I remember sitting in the Sangat and the saint presiding on the stage saying, let’s all think about nothing for 30 seconds. Before the start of the brief silence, I remember thinking to myself; this is going to be pretty easy! But as soon as that timer started, my mind was immediately distracted and my thoughts began to wander. This distraction is pretty common in my daily life. For, instead of listening to someone who may be talking to me, I find myself thinking about what I did yesterday and what I will be doing tomorrow. This distraction or even chaos is sometimes so prevalent that it begins to feel somewhat normal. If we take this chaos and put it on one end of the spectrum, then all the way on the other end, we have what we call silence and stability. Stability is not just the absence of motion or action; neither is it the absence of noise. Rather it is the act of remaining peaceful, calm and still inspite of the prevailing circumstances.
Focussing moreso on stability, it is a very, very powerful thing and present as a potentiality in every single one of us. In order to achieve it, however, we must make the conscious decision to reach inside ourselves and give it expression. And because this stability is powerful, this can be a difficult task to do.
There was once an esteemed archery master known all over the world for his skills. He had an institute where he would teach students to shoot just like him. Students would travel far and wide just for the opportunity to learn from him. One day, some new students reached his school. The first thing that the master said to them was, students, at this school, I will not teach you how to shoot; I will not teach you how to aim. On hearing this, the students were outraged! Having come from far afield, they were disappointed not to have the opportunity to learn even the basics. But then, the master said, I will not teach you how to shoot nor to aim because mastery of the bow can only come from the mastery of stability. By calming your mind, your arrow will automatically reach the bullseye.
I am no different. Sometimes I too get so caught up in the pressures of life to achieve the goals that I have set for myself. In my every day, normal life I get trapped in the part that forces me to DO, DO and DO without questioning why. In fact, it is at this point that I need to take a step back and understand that I am a human being, not a human doing. As per the archery master, by calming my mind and achieving total stability, the goals I have – the arrows of my life – will automatically reach the bullseye.
Although this stability may be achieved for short periods of time, when it comes to garnering it 24/7, it is a different kettle of fish. I remember going to the Satsang when I was small. The fact that I could not fully understand Hindi, not only did I find myself constantly distracted, but also distant from the proceedings. Nevertheless, I would always wait for the first Sunday of every month. It was the time when we watched Baba Hardev Singhji’s vichar (address) on the projector. These vichars were always interesting because they carried English subtitles – subtitles that helped me to understand all that was being said. For these 30 minutes, I was always fully focused in the Satsang.
As human beings on this planet, we know that the Earth is constantly rotating around the Sun, and around its own axis. However, we never feel this motion because we are connected inseparably to the Earth; we are a part of it! Similarly, when I sit in a car and put on a seatbelt, which connects me to the car, I do not feel the motions that the car is going through. The subtitles, on Babaji’s vichars, alluded to my first seatbelt; it was my first connection to the Satsang. It was the first thing that taught me how to connect to Nirankar, the Formless All-Pervading. Unfortunately, these subtitles only provided me with 30 minutes of connection once a month. The next step was figuring out how to achieve stability throughout the day, and every day.
Nirankar, as our creator, is the only enduring stability in this universe. My materialistic possessions, including myself, and even the entire cosmos, are all creations of Nirankar. Every part of creation is inherently unstable, in that it is born, evolves constantly and must one day die. Hence, the only way that I, as an unstable creation, can achieve stability is by connecting to the only constant in this ever changing world i.e. Nirankar.
Nirankar ka le adhar, jeevan ho gurmat anusar
This line reads as follows: If I give everything to Nirankar, surrendering myself completely, my life will harmonise with the way of Nirankar. Furthermore, I will have a sense of peace and assurance that whatever is happening is happening for the best.
The Avtar Bani (verse 10), further explains it as follows:
These nine, are perishable,
They are known as Maya14,
The Tenth is – within them,
But is unique – and higher!
All this will end – my friend
None will linger near or far
Avtar, this is Everything
It is known as Nir-an-kar!
The 9 portals of Maya – 3 below: earth fire and water; 3 above: sun moon and the stars; and 3 in between: air jiva and akasha – all have one thing in common. Nirankar has created them, and Nirankar is present within them. One day, they will all disappear. And when they do so, nothing will be left. But this nothing, is in fact, everything; this everything is the One Formless God.
In my journey towards achieving stability, I have reached step 1. I have indeed understood what stability means. But as for getting there, I have to prepare myself to fit into the mould of a Brahm Gyani (a true knower of God), who is constantly guided by God’s inner voice to do the right thing, to make the right choices, and to take the right decisions for both himself and the world at large.
Arya Ajay, Monroe TWP, NJ, USA
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