शमथ। Samatha

“I don’t know what to do”, then sit somewhere quietly. If people who do not know what to do runs here and there, everybody is going to be disturbed. And the person who is running will not be satisfied anywhere. The first effort of an unsure individual should be to quieten the mind, because only in a mind which is quiet does clarity appears.

When somebody wants to go to a distant place, the whole way is not known at the outset. But the journey begins in the direction of the destination. As they pass by villages, towns, and cities, direction is sought towards where they want to reach. At times they would have taken a wrong turn and travelled on it for quite a distance, but the direction received at each junction let them correct the course. You just need to know how to ask, and this requires awareness of who you are and where you stand.

When you set out for a journey, you must always see whether you have the resources required for such an undertaking. Resources include your capabilities in terms of sustaining you throughout the journey, your health and your preparedness for any unforeseen eventualities. All these differ according to the destination you want to reach. Secondly, you must see whether you are ready to make adjustments to your way of life and expectations according to the culture and available resources of the places you have to pass through in order to reach your destination.

Abandon the mindset of a conqueror and wear the mindset of a chronicler. Thereby your mind will be at rest and your relations will be of friendly nature. A conqueror’s life is a gambler’s life
and their nature is to crush everything on their way. A chronicler’s path is of learning and appreciating sharing the goodness they know of. You must be determined to reach your destination, but you must know that there are no shortcuts. Sometimes you may receive unexpected help from passing caravans, but do not keep waiting for them and waste what is at hand.

Feel Blessed
Swastham Shantam Sampurnam