In the current era of Kaliyug, it is very difficult to have faith in anyone. Everyone seems to have a hidden motive.

Because of what happens frequently around us, we tend to be careful with everyone we meet. We tend to be suspicious about someone's motives when they seem to be doing something good for others...

We can't seem to develop faith in anyone... and when we do develop a little trust in someone, we lose it very fast over small things...

The seeker thinks...

They stared at him
He remained quiet
They teased him
He remained quiet
They laughed at him
He remained quiet

They cajoled him
He remained quiet
They threatened
He remained quiet
They punished him
He remained quiet
They left him
He remained quiet

Time passed
A day came
When he did not remain quiet

When they listened
And he spoke
They begged
And he forgave
They asked
And he gave
They learnt
And he taught
They followed
And he led
They served
And he provided
They prayed
And he blessed.

Such is the journey to Enlightenment in the Lord's domain. It is for the brave at heart souls only; for those who persist in the face of fierce opposition, for the Kaliyug's intensity is increasing day by day and the path of the thirsty soul is full of hurdles, big and small.

Again as usual, the above should not be taken literally.

Blaming others for one's own problems is very easy...

"
Hai kisey noo
Dosh khino naa
Aapna hi kitan poo na
Teray hi pesh aaana
Teraa kasoor kal noo
Zaahar hazoor kal noo
...
...
...
"

Oh human!
Don't blame someone else (for your troubles)
When the fault is your own
It must be (the result of) something you did
Yourself in the past
(The result of) Your sins today
Will present itself to you tomorrow
The result will be manifest tomorrow
...
...
...

All sincere spiritual seekers pass through seven stages... from seeking to enlightenment. The first stage is wishing (desiring) and searching with an honest heart a way to the Lord. The last stage is attaining enlightenment and merging back with Him.

The first three can be crossed in one lifetime... after that it becomes much slower...It can take several lifetimes to cross these later stages... varying from one seeker to the next... there is nothing such as instant enlightenment...

The first six stages are the steps while the seventh is the conclusion or the goal.

While driving on 520 over the lake, from the Eastside (Bellevue, WA) towards Seattle, it can be commonly seen that on one side of the bridge, the water is calm and on the other side, it is rough. I remember this quite often. Every time I think about this and compare it with life, I learn new things. Today, I compared it with different types of beings the Supreme One created. He created all kinds of humans and other types of life. Some are calm, peaceful and poised. Others are always impatient, angry and always unhappy and complaining. Still others (the majority) are in between, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes complaining, sometimes enjoying, etc.

It's up to us to decide which side we want to be on. The calm side, the rough side or the middle one (the bridge). If we want to be on the peaceful and calm side, it's not going to be easy. It's the most difficult side to follow. However, the end result is the best. Which side do we want to be on? Do we want to take the easy path and stay in the middle, or take the difficult path and stay on the rough side, or take the most difficult path and attain peace?

Choice is ours which path we want to take. The end result of the path we take is not our choice.

About the Real Heart - a spiritual secret... maybe in more details one day... for the time being this is enough... this post has much more meaning than is immediately evident...

Everyone in this world has a longing for eternal happiness (am I wrong in saying this? Who doesn't want to be happy?). However, very rare, fortunate enough beings, acquire it. In today's world, it is very diificult to be aware of the fundamentals of the (true) art of living, resulting in stress and anxiety. Neither prosperity (as in the western world) nor slow pace and traditional lifestyle (as in eastern countries) provides everlasting peace, comfort and happiness. All external worldly pursuits of happiness are futile - the more you try, the more it recedes. The very source of true happiness lies within oneself.

What is the purpose of human life? How can that purpose be fulfilled? And how can one acquire the true and ever-increasing happiness?

The very purpose of human life and the true religion is to meditate upon the Name of the Supreme Lord, uplift oneself from the cycle of birth and death, and realize the Ultimate God from whom one is separated.

Today, several religious paths are being advised and practiced... Still, it is very difficult to get to know and practice spiritualism in the true sense (and spirit)... Few fortunate ones eventually reach the state of supreme bliss and realize the Ultimate. These enlightened souls are not only liberated themselves but can also liberate others. Though HE is known by innumerable names, the Ultimate God, is ONLY ONE.

