Stability is not something that is independent of our ups and downs. It is very much within, and part and parcel of the ebb and flow of life. It is invaluable and always there. We look at it, but never see it.
In the early 1980s, a Bio-dome experiment was carried out, in that the scientists erected a study facility in the middle of an American desert. They attempted to create a perfect artificial living environment for humans, plants and animals. The facility was fully controlled, using purified air, water and lighting designed to mimic just the right growing conditions.
Inspite of all efforts, the researchers found that trees they had added to the domes as living things proved to be very weak. After reaching a certain height, they started to fall. Initially, the scientists could not figure out why the trees were failing to flourish. Then they came to realize that there was no wind in the facility. The effect was due to a lack of adversity in the domes, which meant the trees could not become sturdy. The roots were never challenged to grow deep enough into the soil, in order to support the trunk and branches above.
We learn much from these findings. Firstly, living things only become robust when they are tested. It’s almost as though stability needs it’s equal and opposite force, in order to be nurtured. If we seek to become stable when the conditions are perfect, or simply through standing still, we will never grow. Stability is about weathering our way through life, and moving with the ups and downs. Stability is about withstanding the challenges life presents, and seeing these events as having some goodness, even though they may be aversive. It’s about becoming emotionally, mentally and spirituality resilient enough to take on the tough times, and not to becoming overwhelmed by them.
We can look at this astrologically as well. We know that stars, the source of life, give light and warmth. Lasting for eons, though we never experience their beginning or end, we know that they contain properties of gravity, density, temperature and pressure. The inner layers of a star are most important, in that they have to support the weight of the said forces. If there is no gravity pull, the star can end up in a black hole, where all elements would be pulled inwards, annihilating it in the process.
We know that stars maintain this balance of forces, staying consistent and stable even during adversities such as solar storms. Just like the life of a star, our inner spirit can also be tested, sometimes to what seems like the limits of our capacity. We too need to find balance. We can either give in to pressure, causing us to crumble and fold, or we can use the challenges that come upon us to fuel our transformation. I believe that we were made to be much more than what our lives demand of us – we have more potential than we ever realise. Practising more stability during the variables of life enables us to become even fuller – both materially and spirituality. Moving with rather than against whatever existence throws at us, renders us healthy and stable beings.
Just as trees have their roots, and the stars, their inner layers of gravity, what is it that centres us in life? Indeed, what is the foundation of human life?
During the Annual Nirankari Convention (Samagam) 2020, I was inspired by the theme of Stability, to which all presenters, poets and musicians made their address. Following the experience, I was forced to think deeply about my personal state of being. I could see just how chaotic my state of mind was. Even though I probably looked equipoised and consistent to an outsider, I became aware of how shaky I actually was, internally. I could see, perhaps for the first time, that I had looked for clarity and solidity in every part of my physical, occupational and relational life but had overlooked the need to do so spiritually. I had been overidentifying with the roles I play, and the functions I perform. I has been hiding behind the noise, unwilling or unable to look with authenticity at where I stand, what I feel and how I respond. I had effectively failed to tune into my essential self.
I have come to realise that my instability is due to a lack of reliance on the spiritual anchor – Nirankar. It had been so long since I had prayed out of love, or reflected deeply upon that prayer. I now realise that we cannot drop the anchor in material things – they are unstable within and of themselves, so how can they hold me securely? The likes of a job, a degree, a feeling of belonging to a circle of friends, may all convey a sense of steadiness, but they are never consistent or enduring like the all-pervading Nirankar. Nirankar is like a mountain of support. It only takes a choice to turn and lean on it. This does not mean that we should abandon people or withdraw from all that is temporal and transitory. We should rather live in the world, but also above it. This means placing ultimate reliance on Nirankar and prioritising what we most truly are. This equates to tuning into the infinite, and connecting our minds with that which is both stable and enduring. In so doing, we will find that relationships, roles and positions in life are further invigorated, because we are associating with the very source of our energy. We are connecting with that which breathes life into life!
On the 1st day of the Annual Convention, HH Satguru Mata Sudikshaji advised, don’t just remember Nirankar when it’s convenient … the awareness of Nirankar needs to be maintained for long term stability. I realise that it is crucial not to neglect my faith, for in so doing, I find myself in a frenzy of instability.
HH Mataji is a beacon of stability. As she represents all that is complete and absolute, we should take comfort in her wisdom and reliance. Satguru has such an unwavering presence, she is always consistent – a uniquely stable presence in an ever-changing world. Mataji is living proof that stability is absolutely achievable. Mataji’s stability is a reflection of integrity and honour of the divine – the divine that we must look to as an example of the heights we too can achieve. In the Bible, Lord Jesus Christ says to his disciples, ‘when you love me you will start to obey my commandments …and I will dwell and become your inner being’ (John 14:15).
Changing things, continue to change ceaselessly. They only pause and stand in stillness, when they transform into the changeless. There is no transformation in reality, just a move from person to presence. Our inner essence, Nirankar, is formless and unchanging – it is what we authentically are. All things take form because of it, and into it all things must one day return. When we meet Satguru, we can return to our Source whilst we still walk, talk and breathe. All liberation is here, not hereafter.
Every living Mentor of the Nirankari Mission – from Baba Buta Singhji to Mata Sudikshaji – has been living proof that lasting stability can indeed be found. Stability is all about recognising the Source of all stability, the Omnipresent Nirankar, through the grace of a Mentor, to both embrace it and abide by it in our lives. Once the Self – i.e. the animating spirit – takes over, the self i.e. the carnal shell – obediently follows instructions, however diverse and challenging they may be. As it is written in the Avtar Bani,
On facing – my True Master
Births -deaths are no more,
Equi-poise, I have attained,
The pain has gone for sure!
The soul’s met – its Spouse
Suffering is now at an end
With God’s only one word
Recitation-I can transcend
– Harishta Kaur, Huddersfield, UK
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