Wise Words Overheard On A Thursday Night

<Skip this post if you do not wish to get a heavy dose of spirituality or the whole works.>


<I told you to skip it. You still want to read? Fine, suffer.>

Yesterday, I attended the first in a series of spiritual talks that are being given by a visiting professor, Prof Anil Kumar.
I shan't go into all the song and dance of the purpose of these talks, except that they are highly enjoyable not only because of the insane humor the Professor injects into spirituality, but because he tends to address the usual doubts that ail ordinary believers of God.

He talks about how God is the truest form of unconditional love and that all human relationships are bound by one or another form of give and take. Human relationships, be it mother-child, wife-husband, guru-sishya, friend-friend rarely are unconditional. (Interestingly, I recently posted about this very point.) That the only love that is unconditional, boundless and limitless is that of God's.

Here is a rambling summary of the Q&A at the end of the talk. He had some points that I have always believed in and resoundingly agree with. I am sorry, but this summary Q&A is devoid of the humor and the many wise anecdotes he injected into his answers-

Question: When do you know it is the time to let go?
Answer: Right Now! This very instant..[insert anecdote]...Remember, life needs to be a journey of choiceless awareness. Forgo desires, and believe that 'This Too Shall Pass'. Let go now!

Question: Sai Baba tells us to practice selfless, unconditional love for everyone. But in this modern era, it is often perceived as a weakness and you can be taken advantage of when you practice this. Please advise.
Answer: Why should you let go of your good habits because of the faults of the other person? [Here he narrates the fable of a Yogi and Scorpion] Unconditional love is u-c-o-n-d-i-t-i-o-n-a-l. Without a desire for a result. Not even a desire for the other person to treat you well in return.

Question: Sometimes I wish God can be contacted with a phone call when in a dilemma. How do I communicate with him for answers?
Answer: Oh! Now people want to get God a cell phone too eh? Look, you dont have to talk to God. He is within you. God is within each of us. Listen to him. You may call it your intuition, inner voice, whatever. But, you will hear a voice when you listen and pray.

Question: How can you reconcile the existence of God with the fact that often innocent people get hurt because of the crimes of others? If God exists why do so many bad things happen to good people?
Answer: Who are you to judge that a person is innocent? How do you know the Truth? You do not even know what happens in the next minute, how can you be sure that the innocent are innocent, and the evil are evil? God is omnipresent, omniscient, limitless, boundless. He knows your past, present and future. He knows the Universe's past, present and future. He does everything for a reason. [Insert the anecdote of the King with the Amputated Finger] Comfort yourself with the faith that everything happens for a reason and it is all for your own good. If you cannot comprehend how it could be for your own good, then remember "This too shall pass".

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Right, now, you can go on and call me banal, trite and stale. But I do take comfort in it all. Especially because they resonate well with my own personal beliefs.