Wednesday 28 November 2012

Tuesday, November 27th 2012

Charge Yourself!

Toronto, Ontario

“Charge your batteries!"

This may be a common enough saying in reference to your engine, as in the mechanics of your car. Or it could be a remark to address one's need to get excited about something, to raise the enthusiasm and get out of the doldrums.  Lest we forget the departed meaning, facetiously, did your soul die and should we not revive it?

Can the soul die? According to the Gita, it would be impossible to kill the soul because of its resilience. "It cannot be cut to pieces by any weapon, burned by fire, moistened by water nor withered by the wind." Indeed the elements cannot destroy what is anti-material. It may be considered, however, that one's "umph" for doing the spiritual thing could be lacking. The illusions of the world beat us down real hard depriving us of the will to do anything that's spiritually devotional.

This mood of being invested of energy, whether material or spiritual, is reflected in the character of Arjuna. He set down his divine weapon, the Gandiva bow, out of sheer loss of eagerness, and losing the sense of purpose. Indeed his battery needed charging and his life long companion, Krishna, was there to help. A few words of encouragement was all that was necessary to lift the spirit of Arjuna. It's often through hearing or simply by doing that an automatic recharge can take place.

I noticed on my recent visit to Montreal that throughout the course of the day people come to make their few minutes stay in the temple to pump up their spirits by sitting there and chanting or by offering some selfless service in some way. Here, also at base - Toronto, I observe the participation of individuals who come to do some menial activity such as cleaning floors or pots. This kind of stuff brings out the meekness in someone. I also get a "zap" from the daily walks through forest or concrete-and-lights while doing the mantra meditation. We all have our own version of boosting.

So figure out what that is, your approach, but do take some approach for the sake of the soul. Hustle for the soul. It's worth it. Don't deprive it like the bird in the cage that's not feed. Don't just notice the cage and neglect the bird.

Someone might argue that the soul should be self-stimulating and should not require our mastering of zeal. No! We've buried the spirit with our indulgences. It's time to go deep.

I hope you can dig it.

8 KM

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