Yesterday was Good Friday, after my spiritual routine I began my day with seva (service) by giving an online orientation on Kids’ Yoga foundation module to a group of Nithyananda Weekend Gurukul teachers from USA in the morning. Next, I prepared my signature salad with love as a snack for the participants who were attending the Zen laughter meditation which I was going to conduct in the afternoon at Singapore Aadheenam. My typical week is filled with offering body scanning, healing or spiritual counselling to people who are seeking for spiritual solutions in their lives. Offering seva gives me so much joy and fulfilment, whether it is giving my time, talent or treasure (money). Seva has become a big part of my spiritual life ever since I met my Guru, Paramahamsa Nithyananda (fondly known as Swamiji). To me, seva brings out the highest transformation in devotees whenever we enrich people with higher possibilities of life.
I remembered a very inspiring story in Buddha’s life which I recently read from a book written by Swamiji. The story goes like this: –
One day Buddha arrived for a satsang with a very beautiful lotus in his hand. He was just sitting and gazing at the lotus and then ten thousand sannyasis, were sitting in front of him. All of them were wondering what Buddha was doing!
Usually, the moment he came, he would start his discourse. Why was he not talking this time?
He was just sitting with this lotus, gazing at it and playing with it.
Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine minds were getting restless, expecting Buddha’s words, just because they were used to continuous monotonous rhythm of the discourse. But Buddha was engrossed in the lotus.
But there was one mind, one person who was completely in restful awareness, ready to receive. That person was Mahakyashyaya. Buddha just lifted his face and saw Mahakyashyapa in the eternal deep laughter! And Buddha called him and gave him that lotus flower.
He said:” Whatever can be said, I gave to all of you, to the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine of you. Whatever cannot be said, I am giving it to Mahakyashyapa.”
Through this story, Swamiji explained that the lotus given by Buddha is Turiya vana sampanna pushpam – the flower of the highest state of consciousness. This is the best gift you can receive from the master. Listen: make this turiya vana sampanna pushpam into your bio-memory by constantly involving yourself in seva and enriching others. Bend your body and bend your mind in seva. Seva is not a moral duty as others may think. By constantly doing seva, you will see that the ideas and truths you receive from the highest state of consciousness become your very bio-memory, it becomes the garland of the deathless flower – paarijaata and you radiate the eternal fragrance of enlightenment.
From Guru Gita, I also learned that:
What is the use of practicing for a long time the breath exercises that are difficult and bring disease? These hundreds of various breath and other exercises are painful and difficult to master. When that Shakti of grace arises, the powerful breath immediately still of its own accord. To attain this spontaneous and natural state, constantly serve that one Guru. To contemplate the form of one’s own Guru is to contemplate the infinite Shiva. To repeat the Guru’s name is to repeat the name of the infinite Shiva. Even a few particles from the Guru’s feet on the ocean of the worldly existence, form a bridge across that ocean. This Lord, this Guru, we worship.
By merely having his darshan and seeing him, one is not born again. Just as water merges in the ocean, milk in milk, and ghee in ghee, just as the space in a broken pot merges with the space outside, so the individual self merges in the Supreme Self.
In the same way, indeed, the individual self of a wise one merges in the Supreme Self. The wise being delights in Oneness, wherever he may be, day and night.
In essence, whenever we prioritize family, career, business and other vested interests above serving the Guru, we are missing an opportunity to receive the flower of the highest state of consciousness as a garland which emits the fragrance of enlightenment. Namaste 😀