The Path of Faith

Two major spiritual paths: The path of wisdom and the path of faith. The path of faith uses our natural feeling of love and affection towards spiritual growth. Since it is easily accessible to even for children, it is widely practiced in the world. Like love, often faith is blind and its devotion quickly turns into a frenzy. Instead of focusing on the real elements of spiritual growth, people easily get attached to the superficial elements such as religious rituals and customs.

Those who practice faith and devotion should go beyond this childish attitude, and develop some clarity and bring some maturity into their practice. Otherwise, it becomes like an intoxicating drug that offers some temporary relief, but eventually leads to misery in the long run. Faith is very powerful, it can move mountains. And bringing mindfulness into it can give clarity, so its power can be utilized wisely.

"Faith is powerful, but it is blind. Mindfulness gives it eyes"

Fires of Life

When we put our hand on the fire, it burns our hand. If we don't understand and learn from it, we simply continue to suffer. In life, there are many kinds of such "fires" that come in many different forms and shapes. They may not follow simple, direct or immediate cause and effect; they may be subtle, indirect and complex. Hence we may not clearly recognize and understand them. Like a child, we continue to put our hand on the fire again and again and suffer.

Very often people keep their hand on the fire and cry out loud with their prayers for help. Jesus can be compassionate for us, he can offer food for our hunger, medicine for our disease, but he cannot eat it for us, we have to eat it for ourselves. Instead of practicing his ways and taking the medicine, if we simply read it, hail it, then there is no use in it. Jesus can show us the way, but we have to walk through it for ourselves. Without clear understanding, without paying proper attention, if we walk blindly and pump into a wall, it will only hurt. So, first we have to fully wake up and pay unbiased attention towards clear understanding.

Courage to Face

Sickness, aging and death are realities of life, and there is no way to escape them. Change and pain are the basic realities of life. When we struggle against them, we suffer more. When we deny them and not fully accepting life just as it is, then we are also denied of a deep fulfilling life.

Since we are afraid to face our pains and suffering, we seek many ways to escape from them: alcohol, smoking, drugs, news, movies, social media, etc. We even use prayers in the same way. As we fearfully run away from our pain and suffering, they continue to multiply and chase us. Jesus did not just teach, but he showed with his life — how to carry our own crosses.

"A courageous person dies one day; a coward dies every day."

It is easy to be depressed in sadness, miserable in grief and scream in anger — any coward or fool can do it. It takes a lot of courage and wisdom to be at ease and happy, and laugh joyfully.

We Reap what we Sow

If we indulge in fear, anxiety and worries, it will multiply more. If we indulge in anger, irritation and hatred, it will multiply more. Instead, if we sow courage, patience, love and happiness, it will grow and develop.

"For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." — [Matthew 13:12]

If we have wisdom, it will grow further; otherwise whatever that we have will be gone. If there is anger and hatred in us, this darkness will grow further; and whatever peace and love that we have will be gone. If there is fear and anxiety in us, it will grow stronger; and whatever courage and happiness we have will be gone.

"There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way"

In this world, there are so many people with many different physical and mental disabilities and other challenges; there are so many people without any parent or family; there are so many children without next meal. We have far more blessings and richness in our life. Instead of being grateful for them, if we only focus on what we don't have and complain about it, then we will lose whatever we already have.

How to Pray

When we pray, we should only ask for courage, patience, peace, love, health, happiness and wisdom; anything else is selfish. Self compassion is good and wholesome, but not selfishness and self absorption.

"Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." — [Mark 11:24]

When we ask for courage, we have to believe that we have received it and if we act accordingly, it will be ours. When we ask for happiness, if we believe and act accordingly, it will be ours. If we have a genuine faith, we can able to surrender and let go of our ego - and all its struggles and miseries; then we can courageously accept life just as it is.

"The paradox of life: When you surrender, you gain your freedom"

Prayer is neither whining nor talking insanely. It is neither shouting like hailing for a king, nor an escaping tool to run away from facing realities of life.

"When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." — [Matthew 6:7]

Our mind is overwhelmed and all over the place — sorrowing over the past and hankering for the future. Without any clarity, we are mindlessly running like its slave. And our prayers simply become a manifestation of this mental state. So first, we must learn to relax and calm our mind.

"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" — [Matthew 6:27]

Instead of struggling with our mind, we learn to gently calm abide it. Then we can discover our mind's natural clarity, stability and strength. From such a peaceful state, our prayers will have clarity and it will be wholeheartedly deep and effective.