Namaste. It is necessary that you go through certain experiences in your life. When Buddha says life is suffering, it is Buddha’s experience, it is not yours. But when you go through many sufferings in your life and eventually you self-realize that life indeed is a suffering, that is the real thing. In the end it is your experiences that matters.
So whether it is marriage, whether it is a relationship, whether you go through a bad relationship, whether you go through a good relationship, or whether you go through a bad or a good marriage, all these experiences are necessary for you to evolve. And that’s exactly what I have explained in this podcast. So let’s begin.
Yesterday someone had asked what is the secret of remaining happy and married. It is difficult. I cannot answer this question. Jesus also cannot answer this question. Neither could Buddha, nor could Mahavira. Because if they would have found the answer then they would not have stayed unmarried.
Jesus knew the secret of the kingdom of God, but he did not know the secret of remaining happy in marriage. He remained unmarried. Mahavira, Lao Tzu, Shangu, they all remained unmarried for the simple reason that there is no secret. Otherwise these people would have discovered it. They could discover the ultimate. Marriage is not such a big thing. It is very shallow. They even fathomed God but they could not fathom marriage.
So marriage is a very shallow thing. You can jump into a shallow lake, but it is a lake, it is not a flowing river and it also lacks the depth. So you may not enjoy much swimming in this shallow lake called marriage. But many people enjoy or they pretend to enjoy. Whatever the case, the choice is yours. Get married or stay unmarried. Doesn’t matter really when you embark on the greatest journey, the journey within.
I encourage everybody to get married because that is how they can complete one circle. They can understand through their married life experiences on whether marriage is worth it. You may read hundreds of books about marriage, but those hundred books cannot enlighten you. You may fantasize on having a beautiful wife or a handsome husband, but all those fantasies are not worthy before your actual experience of marriage.
So don’t fear of getting married. Don’t fear of getting into a vicious circle of bad marriage experiences. Because these bad experiences can become the foundation of your life on which you can build your tower of success. “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life,” quotes J. K. Rowling.
J. K. Rowling is one of the best known authors of the Harry Potter series. J. K. Rowling had a very bad marriage experience. But those experiences, and after going through a painful divorce, she rose to great heights of success and fame. Always remember each experience that you go through can and does transform you into a much evolved person, only if you are willing to learn from your experiences. Only if you are willing to turn inwards and self-realize that you are not a pigeon but an eagle who dares to fly high in spite of many challenges and negative situations.
It is necessary to remember that an eagle uses the negative energy of a storm to fly even higher. Be like an eagle. Remember you are born to experience all aspects of human life because only then will you evolve, only then will you mature in the true sense.
There was a young man and he set out in search of a real master. On his way, while walking through the forest, he stumbles upon an old man and the old man was beneath the banan tree. He was in his own bliss. There was something about this old man. His glow, his aura. But the young man could not relate with the old man’s divinity.
The young man stepped ahead and said, you look like a wanderer. You must have wandered all over the planet. Could you please tell me where can I find my master, my Guru? The old man smiled. His smile was so deep, so sweet and so mysterious that the young man wondered what must be the reason for such a beautiful smile.
Before he could ask, the old man said, you guessed it right. I am a wanderer and I have been through many places on this planet. I will tell you the way to find the master. You go straight and then you take right and continue to walk until you find the master. The young man was very happy. He thanked the old man and followed his direction.
Twenty years passed. Twenty years passed and still the young man was not able to find the real master. Devastated and disappointed he decided to return back home. On his way back home he found the same old man sitting beneath the same banan tree. The old man had become much older, but still the charm, the grace, the aura, the glow, everything was the same.
Suddenly the young man realized that it is this same old man who used to appear in his dreams for last 20 years. Often in his dreams he would see the same banan tree and the same old man. Was it a sign? Was it a message? The young man’s eyes were filled with tears. He realized his mistake.
He rushed towards the old man, touched the old man’s feet and started crying like a child. He said, why, why you never told me that you are my master, that you are my Guru, why? The old man, the master opened his eyes. There was so much love, so much grace in his eyes that the young man was deeply moved.
The master said, because you are blind. I was before you, but you couldn’t recognize me. The man said, but all these 20 years have been wasted. The compassionate master smiled and said, no, that is not right. Those 20 years have helped you gain the eyes through which you have now recognized me. To gain these eyes, experience was necessary.
All the fake people and fake saints that you came across during this last 20 years have given you a new eyesight. You have matured, you have evolved and that is why it is now that you have recognized me. And look at me, I haven’t moved a bit. I have been waiting for you from last 20 years.
Listening to these deeply moving words, the man simply burst out in tears. The master moved his hand on his back and said, why you cry? I was always with you. Experiences of all kind are necessary so as to get a new eyesight through which you can recognize the real and drop the fake.
In this life you will be able to connect with real authentic fellows only when you have started turning inwards, when you have started meditating with love and devotion.
Jai Sri Ganesha. Jai Guru.
