7. Smt J.R.Iswari

Dear Respected Pujya Sir, Brothers and Sisters,

My humble Pranams to all of you.

By the grace of the Master, we have all assembled here for this seminar.

The sentence of the Master “Happiest man is he who is happy under all circumstances” taken for the seminar is a part of the message given by Him on the Eve of Ashram inauguration at Shahjahanpur in January 1976

(Message - Love Universal, SDG October 2006 edition, Page-126).

I would like to express my sincere thanks for providing me this opportunity to express Master and share His thoughts and views along with my understanding on the given topic.

We have many reasons to be happy. Along with you all, I am blessed with great Master, system and loving brothers and sisters all around. I am also blessed that I am being guided to lead my life with a purpose so that at the end of life also I will be happy that I have not wasted my life. I also find happiness in sharing with others and living for others.

Master says in the same message that, ‘Necessities of life should be meager. "Plain living and high thinking" is an English proverb. Detachment in attachment is really needed. “Happiest man is he who is happy under all circumstances.”

Further our Pujya Sir says that, ‘'The feeling of Santushti or being satisfied with what we have is the first step in becoming happy. This is the secret of happiness. If this is not there any amount of comfort or riches or fame will not give happiness. Real Santushti feeling is a by product of the awareness of transitoriness of things and events in life’.

(Bodhyanti Parasparam – Volume III, Page-12)

Master also says in the same message that “We should live a life like the coot and the ducks in the water, which when they are out of water, have no effect of water on their wings. Similarly, we should love our parents and everybody in the family without being soiled by attachment.”

He also gives hint in the same message that ‘Detachment in attachment is really needed’.

Pujya Sir says in Vairagya article that ‘Due attachment is what we have been stressing most, but we can take it as due attachment when it is not interfering with our attachment to the Divine. If our attachment to the Divine is not affected to that extent we can say other attachments are acceptable and that is possible only when we live as a trustee. If we have got any other attitude other than that of a trustee we can never have 'Due attachment'.

An Abhyasi asked 'How to develop Due attachment?' Due attachment, as a matter of fact is something that comes out of trusteeship. When we go beyond the trustee level and try to possess then we are having undue attachment.”

(Three truths – Trillion doubts, Page-255)

I wish to share how love and attachment to Master will help us in overcoming certain obstacles which will make us unhappy. I feel that we should love Him not for the sake of being happy but love Him for the sake of love.

Here, Pujya Sir says that, ‘Love and attachment to Master has its own rewards. Surely love to Master accomplishes the great tasks of removal of certain spiritual diseases the most important of which are (1) Envy (2) Jealousy (3) Unhappiness and (4) Ill-will towards others. Spiritual Tradition sought to overcome them by (1) Development of maitri or universal fraternity (2) Through development of kindness to all creatures and things in the universe (3) Practice of forbearance and developing an attitude that every thing that happens is a gift from the Divine and accepting them same with gratitude and (4) Development of the happy state of contentment under all circumstances.

By loving Master we accomplish them with His help of Pranahuti and our own efforts to some extent too. By loving Him who loves all we remove the brokenness in the thread of love that weaves our destiny as worthy and lovable children of God. We then feel love flowing equally to one and all and it becomes Universal. Master says "In that case father, mother, husband, wife and everybody will have the same share." I draw your special notice to the words "same share". That is why Master adds "Love is not bad, but its proper utilization we do not know.”

In our sadhana we naturally tend to love Master for getting rid off our miseries and afflictions. But the reward we anticipate for such can only be love in return’.

(SDG October 2006 edition, Page-38)

Keeping goal in view from the beginning is very much important and also to follow commandments. We should try to live in present to be happy. Sincerely following all commandments, regularly doing all practices given by Master, reading books of ISRC are helping me very much to lead a peaceful life. The support of Master is invaluable for which words fail to express my gratitude.

Pujya Sir says that, ‘There is no use in wailing over the past and getting distracted. We should remember that "contentment is the greatest form of wealth." Contentment and acceptance of the situation should never be confused with complacence and indifference. Cultivating contentment means learning to appreciate what is given rather than focusing on what may be missing. "I am satisfied" is not the same as "I do not mind even if I do not have." The commandments 5 and 7 of the Master requires us to develop the attitude of 'radical acceptance' which implies unconditional Maitri (friendliness) where openness and love are such as that we are prepared always to receive with gratitude all that happens to us. Such a life of contentment has no barriers to the being and any and every one finds a place in our heart even if we do not like what they may think or do. Contentment really means that we have the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, having the courage to change the things that can be changed and the wisdom to know the difference between these two’.

(Bodhyanti Parasparam – Volume IV, Page-15)

Master also mentions that we should try to be happy even in unhappy life. So we are not away from situations which can make us unhappy. I also would like to quote the following paragraphs, which will give us some ideas as how to make our self be happy when we face miseries and discouragements.

Pujya Sir says, ‘When we are beset with discouragements in our daily life it is a good practice to remember the Master not as some one who is far off but close to our heart, nay in our heart. We should always try to feel from the day we were introduced into PAM, where our connection to the Master is established by the trainer that there is Master around us who does not want anything from us, but simply wants to see happiness and joy in and around us. We should consciously try to feel the Master who does not want anything else from us except happiness/joy, both in the inner and outer aspects of our being.’

(Bodhyanti Parasparam – Volume III, Page-113)

Being in family, we encounter so many situations, persons, and conflicts which can make us restless and unhappy.

Pujya Sir says, ‘This objective of the practice namely achieving happiness is naturally dependent on Peace and Harmony that an individual can achieve. Peace and Harmony invariably involve others in the consideration. Therefore the basic and essential inter relatedness of existence has to be known, realised and then practiced. For this the method suggested by the Master is the development of necessary moderation in all spheres of life leading to a balanced way of living.’

(ERY May 2007 edition, Page-166)

Master states that in the same message ‘It is a hidden dictum of Nature that every soul must live a happy and restful life.’ He also says in 8th commandment that ‘A happy disposition is a state which may aptly be taken as that next to the Divine’. So it is sure that we can live happily if only we follow what Master says.

I would like to express that I find happiness (a) in sharing spontaneously with others what ever we have (b) in service to master (c) in sharing of information about our system with others (d) in living according to the principles of Master (e) in the remembrance of Master and (f) trying to live in the way Master wants us to live. I feel happy seeing others happy. I feel really sorry if some one is unhappy. I do my duty and try to leave results to master and I accept every thing as will of master. This is also making me to lead a peaceful life.

I realised that if I am happy with what ever I have, it will make others who are around us also feel happy.

Finally I would like to quote from the message ‘Real Light’ of Master; He says that “I feel happy when the word 'Universal love' comes from the mouth of any person. Generally the saints of the day preach universal love but they do not find ways to tell you how it is acquired. Only remove the hatred, I say, and universal love is there.”

When I read above sentence, I felt it is my duty to live in the way he asks us to live. I felt that is my real happiness. He also mentions in the message that “One has to remove only the brokenness and he will feel the love flowing equally to one and all, and it becomes universal.”

So, I feel that we should mould our self in the way he is asking us which makes us surely to have happiness.

Once again, my humble Pranams to all of you. I humbly seek your forgiveness for any mistakes.