Krsnaji teaches that one does not have to go very far to find God. The Divinity is within each of us.
As seekers of Truth, we search for God outwardly far and near. Where is God to be found? One may go to church, or a temple or a park to find God, but is God there?
If you were to listen to my Guruji’s satsangs online, surely you will hear a consistent mantra. Over and over, time and time again, Guruji tells us that God is within us. “God is within!”
Everything that you think is God and everything that you think God dwells within each of us.
We are unable to know God within because we are veiled by our mind and intellect and have been wrongly thinking we are just this human body.
Even though I know these words, I have yet to live each day fully in that knowledge. So I ask, “What is the reason that this knowledge has not permeated the veil?” The answer is Shraddha and Suburi (Faith and Patience). The answer is always Shraddha and Suburi.
It’s Faith in my Guruji and his teachings that chips away from the veil. I hear the Truth He kindly and repeatedly speaks. It’s Faith in the Truth recorded in holy books and in the stories of the glories of God. It’s Faith that I too am a Divine being. It’s Faith that you too are a Divine being.
Patience is required to continue a daily practice, even when it seems that it is too painful to continue. Pain comes because of my desire to be free of this veil—today! Although it may be quick for another person, the karma which is associated with my body does not allow this journey to be as quick as I would like.
I must have faith and patience to overcome my desires. It takes patience to learn to identify what in fact is a desire. Dispassion has to be cultivated. Here is a simple example of how it works. I was at a store and saw a particular candy and was excited to purchase a bag. When I got the bag home, I was so very pleased and quickly opened the package and as I unwrapped a piece and placed it in my watering mouth, I was struck by the truth. I cannot have this candy anymore, it brings too much excitement and joy. This is so funny and embarrassing, but this is how the lesson came to me. Anything that causes such a passionate reaction should be given up.
I must have faith and patience to relinquish attachment to possessions. The ego is inflated and deflated by perceived ownership. Attachment to people and things brings feelings of elation and hurt. I can be happy for other’s successes and have compassion for the pain of others without being a part of it. The lesson is of detachment. For example, the family strife that has occurred as a result of my choice to pursue a spiritual life cannot steer my path. My life does not have to conform to the beliefs of anyone else.
I must have faith and patience to know the Truth about myself and the world. Everything in this world comes and goes, is temporary and unreal. It is the One that is changeless, and in which all of this rest, that is real. Knowing this is called discrimination. It takes patience to train the mind and intellect to carry that knowledge in the forefront, to know with complete faith that God is everything.
As I practice, with Faith and Patience, my Guruji chips away from the veil.
