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Three Requirements for Lasting
Contentment
I have been asking recently (in myself) why my
life, the external circumstances of it, had been so difficult since becoming
Enlightened, or Self-Realised etc.? I had become what has been referred to
as The Living Truth, and had looked forward to it in the belief that it
would be the end of emotional suffering; and soon after I was in a
relationship with a woman who was loving and wanted only to be loved - so
what else could be missing?
Well, the problem was with my work, and the
stress I was experiencing due to the amount of work and the oppressive
management style, and this was then exasperated by more stress at home as we
tried to put facilities in place through which we could escape the stress of
work. All in all, the last 18 months have been particularly tough.
However, finally there has been a dawning, and
it seems I have been shown the reason for the continued troubles and the
lesson it was teaching me: There seems to be a third aspect involved in
being able to enjoy a truly tranquil life which is perhaps obvious once
pointed out (but then that is the way of much of the truth). The lesson for
me is that one can be Enlightened or God-Realised and can be in a truly
loving physical relationship, but if one is still in a stressful situation
then there will be no lasting peace. Obvious, yes?! ...maybe; but it may not
be something we tend to think about when we read about Enlightenment and how
to find it, in an attempt to find a solution to our problems.
Therefore, I say here, for the first time in my
teaching, that to live a truly contented life there are three aspects to it,
and a person cannot genuinely real-ise (make real for them) any one of them
until it is time; but any one or a combination of them may be experienced or
even realised to some extent, in any order, during their life. They are as
follows:
-
Self-Realisation (uninterrupted Enlightenment or
God-Realisation of The truth)
-
Loving Relationship (sharing lasting physical
love with a member of the opposite sex - an ongoing joining and
exchange of energies and openness)
-
Peaceful Existence (little stress caused by
external stimuli)
As I said, the above may seem obvious, but it is
only by breaking it down that we see it for what it is...
Eastern Masters are often regarded as the
ultimate example of how one should live, and indeed many do seem to be
Enlightened, but it is their peacefulness that often seduces us (though it
is often the resulting of them sitting for years on a hillside, just
'being'). Then we dig a bit deeper and read of how at least some struggled
enormously with their pact to remain celibate and their longing to be
with a woman.
Then there are others who are not Enlightened,
but live a very nice life in a country (natural, rural) environment,
possibly in a loving relationship (let's say), but may still have the
occasional nagging question about who they are and what it's all about.
And then there is myself: I have no questions
about the Truth of life or what it's all about (besides a mild curiosity at
times perhaps as to what it is that life is teaching in a particular
situation), and I am in the loving relationship sought after, but life has
given circumstances which has produced continued stress for a considerable
length of time. And at last I see that this was the lesson: Often the lesson
is simply to show us what we do not want (or to give us so much of what we
do want so as to put us off it for good). The lesson in all the struggling I
have endured was to show me that lasting contentment cannot be achieved,
even in an Enlightened person, if the circumstances of their life are
painful and long-lasting! (powerful lesson, yes?).
So, what is the point of this?
Only to say that there are three areas required
for the individual to be completely satisfied and content. And as that is
what most (all?) of us seek in one form or another, it seemed like a pretty
good lesson to share.
However, having stated the above, I am now going
to say another new thing for my teaching: that in a woman, the 'Realisation'
bit may not be completed in itself as a separate aspect like in Man. For
example, as Sally (my partner) progressed, she soon found she had no
questions about anything related to love and life (unlike she had before we
got together - at which time it was a need for something but she was not
sure exactly what); and she would still not say she is Enlightened. But she
now has love and she does not experience the same stress at work as I do,
and therefore feels totally content with life. This would seem to be the
Woman's Enlightenment or Self-Realisation; and certainly her
God-Realisation, as Love is God:
So, I am going to say here that in order to be
completely satisfied in his life, Man will need to be Self-Realised; to be
in a truly loving physical relationship; and have peaceful circumstances in
his external life. While a woman will be totally satisfied and complete if
only she is properly loved and not given excessive problems.
Of course, the above only applies when one is
ready. One cannot enjoy the peace before they are ready, any more than they
can love before they are ready, or be Enlightened before they are ready.
This is still a journey, and while it can help knowing what to look
for along the way, the journey must still be travelled.
Thank you
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