Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2011
15:29:47 -0400
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Under the Umbrella of Money
From: Tapeshvar
Baba
Yet in this era of materialism, people mostly take shelter under worldly, transient entities, thinking that this will bring lasting happiness and fortune.
Some think that "My uncle is president", or "I have a lot of money", or "I am tops in my class", or "I am very famous", or "My family is very prestigious", or "My house is very strong", or "I am very beautiful" or so many things people think.
They foolishly believe that if any problem comes then it will be solved by this way: Via this petty shelter. They reassure themselves and take shelter in their own mundane cocoon.
The problem is that when your shelter is not permanent then how can it save you.
JUNGLE ANALOGY
If you venture out into the wild with your domesticated kitty-cat for protection and all around you there are tigers, lions, grizzly bears, and alligators, then it is silly to think that your kitty will save you. That is an ignorant and senseless idea. That kitty does not have the capacity to save you.
Similarly in today's world, people are taking shelter in inadequate ways. Bound by materialism, people seek out worldly possessions (money, cars, houses, and jobs etc) and fleeting qualities (beauty, status, youth, and qualifications etc) for their shelter. They think that will save them when life becomes difficult.
Yet such worldly entities and qualities will never be able to rescue them in their hour of need.
Sadly, by the time they realise that what they took shelter in is not safe, then it is too late. Already their body has become old and decrepit and there is little they can do in the way of sadhana. Just they are left to their fate.
That is the story of so many these days.
As we have all heard, last week or so, a high-profile, billionaire designer & entrepreneur in the tech industry breathed his last.
We should all review the case of the late Mr Steve Jobs. When he got sick and suffered from cancer, all his money could not save him; he left this material world and all his money stayed behind. He had every worldly quality and advancement at his disposal, but still that materialistic shelter was fleeting. Here is not the matter that he was good or bad. Only we are examining how one cannot attain lasting peace and happiness through mundane means, no matter how much wealth one has.
Taking shelter in money, prestige and power is no safe-haven. Mr Jobs was a talented engineer with billions of dollars to his name, but in the end none of that could bring him lasting peace. Each and every waking day he would dedicate his all to his cherished business pursuits. That brought him millions and billions in terms of mundane wealth, but was a big zero in terms of attaining an eternal shelter.
Yet so many dream of becoming the next Steve Jobs, as if that material success will bring them eternal peace and lasting happiness.
We should take this as an opportunity to reflect and recall that money - and indeed no worldly attribution - can save us from the rigours of time. These worldly things cannot provide us with an eternal shelter.
Even then, nowadays people knowingly and unknowingly bank on the fact that their money, or house, or prestige will save them. They may not say this openly, but by their actions and thought-processes this is quite evident.
So we should all take a moment to reflect. How far have the insidious ways of materialism invaded your mental space. How much do you rely on your job, connections, house, and money for "safety" and "assurance", and how far do you really trust and rely on Parama Purusa.
Here we have to be careful because theoretically many feel they believe that "everything is Parama Purusa and that I am living under His shelter", but practically speaking, in their daily approach this feeling is non-existent. They may say "Baba is my shelter", but by their actions it seems they believe in something else. So a certain degree of honesty is needed, otherwise one is just befooling oneself.
This is what we should all reflect on - because nothing in this material world can save us. Better we should truly realise this now before it is too late.
As we know, developing surrender for Parama Purusa is the greatest quality in life. That is the best - and indeed only true shelter - in this universe.
Baba says, "You are all intelligent boys and girls – you should fully understand this truth, and remember that whatever the scriptures you might have read, the most important thing is sharańágati, taking shelter in the Lord. Just as the little child seeks safe shelter on the mother’s lap, similarly each and every microcosm, each and every devotee finds a safe haven on the lap of Parama Puruśa, and thus they are crowned with victory. This is the supreme truth. May you all be blessed." (Subhasita Samgraha-12, Where There Is Dharma There Is Iśt́a, and Where There Is Iśt́a There Is Victory)
By taking shelter in Him, then one attains everything. That is the only pathway to lasting peace and eternal bliss.
