I sit by the side of my house with my back propped up against the Meethee neem tree, watching the miniature world of ants going about their business carrying loads. We have had rains for the past few days. The sun has come out today bringing with it the promise of a sunny day. Intermittent clouds pass by casting a momentary shadow from time to time. The ants meanwhile, traverse their path with a single minded determination.
Today is one of those days when i can call myself ‘peaceful’. I am happy. In this blissful state i put a question to the universe, ” why is it that the state of happiness is impermanent? why cannot we be peaceful and happy on a continuous basis? what ails humanity?” The more we seek peace by surrounding ourselves with all the things we deem as necessary,to make us happy, the more it eludes us.
The great thing with asking God a question is that He answers. Always.The answer may come soon or it may take some time, but it always comes. All we need is a trustful, ‘ready-to-receive’ heart. The answer may also be gleaned from reading the words and thoughts of the great masters, seers, and visionaries. Happiness , they declare is an inner matter. It is to be found within. Our life on this planet is but a school. A place to learn that that what we see around us- things that seem real, are not what they appear to be. What appears to be tangible, solid,viz a chair or a wall, is not solid at all but made up of mostly empty space! Thus, in a way, it is in the’ unseen’ that lies reality. Physicists through their theory of probability, have opened eyes for those who seek to go deep into the mysteries of life. An atom, the last unit of matter, if further broken down breaks into nothingness- empty space. But the space is not empty. There we find the presence of an array of sub atomic particles viz, electrons, protons, bosons, mesons etc.
For those who are spiritually inclined, who wish to delve deep into the meaning of life, the sub-atomic world seems to be the domain of God.Life is an illusion- maya, so said the masters, and the quantum physicists would readily agree to that.Ultimately what we observe, is nothing but almost empty space.Physicists call this space as -the Field. They opine that the field justs exists. And so does God. God just is and there is ‘nothing else’. We may very well substitute the word “God” for “field”- and essentially it would mean the same thing.
Einstein, the greatest scientist ever, opined that we live in a four- dimensional world. The fourth dimension being spacetime. If we could view our reality in a four dimensional way, we would see that everything that now seems to unfold before us with the passing of time, alredy exists in toto , painted, as it were, on the fabric of spacetime. We would see all, the past, the present, and the future with one glance. This is something that eastern philosophy has been saying for ages.
The only thing that exists is in the ‘now’.The past is dead, gone. My tomorrows will be made based on what i think, believe, and do now.This moment of ‘now’ is all i have. It is in the now that i have to live. It is the only palpable reality.I do not know what lies ahead, what battles are to be fought. So let me seize this moment to express my love, my appreciation for all that is around me, fill my being with all the air the lungs can hold, join my hands in a prayer of thanksgiving. Let me give thanks for the fact that i am alive,that i am able to walk, to hold a baby in my arms.And lastly, let me give thanks for the love, the kindness that i feel deep inside as i share my morning tea with my family, inside the comfortable room of our abode, sharing our little space on this earth.
There is a sparkle to my eyes. My question has been answered..I have come to this earth to learn that we are never alone. God is always with us and we are a part of ‘everything there is’,of God..Deep within i feel a well of happiness waiting to be delved into. For the moment i join my hands in prayer.
–END–
