Have you ever felt that there are times when your life is filled with hostilities?
Hostility means when we are constantly threatened from life situations which make feel us suffocated. Hostilities can come from our parents, in-laws, siblings, spouse, children, organizations or communities.
In my life, I grew up with a hot-tempered and violent mother and constantly I lived in fear and low self esteem during my growing-up years. Many times I used to wonder – why did I take birth through her, someone who was so filled with anger and violence?
It was only after listening to one particular discourse which was delivered by Paramahamsa Nithyananda, my spiritual guru that gave me a big click and it changed the way I respond to hostility.
If we look at the lives of many enlightened masters – for example Buddha, he took this understanding as his lifestyle, he would never rest in a place where he was accepted. The same applied to Adi Shankara, another enlightened master, he was faced with constant hostility from the beginning of his life. Even my own master, he set up his ashram in the place where he was not accepted – Tamil Nadu and proved that he thrives in hostile environment. Surely we can learn something from these enlightened beings.
He said that “The best day in your life is the day of your marriage with hostility. When you want to grow and live, live in a place where hostility prevails. When you are ready to retire, live in a place where you are respected and revered.”
The sacred secret is – whenever there is hostility from society, you bring the best out of you. If you feel the place is hostile, just understand that you are in the best place for expansion. You are blessed because it means Cosmos wants you to grow. The new level of creativity you express will be unimaginable, this is a golden opportunity to use the situation to grow. After all, life is continuous expansion. It is the constant hostility that keeps us alive, alert and energetic. We are able to stretch into new dimensions which we never know existed. Till you are ready to retire, do not settle into a place where you are respected because the possibility for expansion is drastically reduced.
Whenever we are faced with hostility, there are 2 kinds of response patterns we adopt: either 1) we stand up with responsibility to life or 2) we get depressed and perish. We have a choice to expand or shrink. Blessed are those people who can face hostility and evolve. Hostility not only gives us tremendous courage and strength to transform and expand, it also removes our low self-esteem.
What should we do if we are faced with hostility?
When faced with hostility, we should completely stand with 4 Tattwas (spiritual truths) of integrity, authenticity, taking responsibility and enriching others. I’ve seen many people, instead of standing up to life, they fall into dishonesty by telling lies which only create more suffering for themselves. If we live the 4 truths, we will be radiating in richness, we will create a stable family and we live in joy and harmony.
Now I understand that the reason I took birth through my mother was for my own spiritual expansion. This experience had not only made me a better mother for my son but also developed this overflowing compassion for her and hostile people. Hostility they express is a sign of agitation and frustration they experience in their inner reality. That shows that they need awareness, understanding and healing.
This is the way how I live life with a new consciousness i.e marrying hostility is life because it is the Divine’s plan for expansion to higher consciousness. Even in the thick of hostility from the outer world, I remain untouched in my pure inner space of bliss. 🙂