The Worst Job Ever

Date: Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:56:28 To: am-global@earthlink.net Subject: The Worst Job Ever From: CJ Phillips Baba "(Tumi) esechile mor bakul-bita'ne na' baliya' ka'r ghare..." (PS 4320) Purport: Baba, that time the place was surrounded by innumerable bakul flowers which were blooming and You graced me by coming to my cottage during that verdant spring season. With Your divine grace, You brought devotional horripilation (goose bumps) throughout my entire existence and You also vibrated the very pulsation of my blood. Baba, by having You in such an intimate and close way, my life has become meaningful. It is Your grace. Baba, soon after that golden dawn, Your liila moved into a different phase. Because then You went away leaving me crying all alone. O' my dearmost where did You go that time. B aba, since then I have spent countless days and nights waiting-- sitting by my window threading heaps of flower garlands for You. But that was all in vain because You did not come. It is painful that now I no longer see that attractive & charming smile because You are keeping Yourself distant. Now I no longer see that radiant smile which I used to see on Your lips when You were with me. Baba in longing for You, ages have passed since You came close. Springtime has finished and now summer has come. My entire garden of those sweet, fragrant bakul flowers has dried up and withered away in this hot season*. Now that same window-- where I used to sit and make garlands for You and wait-- is full of spider webs. Baba, it is so painful and heartbreaking how You have gone so far away. And my mind is completely dry in the absence of Your divine presence. O' my dearmost, please shower Your causeless grace and appear in my heart in a very intimate and charming way... *Hot Season= In the absence of His presence, the sadhaka feels a distinct dryness in his heart. Summer season-- or hot season-- has been used as a metaphor to express that dryness in the devotees heart, where one's devotional feeling is lower. And this happens with each and every sadhaka. Sometimes when one feels dry and out of the spiritual flow then that is summer season; and when one's flow of sadhana is good then that can be compared with springtime because in their dhya'na they feel greater proximity with Parama Purusa. But when one is experiencing the dryness of summer, the best thing a devotee can do is to sincerely request Baba to grace them by coming in their meditation.

== THE WORST JOB EVER ==

Namaskar, These days in this vaeshyan era, everyone has to work - a lot. When Prout is firmly established then a person might work as little as 5 minutes a week and devote the rest of their time to more subtle pursuits. Baba says, "In a collective economic system the benevolent use of science will bring about human welfare. It is possible that as a result of mechanization no one will be required to work for more than five minutes a week. Not always being preoccupied with the problems of acquiring food, clothing, etc., people’s psychic and spiritual potentialities will no longer be wasted. They will be able to devote ample time to such activities as sports, literary pursuits and spiritual practices." (POD, pt#9) We obviously have not yet reached the aforementioned stage. Full-time work is an absolute necessity for most adults these days - i.e. 40 - 50 hours per week. It is a huge part of one's life. It also has to be recognized that not all jobs are the same. There is one type of job that is worse than all others. Some might think it is based on pay rate, occupational hazards, travel time, or job security. But that is not the case - at least not in this survey. The worst job of all time is the one which goes against our essential dharma of spirituality.

"I AM THAT"

As sadhakas, we understand that the entire aim of spirituality is to realise that "I am that Parama Brahma." That is the goal. Baba says, "Before crossing the bridge of devotion one feels like “You are that”. But while crossing the bridge one feels “I am that”." (SS-18) Baba says, "Concentration of mind is only savikalpa sama'dhi, where the only feeling that remains is “I am That.”" (AMIWL-1) Baba says, "The unit consciousness that wants to return to Cosmic Consciousness quickly has to become devoted to Cosmic Consciousness, and this is bhakti. “I am That” is the idea to which the unit consciousness has to be completely devoted in order to become That one day. Bhakti, devotion, or calling Cosmic Consciousness, thus leads one to become like That." (AMEP) Indeed in one form of another, every ista mantra in AM sadhana aims at the ideal of unifying one's unit existence with Parama Purusa, i.e. becoming That. So a sadhaka spends hours in meditation to train the mind that I am not this tiny unit existence but rather "I am that Great Personality." With practice, devotion and love for the Supreme is generated until finally, by Baba's grace, the sadhaka becomes linked with that Divine Cosmic Personality. This, we all know, is our sadhana practice and spiritual ideal, in a nutshell. So whether in seated meditation or not, we always aim to do our mantra japa and think, "I am That, I am That, I am That..." This is how we are to pass our days on this dusty earth. And no job should drastically interfere with this ethic.