Here below Baba gives us further reason for sheltering in Him and not any materialistic object or endeavor.
Baba says, "Everything requires a base; if life does not have a strong base, it is disrupted by an ordinary storm. Brahma is the strongest base." (Caryacarya, Part 2, "Sadhana", pt #5)
Baba has blessed us and brought us to His lotus feet. We should all be cent-per-cent certain that we do not drift from His sacred shelter. We must rely on Baba and no material entity.
Following the path of materialism is nothing but to waste one's life in fleeting pursuits. Yet so many, sadhakas included, get drawn into this world of maya, especially in this present era.
May we all cultivate the habit, by His grace, to always take shelter in Him. There is no other way. Failing to do so means wasting one's life and falling into a grim abyss of hopelessness.
We should not waste time in useless pursuits like collecting money. Then we will surely forget the main reason why we have come on this earth. And if awareness comes too late then, alas, one will not have time.
Baba says, "The worship of Brahma should be done scrupulously, or else you will later regret and bemoan the futility of your life with the last drop of your tears at your last hour. You should make your life worthwhile through your sádhaná. How much can your worldly friends and relations do for you? After your death your relatives may perhaps ask, “How much money has he left behind?” Your friends may go to the crematorium and indulge in flattering reminiscences about you. Your husband or wife may cry for you for about ten or twelve days and then regain their normal composure. Your lot will be only a profound sigh – a record of the futility and frustration of your life. So do not waste your time lest you later have to repent." (Subhasita Samgraha-3, Vibration, Form and Colour)
Namaskar,
Tapeshvar
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Under the Umbrella of Money
From: Tapeshvar
Baba
== UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF MONEY ==
Our common human psychology is that people want to take shelter
under something. Everyone wants to feel safe and secure when any
problem comes. Having a shelter or base brings relief and a sense
of peace and comfort.
Namaskar,
Yet in this era of materialism, people mostly take shelter under worldly, transient entities, thinking that this will bring lasting happiness and fortune.
Some think that "My uncle is president", or "I have a lot of money", or "I am tops in my class", or "I am very famous", or "My family is very prestigious", or "My house is very strong", or "I am very beautiful" or so many things people think.
They foolishly believe that if any problem comes then it will be solved by this way: Via this petty shelter. They reassure themselves and take shelter in their own mundane cocoon.
The problem is that when your shelter is not permanent then how can it save you.
JUNGLE ANALOGY
Think of it this way...
If you venture out into the wild with your domesticated kitty-cat for protection and all around you there are tigers, lions, grizzly bears, and alligators, then it is silly to think that your kitty will save you. That is an ignorant and senseless idea. That kitty does not have the capacity to save you.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN TODAY'S WORLD
Similarly in today's world, people are taking shelter in inadequate ways. Bound by materialism, people seek out worldly possessions (money, cars, houses, and jobs etc) and fleeting qualities (beauty, status, youth, and qualifications etc) for their shelter. They think that will save them when life becomes difficult.
Yet such worldly entities and qualities will never be able to rescue them in their hour of need.
Sadly, by the time they realise that what they took shelter in is not safe, then it is too late. Already their body has become old and decrepit and there is little they can do in the way of sadhana. Just they are left to their fate.
That is the story of so many these days.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH APPLE'S FOUNDER
As we have all heard, last week or so, a high-profile, billionaire designer & entrepreneur in the tech industry breathed his last.
We should all review the case of the late Mr Steve Jobs. When he got sick and suffered from cancer, all his money could not save him; he left this material world and all his money stayed behind. He had every worldly quality and advancement at his disposal, but still that materialistic shelter was fleeting. Here is not the matter that he was good or bad. Only we are examining how one cannot attain lasting peace and happiness through mundane means, no matter how much wealth one has.