HE dwells in the Prime (Real) heart... that is different from the physical heart...

The seeker just received the news that the President of one the previous companies he had worked for passed away suddenly. He was still kind of young, in his fifties... went for a routine check up to the doctor... the doctor noticed irregular heart beats and recommended immediate surgery... but the President died of cardiac arrest...

A seemingly healthy extremely well-to-do person enjoying the best of what this "material" world has to offer, suddenly, before anyone can realize it... is no more there...

Last year, around the same time, seeker's ex-boss had gotten shot 2-3 times in his abdomen by gangsters... while on a assignment to Central Africa... apparently the assignment was pretty lucrative in financial terms... he survived and is likely back at it again...

The seeker thinks... what is gained by toiling so hard to earn lots of money... when even this much money is of no use when death appears near?

Of course, one has to provide the best possible for the family... but where does one draw the line???

The seeker wants to "scale down"... work-wise and devote more time to the things his heart really wants to do...

The seeker wants to "scale down"... but he's being offered to "scale up"! His company wants him to take on the job of his ex-boss... who left recently...

The seeker doesn't want to take it... from his heart...

The seeker thinks... what's the use of a few grand more...

The seeker thinks... all these are kind of "reminders" to Him... he wants to pay attention to them... as he thinks every now and then... the Lord is telling him something...

Seeker often wonders
What is unconditional love
Is there anyone who really practices it
Everyone comes to Him for a purpose

Some come to Him for wealth
Others come to Him for health
Some come to Him for being blessed with children
Others come to Him for blessing their children
Some come to Him with extreme despair
Others come to Him with much fanfare

Some come to Him
Seeking nirvana
Others come to Him
Seeking Heavens
Some come to Him
Wishing to wash away their sins
Others come to Him
To fill their lives with bliss

Seeker thinks
Seeker doesn't need any of the above
Seeker wants to do away
With any motive to be near Him
Seeker doesn't wish for any heaven
Nor wants to hope for salvation

Seeker wants to be come to Him
For the sake of coming
Seeker doesn't want to
Worry about the end result
Seeker wants to be near Him
All the time
Even when far away from Him

Seeker wants to wish
For only His True Love
Without any condition
In between
Seeker wants such
Purity in this relationship
That he cannot stand anyone
Else in between

---

Pls do not take this post literally...


When the time of real need came
I have seen so called near and dear ones
Show their real ugly face
When the time of real need came
I have seen so called near and dear ones
Perform the well known disappearing act

When the time of real need came
I received help from total strangers
Ones who I thought I didn't know
When the time of real need came
Total strangers came into my life
And shared with me the Light
That guided the rest of my life

So who is really mine
I often used to wonder
The answer is clear to me now
Not the so called near ones
But the ones who really helped me
In my time of need

So why should I care any more
For these so called near ones
Why should I go to great lengths
To please these people
Why should I bear them any more

So here I walk away
Let them live without me
Since anyway they don't need me
They need my stuff more than me
I come to You O Lord
For You are the One
Who send these gems to me

...

If you think about it, how many people can you count on when you really need them? I seriously mean "really". Yes, really! What's your answer? 25, 15, 10, 5, 3, 2, or 1? If it's any of these, think again. Ask these questions to your Self. Do I really think they will and can help me when it really matters? Can they really help even if they sincerely desire to do so? Can they take my stomach ache and bear it themselves even if they want to? Can they prevent me from getting into an accident when they are not around? Can I count on them to save me from the results of my sins?

How many are left now?

Now that you know the answer, who and / or what do you think can really help you?

Since birth, the seeker has had a fascination with mountains and any source of water like lakes, rivers, seas and oceans (guess it's got something to do with some actions of the past lives). However, his love for mountains far exceeds that of water. The seeker can just look at them for hours and admire their beauty. He can hike in them for hours and stay in them for days without getting bored.

Still, their beauty is (also) temporary. Their beauty is also an illusion like all the material things in this world. Even though the seeker likes them so much, he is sure if he stays long enough in some beautiful mountain resort in solitude (the way he likes it), he would sooner or later get bored of them. They would become a part of his daily life and therefore, would not attract him as they do now.

The seeker yearns for the only thing in the world that is permanent. When he gets that, he will never get bored since that will not be an illusion. That will be the real thing.