The Prophet’s Mysterious Testing Ways. {242. }

The Prophet’s Mysterious Testing Ways. {242. }
****

“Narrated Abu Huraira:
Once Allah’s Apostle prayed two Rakat
{instead of four}
and finished his prayer.
Dhu-l-yadain asked him
whether the prayer had been reduced
or whether he had forgotten.
Allah’s Apostle asked the people
whether Dhu-l-yadain was telling the truth.
The people replied in the affirmative.
Then Allah’s Apostle stood up,
offered the remaining two Rakat
and then finished his prayer with Taslim
and then said, “Allahu Akbar.”
He followed it with two prostrations
like ordinary prostrations, or a bit longer.”

---- The Hadith; Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1,
Book: Call to Prayers, Hadith 682.
****

Do Rightly & Trustingly Hope. {241.}

Do Rightly & Trustingly Hope. {241.}
****

“So, do not give up your hope,
which will be greatly rewarded.
For, having done what was
right in God’s eyes,
you have need of waiting before
His word has effect for you.”

---- The Bible; Hebrews 10:35-36.
****

The Elementary Rules of Friendship. {240.}

The Elementary Rules of Friendship. {240.}
****

“The rule of friendship means
there should be
mutual sympathy between them,
each supplying what the other lacks
and trying to benefit the other,
always using friendly and sincere words.”

---- Gautama Buddha.
****

Living True to One’s Self. {239.}

Living True to One’s Self. {239.}
****

One ought to always live
true to one’s own self.

That’s easier said,
but difficult to quite understand,
& even harder to practice.

For starters, does everyone really
possess a concrete “self” worth the name,
other than the human ego?

I wonder, indeed, I doubt,
for I am quite sure,
the true “self”
is too lofty a term
for the base ego
& cluster of impulses & motives
that people normally represent.

So, it can still be concluded
that knowing about and understanding oneself
can perhaps enable one to even
really “be” one’s self.

It appears being & becoming
are rather intricate parallel processes.

What “living true to oneself” stresses
is one’s innate integrity.
If something doesn’t gel with one’s
fundamental values, tendencies,
aspirations, goals, purposes,
then one should avoid it,
or fight it, if required.

For the self is sacrosanct
& alien & hostile invasions
seek to corrupt or pervert
one’s core faith & beliefs.

Let the faith remain absolute
it is one’s only means to God.

The confused & indecisive fritter
all their abilities & opportunities
getting more distanced with time
from both themselves & God.
****

Note: This is drawn from & inspired by the scriptures, practices & teachings pertaining to the Radhasoami religion of Dayalbagh.

Acceptance with Fortitude & Gratitude. {238.}

Acceptance with Fortitude & Gratitude. {238.}
****

“If you are destined for good fortune,
you will be blessed;
if afflictions have been ordained,
no matter where you hide,
they will seek you out.
Submit therefore before the will of God;
be grateful in well-being
and endure adversity with fortitude,
that His light may radiate within your being.”

---- Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani; Futhul Ghaib.
****

Persevere in Practice of Yoga. {237.}

Persevere in Practice of Yoga. {237.}
****

“This yoga should be practiced
with firm determination and perseverance,
without any mental reservation or doubts.”

---- Lord Krishna; The Bhagavad Gita.
****

Guru’s Sanctuary Grants one Consummation. {236.}

Guru’s Sanctuary Grants one Consummation. {236.}
****

“I bow in reverence to the Lord, I bow in reverence.
I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, my King.
By great good fortune, one meets the Divine Guru.
Millions of sins are erased by serving the Lord.
One whose mind is imbued with the Lord’s lotus feet
is not afflicted by the fire of sorrow.
He crosses over the world-ocean in the Saadh Sangat,
the Company of the Holy.
He chants the Name of the Fearless Lord,
and is imbued with the Lord’s Love.
One who does not steal the wealth of others,
who does not commit evil deeds or sinful acts,
the Messenger of Death does not even approach him.
God Himself quenches the fires of desire.
O Nanak, in God’s Sanctuary, one is saved.

---- Guru Nanak Dev; The Guru Granth Sahib.
****

Guard against Priding Your Religiosity. {235.}

Guard against Priding Your Religiosity. {235.}
****

“Do not strut proudly
on account of your good deeds.
Do not let pride waylay you.
When you deem yourself holier than others,
know that you have fallen into grave error,
because in your pride,
you believed yourself equal to God.”

---- The Prophet Mohammed; The Hadith; Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani.
****

The Lord Upholds Believers’ Trust. {234.}

The Lord Upholds Believers’ Trust. {234.}
****

“The Lord is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for
those who trust in him.”

---- The Bible; Nahum 1:7.
****

Be Wary of Excessive Attachments. {233.}

Be Wary of Excessive Attachments. {233.}
****

“You only lose what you cling to.”