Taking shelter in money, prestige and power is no safe-haven. Mr Jobs was a talented engineer with billions of dollars to his name, but in the end none of that could bring him lasting peace. Each and every waking day he would dedicate his all to his cherished business pursuits. That brought him millions and billions in terms of mundane wealth, but was a big zero in terms of attaining an eternal shelter.
Yet so many dream of becoming the next Steve Jobs, as if that material success will bring them eternal peace and lasting happiness.
A TIME FOR REFLECTION
We should take this as an opportunity to reflect and recall that money - and indeed no worldly attribution - can save us from the rigours of time. These worldly things cannot provide us with an eternal shelter.
Even then, nowadays people knowingly and unknowingly bank on the fact that their money, or house, or prestige will save them. They may not say this openly, but by their actions and thought-processes this is quite evident.
So we should all take a moment to reflect. How far have the insidious ways of materialism invaded your mental space. How much do you rely on your job, connections, house, and money for "safety" and "assurance", and how far do you really trust and rely on Parama Purusa.
Here we have to be careful because theoretically many feel they believe that "everything is Parama Purusa and that I am living under His shelter", but practically speaking, in their daily approach this feeling is non-existent. They may say "Baba is my shelter", but by their actions it seems they believe in something else. So a certain degree of honesty is needed, otherwise one is just befooling oneself.
This is what we should all reflect on - because nothing in this material world can save us. Better we should truly realise this now before it is too late.
A PROPER SHELTER IS NEEDED
As we know, developing surrender for Parama Purusa is the greatest quality in life. That is the best - and indeed only true shelter - in this universe.
Baba says, "You are all intelligent boys and girls – you should fully understand this truth, and remember that whatever the scriptures you might have read, the most important thing is sharańágati, taking shelter in the Lord. Just as the little child seeks safe shelter on the mother’s lap, similarly each and every microcosm, each and every devotee finds a safe haven on the lap of Parama Puruśa, and thus they are crowned with victory. This is the supreme truth. May you all be blessed." (Subhasita Samgraha-12, Where There Is Dharma There Is Iśt́a, and Where There Is Iśt́a There Is Victory)
By taking shelter in Him, then one attains everything. That is the only pathway to lasting peace and eternal bliss.
Here below Baba gives us further reason for sheltering in Him and not any materialistic object or endeavor.
Baba says, "Everything requires a base; if life does not have a strong base, it is disrupted by an ordinary storm. Brahma is the strongest base." (Caryacarya, Part 2, "Sadhana", pt #5)
Baba has blessed us and brought us to His lotus feet. We should all be cent-per-cent certain that we do not drift from His sacred shelter. We must rely on Baba and no material entity.
MUST NOT WASTE ONE'S LIFE
Following the path of materialism is nothing but to waste one's life in fleeting pursuits. Yet so many, sadhakas included, get drawn into this world of maya, especially in this present era.
May we all cultivate the habit, by His grace, to always take shelter in Him. There is no other way. Failing to do so means wasting one's life and falling into a grim abyss of hopelessness.
We should not waste time in useless pursuits like collecting money. Then we will surely forget the main reason why we have come on this earth. And if awareness comes too late then, alas, one will not have time.
Baba says, "The worship of Brahma should be done scrupulously, or else you will later regret and bemoan the futility of your life with the last drop of your tears at your last hour. You should make your life worthwhile through your sádhaná. How much can your worldly friends and relations do for you? After your death your relatives may perhaps ask, “How much money has he left behind?” Your friends may go to the crematorium and indulge in flattering reminiscences about you. Your husband or wife may cry for you for about ten or twelve days and then regain their normal composure. Your lot will be only a profound sigh – a record of the futility and frustration of your life. So do not waste your time lest you later have to repent." (Subhasita Samgraha-3, Vibration, Form and Colour)
Namaskar,
Tapeshvar
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