suffering here, rather than alleviating it.
By keeping my peace, I have my full faculties available to contribute to the solution, rather than adding to the problem.
When I remember this, I do my best to keep my peace no matter what, because I recognize that that is the most beneficial choice.
The second story that Gurudev told us was about the Cosmic Surgeon.
He said, “Imagine that you came from a remote place and you had never heard of surgery. Then, you walk into a hospital and you see a man cutting off the leg of a small child.
If you had never heard of surgery, this would, of course, appear to be very cruel to you. But, if you understood surgery, you would understand that the surgeon was amputating the leg of the child in order to save his life.
So, even though it appeared to be cruel, if you understood surgery, you would know that there was benevolence behind the surgeon’s action.”
Similarly, Gurudev said, “God is the Cosmic Surgeon. He is sticking in the knife which appears to be cruel, but if you understood Cosmic Surgery, you would know that there is benevolence behind it.”
Gurudev went on to say that until you can understand Cosmic Surgery, you have to go on the faith that there is benevolence behind it, even though it does not appear to be that way.
Now, at this point, I want to highlight that this does not mean that we should not do everything within our power to alleviate suffering as Divinely guided. It simply means to do your best and trust in the rest.
I have found that taking refuge in this Teaching helps me
to be more peaceful. When I am more peaceful, I become more effective in fulfilling my Swadharma (Divine Purpose).
“It takes a great deal of courage to see the world in all of its tainted glory, and still love it.” – Oscar Wilde
I later received an email from Amnesty International stating that the lashings to the young man in Saudi Arabia have not been carried out for the past 12 weeks due to the mounting pressure and outcries from the International community. This is a glimmer of hope, for which I am deeply grateful. It is evidence that our thoughts, prayers, calls, and donations do, in fact, make a difference.
God bless Amnesty International and all who are contributing to the efforts of abolishing torture, worldwide.
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Living a purposeful, Dharmic life is the foundation for truly feeling your best and having your best to give!
