A Modern Alchemy

An old zen monk was suffering from an illness. He announced to his disciples that he will be going to die by the end of the evening. The news spread like a fire in the entire town. He was very loving towards everyone so people from his village wanted to meet with him. One of his disciples ran towards the market to bring the cake for his master. It seemed that the master was waiting for something. His disciple came with the cake and gave a piece of it to his master. The master started munching it. One of the visitors interrupted the master and said, "Master! what is your last message for us?". The master replied, "This cake is luscious" and the master left his body.

The gist of the entire story is that the master was living in the now. He was deeply immersed at the moment. He was neither thinking about the past nor of the future because the past has already happened and the future has yet to come. He lived so totally that he is not even afraid of his death. He knows the art of how to live in the moment.

Are you really living in the moment? What happens if you live from moment to moment?

Relax! sit silently and observe your mind.

What have you observed?

You are either thinking about the past or about the future.

Now concentrate on this moment. What have you observed?

Thinking has stopped. You can't think when you are in the moment. Thinking is the barrier that prevents you from seeing the reality right in front of you. When you are in the moment then you must have experienced the silence, bliss, subtle joy, and peace within you. It happens because of your contact with your inner self. Time is not moving rather you are moving from moment to moment. No two moments are different. The moment which you are experiencing right now is the same that has happened before and will be the same that comes after it.

Life is a continuous series of these infinite moments. By knowing the secret of the given moment will fill your life with bliss, silence, peace, and happiness.

Love and meditation are the two ways to experience the divine nature within you.

Darkness is simply an absence of light. Darkness can be expelled only through light. Likewise, fear is an absence of love. Fear can be removed only through love. There exists a xor operation between fear and love. In the depth of meditation, you will experience timelessness and egolessness. You move beyond time and become nobody. The same phenomenon can also be experienced through love.

When you are with your beloved ones then you are completely immersed in a moment. Love and thinking can't be present at the same time. The absence of thinking means living in the now. You have moved beyond time and experienced timelessness. That is why you become blissful, silent, and peaceful among your beloved ones.

You love your mother unconditionally. You are even ready to die for her. You love someone more than yourself and become nobody in the process. An experience of egolessness. In ordinary death, only the body dies but in love, the ego dies. That is why the presence of a mother gives so much warmth and enrichment to your being. The fire of love gives you ripeness.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage. Lao Tsu

Love is not an act but is a state of being. Love is not a relationship rather it is a state of mind. If you love your beloved one at one moment and hate her at another moment then your love is an act. It is an effort. You become tired and relaxation is needed which converts into hatred. When love is focused on a single person then it is called love. When it spreads over an entire existence then it is called devotion.

There are basically two types of love:

1. Ordinary love

2. Buddha love

Ordinary Love: Let's assume you are not in a relationship with someone. Suddenly you become aware of your death. You thought when you die, the world will keep on moving as it is moving today. In fact, no one is shedding tears for you. It gives a huge blow to your ego. To overcome this feeling, you enter into a relationship with someone. Now at least someone will cry when you die. It gives gratification to your ego and you feel good.

In such kind of love, you will be entangled in the web of cause and effect. I will give you X and you will give me Y.

Is it really love?

No, of course not. It's a bargain. A pseudo-love and transactional relation. It is not a state of mind. It is an act and you will love her at one time and hate her at another time. The foundation of this love is based upon fear. You are in constant fear of losing her. Now you start possessing, dominating her. You reduce a living being into an object. You destroyed her freedom which is the biggest sin. When fear is entered then love is blocked which becomes jealousy and hatred.

Buddha's Love: He was aware of something that is deathless which is present in everyone. He knew that a person can never die. He only leaves his body. The deathless is present in everybody. Therefore, a feeling of oneness and he was part of the entire existence. Everybody was an extension of him. This is also the law of ecology, "Everything is connected to everything else." Buddha can't harm anybody because in harming others he is harming himself. By loving others he is loving himself. There is a truth in Jesus's statement, "Love your enemy".

Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it. Nicholas Sparks

Buddha's love is like breathing. It happens without any effort. His anger is forced. Even if he got angry with someone, his disciples knew that it was a wave of pseudo anger. You can't force yourself to breathe because then an effort is needed. You are bound to become tired. During relaxation, breathing stops and you will die. Buddha loved unconditionally, therefore his love is beyond cause and effect.

Fearlessness is the foundation of Buddha's love. How can you lose her when she is also part of you. His love became a devotion because it was spreading over everyone. Buddha lived from moment to moment. Therefore, his love was beyond time.

How to be more loving?

Purify yourself through good deeds. Whenever you look at someone, it should be a pure glance without any wrong intentions. Divine is reflected in your eyes and the others can see it. Act as if you don't want anything in return. Speak as if you are speaking the divine words, your sweet voice will mesmerize their being. You become more beautiful. The definition of beauty is when the divine is expressing himself in you. A fragrance of love is emanating from you. Whosoever comes in contact with you will feel bliss, silence, and peace. When everybody becomes like this, our galaxy becomes more beautiful and explodes with love.

You can love a stranger on the road. You can feel love for her and move in your own way. There is even no need to talk. You can feel love for trees, sky, father, mother, brother, etc. You can love one and a million ways. The body can't survive without breathing. Similarly, love gives nourishment to your soul. Love expands you and gives you flowering. Love is when you have known your inner sky. Infinite space within you will enrich your beloved ones. Poverty is nothing but the heart that can't love.

Open your heart to the vast cosmos. God is very loving. He loves you a lot. He resides in you. Thinking is the wall preventing you from meeting with him. Be in the moment and let his love flow within you. You will attain the ultimate bliss and overflowing with joy. Divine resides at your inner center and you are living on the circumference. This is the root cause of dissatisfaction in your life. Approach your inner center and you will become silent, peaceful, and blissful. This kind of bliss doesn't depend on any external factor. Therefore, it is beyond cause and effect. Your happiness doesn't depend on others.

There are mainly four stages of love.

Stage 1: Evolutionary love is the lowest level of love. It is completely based on instincts. Humans are replicating machines. The intention is to preserve their genes and pass on it to their offspring. It is the meeting of the bodies at the surface level.

Stage 2: Unconditional love is the by-product of spirituality. You love others without setting any conditions. Fear drops from the mind because you don't want anything in return.

Stage 3: Your love is not confined to one person. In fact, it is spreading over the entire humanity. You are in love with the whole existence. Your love becomes a prayer.

Stage 4: In the end, the ego drops. You become nobody and move beyond time and space. You are left with pure innocence. You become one with your soul. This is the final stage of evolution. You become a living God.

Make your life a garland of flowers and string all the experiences of your life with the thread of attaining the divinity hidden within you.