WHAT IS THE WORST JOB EVER

Now we come to the point. What is the worst job ever? A stock broker, a street sweeper, a mechanic, a plastic surgeon - maybe, maybe, maybe. According to our view, the worst job ever is that which interferes and contradicts one's ista mantra. Any job where one has to state again and again, "Hello, I am John Smith..." or "Greetings, this is Luis Rodriguez", or "Hi, my name is Paula Barcolli...", is the worst job ever. Such jobs run directly contrary to the meaning of one's true identity. Because one has to repeat such a crude phrase again and again, all day long: "Hello, I am John Smith...", "Hello, I am John Smith...", "Hello, I am John Smith..." This is really awful and impacts the mind in a negative way. Indeed any job where one has to answer the phone or always introduce oneself to new people or anything like that is the worst job - whether one is on the radio, meeting clients or who knows what. In other jobs, one may knowing or unknowingly believe that "I am so-and-so", but at least the person need not repeat it ad nauseum all day long. By repeating "I am John Smith..." orally again and again it further substantiates the false idea in mind that I really am this tiny unit being. The mind really believes it. When in fact we should be thinking, repeating, and realising that I am that vast Great Entity.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

There was time in my life where I had a desk job and whenever anyone called, I am to pick up and say, "Hello, this is Charlie..." At first I did not mind it, but over time the whole notion of having to pick up the phone and repeat that phrase - "Hello, this is Charlie...", "Hello, this is Charlie...", "Hello, this is Charlie..." - became suffocating and repulsive to me. I did not like it at all. Once that feeling came in mind, then within 2 weeks I was gone from that job, due to circumstances beyond my control. So I thank Baba for saving the day and relieving me of that awful job experience. Since then, by His grace, I have not had to work under such conditions. I have been very careful not to accept a job where I would have to repeat my unit name all day long.

MUST REPEAT ISTA MANTRA ALL DAY LONG

In this vaeshyan era, we have to make certain adjustments to survive. But those adjustments must not contravene our subjective approach. We should always have the mental freedom to ideate that Baba is the everything and that I am moving towards Him. Any job which transgresses this idea should be thought of as the worst job. So if again and again - each and every minute - one has to repeat and ideate on the false notion that "I am John Smith" - i.e. I am this unit being - then that is not at all good. Baba says, "In order to do japa, sufficient mental strength and mental equilibrium or equipoise is required. In the midst of wordily squabbles and intrigues, the repetition of one’s Is't'a mantra is not all possible." (SS-12) Whatever job we have, we should at least be able to internally recite our mantra and not be hindered by again and again obtrusive repetition that falsely claims, "I am John Smith". This goes directly against our spiritual approach.

BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace, no matter what job or occupation we have, it must not so graphically interfere with our knowledge and realisation of who we are. We must always inculcate the idea that "I am That, "I am Parama Purusa", and then by His grace we will realise that within our little I-feeling is the greater I-feeling of the Cosmic Entity. Those jobs which so crudely contravene this tenet are the worst jobs of all time. Baba says, 'One who has acquired inner vision – the capacity to look within, to experience or realize something by introverting the optical nerve – by dint of sa'dhana' is a blessed person indeed. What is that “I”-feeling in each and every entity? What is the “I” of “I shall eat”, “I shall speak”, or “I shall do”? It is that Supreme “I” which lies hidden in the small “I”. So let people repeat the is't'a mantra, meditate and sing kiirtan for their Supreme “I” which remains hidden in their small “I”...The actual truth is that the Supreme Entity lies covert in the small “I” feeling of all living creatures. So He is not far from anything; rather, He is the very “I” of each and every microcosm. With this idea or feeling in mind, spiritual aspirants should start their spiritual practice. To be ensconced in this supreme idea is the culminating point of all sadhana." (AV-4) Namaskar, Cinmay