---- Gautama Buddha.
****

Humility Alone Kills One’s Ego. {232.}

Humility Alone Kills One’s Ego. {232.}
****

The trait of humility has been stressed
ad infinitum in our religion.
What does humility really mean?
Why is humility so important?

Humility cannot mean pretending
to have no ego at all.
We all have our egos
& it serves various purposes.
Indeed, civilized life
would be virtually impossible
were ego to vanish altogether
from human society & life.
Imagine every person walking off
with another’s goods just because
nobody had any “ego” left.
Jungle law would prevail thereby,
leading to chaos, strife, misery.
Obviously, this cannot be meant by ego,
so, what is actually meant by it?

The ego is the gravest threat
to the soul’s quest for God & salvation.
It intrudes in one’s spiritual practices
& prevents a quicker & closer Darshan,
or beholding of the Divine Countenance.

The ego causes the human to succumb to the
other four “dooth” or demons of
kaam, krodha, lobha & moha,
or lust, anger, greed & attachment.

These five together combine to keep the soul
enmeshed in sensual & worldly quicksand
for years & decades & lifetimes & eons.

So, victory over these can occur only if
you first destroy their leader, or ego.

The ego gets destroyed by true humility.

True humility is realizing
one’s innate human imperfections & limitations.

This causes a dependence upon one’s Guru,
which in turn evokes His Grace.

When the ego is annihilated,
you become quite free from
the other four named baser tendencies.
You are then secure
& headed fast towards your salvation.

Therefore, one’s ego is one’s greatest enemy,
& cultivating true humility benefits
only one’s own self incalculably.
****

Note: This is drawn from & inspired by the scriptures, practices & teachings pertaining to the Radhasoami religion of Dayalbagh.

God’s Attributes: Essence & Effects. {231.}

God’s Attributes: Essence & Effects. {231.}
****

“Everyone can see the effects of God’s mercy.
But who, except God himself,
understands the essence of his mercy?
Most people cannot understand
the essence of any of God’s attributes;
they only know his attributes through their effects
and also through analogy.
Only mystics have eyes to see
the essence of God’s attributes.”

---- Jalaluddin Rumi; Mathnawi.
****

Goodness & Strength Cement Prosperity. {230.}

Goodness & Strength Cement Prosperity. {230.}
****

“Wherever is Krishna, the lord of yoga;
and wherever is Arjuna, the archer;
there will be everlasting prosperity,
victory, happiness, and morality.
This is my conviction.”

---- The Bhagavad Gita.
****

The Ways of the Devout. {229.}

The Ways of the Devout. {229.}
****

“The Jewel of the Lord’s Name
abides within my heart;
the Guru has placed His hand on my forehead.
The sins and pains of
countless incarnations have been cast out.
The Guru has blessed me with the Naam,
the Name of the Lord,
and my debt has been paid off.
O my mind, vibrate the Lord’s Name,
and all your affairs shall be resolved.
The Perfect Guru has implanted
the Lord’s Name within me;
without the Name, life is useless.
Without the Guru,
the self-willed manmukhs are foolish and ignorant;
they are forever entangled
in emotional attachment to Maya.
They never serve the feet of the Holy;
their lives are totally useless.
Those who serve at the feet of the Holy,
the feet of the Holy,
their lives are made fruitful,
and they belong to the Lord.
Make me the slave of the slave
of the slaves of the Lord;
bless me with Your Mercy,
O Lord of the Universe.
I am blind, ignorant and totally without wisdom;
how can I walk on the Path?
I am blind O Guru,
please let me grasp the hem of Your robe,
so that servant Nanak may walk in harmony with You.”

---- Guru Nanak Dev; The Guru Granth Sahib.
****

The Prophet’s Prayer for Seeker. {228.}

The Prophet’s Prayer for Seeker. {228.}
****

“A person once asked the Prophet Muhammad to pray for him.
So the Prophet implored,
‘Allah, kindle within his heart the light of faith,
and afford him with the courage to avert earthly wiles
and submit himself before Your will.’
When a person turns away from the world,
he adheres to God,
and God lavishes incredible bounty on him.”

---- The Prophet Mohammed;
The Hadith; Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, “Fayuz E Yazdani”.
****

Divine Words Shall Remain Unchanged. {227.}

Divine Words Shall Remain Unchanged. {227.}
****

“The heaven and the earth will pass away,
but my words will positively not pass away.”

---- The Bible; Matthew 24:35.
****

Sage Lives Benignly among Others. {226.}

Sage Lives Benignly among Others. {226.}
****

“As the bee collects nectar
and departs without injuring the flower,
or its color or fragrance,
so let the sage dwell on earth.”

---- Gautama Buddha.
****