New Year Wishes

 

A poor man celebrates New Year once a year. A rich man celebrates each day. But the richest man celebrates every moment. How rich are you? Do you celebrate once a year? Once a month? Every day? 

If you celebrate every moment, you are the Lord of Creation. Review the year while you celebrate. This is your homework. What did you do? What did you achieve? How useful were you this past year? Sit for an hour and think about every week, one minute per week, and see the year’s growth in less than an hour. With a flower, on New Year's Day, offer the whole year to the Divine.

Celebrate the knowledge and feel the abundance. Those who have will be given more. Human life is a combination of body (or matter), and spirit (or vibration). Joy is becoming intense vibration and forgetting that you are matter. Carnal instincts can make you momentarily feel intense vibrations. That is how they give you a glimpse of joy. But such joy is short-lived, and it makes you dense later on.

Pleasure that comes from satsang is of a higher nature. Mantras and singing create vibrations in the spirit. That is why when you sing, ecstasy continues for along time. Pleasure in the subtle is long -lasting, energizing, refreshing and freeing. Pleasure from the gross is short-lived, tiring and binding.

When you know you are electricity - vibration or energy - then craving, greed, lust and anger disappear and you become true celebration. You are the Christmas tree that points upwards with branches on all sides. At the time of the year when other trees are barren, you are green with many gifts to offer.

You bear gifts and lights, not for yourself, but for others. Remember that all the gifts you are carrying in your life are for others. Anyone who comes to you, offer them your gifts. Let time celebrate your presence. People usually make a wish for the New Year, but this year, make no wish. Let the New Year celebrate you.

If the New Year wants to bring you nicer things, just let it. Usually you are lost in celebration. When you let time celebrate you, you are a witness amidst celebration. The New Year is fortunate because you are living at this time. You are not living for yourself, but for the world. Whatever the world needs or wants, you are here for that.

The curious case of responsibilities increasing with surrender

 

Everything that is happening is God’s will, including the thought - this shouldn’t be happening. The main impediment for many seekers on the path is that they want to surrender. Do not say that you want to surrender. Just know that you already are surrendered. Wanting to surrender becomes an impediment on the path. This is like a child saying to his mother, “I want to love you”. No child ever says this, love is self-evident. 

Surrender is not an act, it is a state of your being. Whether you acknowledge it or not, surrender is there. The wise wake up and see this; the unwise take a longer time. Know that you have no choice, you are in a state of surrender deep within you. 

Some people say, “surrender and let God do everything”. Other say, “It’s my responsibility”. Devotees often say, “let Thy will be done" and then take it easy getting to the goal. We have to make this clear - surrender is saying, “let thy will be done,” and “thy will” is for you to take responsibility for the whole world. This may appear contradictory, but I tell you surrender and responsibility go hand in hand. The more you surrender, the more responsible you become. 

One who is irresponsible cannot surrender. Why is someone irresponsible? They are lazy or fearful or both. If you are lazy or fearful, you cannot be surrendered in love. Total responsibility is total surrender. It is a little hard to chew but this is the truth. 

Suppose you are surrendered to the knowledge. That means you are committed to sharing it with others, and you take responsibility to see that it flourishes. Responsibility is the dynamic expression of life in the present moment. When you take responsibility and you find blocks, remember surrender. When you get shaken, remember that the basis of responsibility is surrender. This releases you from the weight of doership and gives you strength to move ahead. Surrendering and taking responsibility without doer-ship is the skill of the wise. 

Total irresponsibility is impossible for you. Limited responsibility tires you and makes you weak. Unlimited responsibility empowers you and brings you joy. Set a time-bound goal and give a direction to your life force.