ब्रह्मांड पर कोई अभिशाप बर्बाद मत करो
- एला व्हीलर विलकॉक्स के द्वारा
जीवन को जीते समय दोषों की तलाश न करें;
और यहां तक कि जब आप को वो दिख जाते हैं,
उन्हें थोड़ा अनदेखा करना बुद्धिमानी और दयालुता है,
और उनके पीछे पुण्य की तलाश करें।
बादलों से घिरी रात में भी प्रकाश का अंश होता है
कहीं उसकी छाया में छिपा;
किसी सितारे की तलाश करना कहीं बेहतर है,
सूरज में धब्बे खोजने से।
जीवन का प्रवाह हमेशा चलता है
भगवान के महान सागर की गोद में।
नदी की धारा के विरुद्ध अपना बल मत लगाओ
और इसकी गति को बदलने के बारे में न सोचें।
ब्रह्मांड पर कोई अभिशाप बर्बाद मत करो--
याद रखें कि यह आपके पहले मोजूद था।
तूफ़ान को अपने तुच्छ रूप से मत खदेड़ो,
बल्कि झुको और इसे अपने ऊपर से जाने दो।
दुनिया कभी भी खुद को एडजस्ट नहीं करेगी
आपकी सनकी सोच के अनुरूप होने के लिए।
आपके पूरे जीवन में कुछ चीजें गलत होनी ही हैं ,
और जितनी जल्दी आप इसे जान लें उतना अच्छा है।
मूर्खता है अनंत से लड़ना,
और लड़ते हुए अंत में बिखर जाना;
बुद्धिमान व्यक्ति परमेश्वर की योजना को स्वीकार करता है,
जैसे जल बर्तन का रूप धारण कर लेता है।
विचार के लिए बीज प्रश्न: आप इस धारणा से क्या समझते हैं कि ब्रह्मांड पर कोई अभिशाप बर्बाद मत करो ? क्या आप कोईव्यक्तिगत अनुभव साझा कर सकते हैं जब आप एक तूफान के आगे झुके और उसे अपने ऊपर से जाने दिया? आपको इस तथ्य के साथ शांति बनाने में क्या मदद मिलती है कि हमारे पूरे जीवन में कुछ चीजें गलत होनी ही हैं?
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) was an American author and poet. Her works include Solitude, which contains the famous line "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone."
Seed Questions for Reflection
What do you make of the notion of wasting a curse on the universe? Can you share a personal story of a time you bent to a storm and let it go over you? What helps you make peace with the fact that some things must go wrong our whole life long?
In the series of events in our life, where good, bad or ugly would be a part and parcel, each of us have our own share of it. There are situations in our lives that we have not experienced yet we have an opinion. We may not know what the other is undergoing and yet we have an advice for them. Intentionally or unintentionally our remarks or behaviour will be the reason for someone’s pain yet we have no consideration. However, when we are in the similar condition or phase we are stressed. We blame others, expect understanding. Even if we regret our past mistakes, we never admit or apologise even though it may haunt us.
We need to understand is, practically it is not possible for ourselves to be always right. So, can’t we go a step ahead to apologise when we realise our mistake. And in case, if it is the other way round, shouldn’t we just let it go with smile, thinking that poor thing must not have experienced the situation, which could be the reason for rudeness.
It... View full comment
In the series of events in our life, where good, bad or ugly would be a part and parcel, each of us have our own share of it. There are situations in our lives that we have not experienced yet we have an opinion. We may not know what the other is undergoing and yet we have an advice for them. Intentionally or unintentionally our remarks or behaviour will be the reason for someone’s pain yet we have no consideration. However, when we are in the similar condition or phase we are stressed. We blame others, expect understanding. Even if we regret our past mistakes, we never admit or apologise even though it may haunt us.
We need to understand is, practically it is not possible for ourselves to be always right. So, can’t we go a step ahead to apologise when we realise our mistake. And in case, if it is the other way round, shouldn’t we just let it go with smile, thinking that poor thing must not have experienced the situation, which could be the reason for rudeness.
It would be a bold statement to say that we can always forgive everything and everyone for whatever they do. However, if we stress ourselves for others wrong doing, aren’t we punishing ourselves for the mistakes committed by others? We should know to let go, for ouselves to have a peaceful life and believe in our KARMA. KARMA is a boomerang, it will revert back sooner or later.
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Germán
Apr 11, 2023
This reminds me of the following idea: Can we choose to see light no matter what we are looking at? I have struggled focusing on this, realizing that our experience is connected to what we choose to observe. For a long time I felt alone, but recently I have discovered that I am never alone. A curse is a wish for difficulties or illness for someone else, this can never benefit anyone, what we offer, comes back to us, we are not separate. What Stream wrote inspired me very much. Thank you.
Ahhhh- I just read this poem and seed question and others reflections. I have recently had a string of challenges to my calm. My 52 year old son dove back into mental health breakdown, meth addiction, and homelessness. His woes was catalyst for his mother to have heart arrhythmias and other stress related health issues. His 22 yr old son is expressing suicidal thoughts. He pulled his daughter into his financial morass. And other granddaughter was hospitalized with bleeding esophagus related to alcoholic liver cirrhosis in her 30's while raising our 2 beautiful great grandsons. And there is much more.
YET, I recognize how blessed we all are and that "cursing the universe" would come from my primary narcissistic wound of having a shadow believe that the great spirit within and around me that is the creative force beneath everything has abandoned me. AND in my soul, I know that that creative source of Love and Beauty is always present and that the most effective thing I can do is... View full comment
Ahhhh- I just read this poem and seed question and others reflections. I have recently had a string of challenges to my calm. My 52 year old son dove back into mental health breakdown, meth addiction, and homelessness. His woes was catalyst for his mother to have heart arrhythmias and other stress related health issues. His 22 yr old son is expressing suicidal thoughts. He pulled his daughter into his financial morass. And other granddaughter was hospitalized with bleeding esophagus related to alcoholic liver cirrhosis in her 30's while raising our 2 beautiful great grandsons. And there is much more.
YET, I recognize how blessed we all are and that "cursing the universe" would come from my primary narcissistic wound of having a shadow believe that the great spirit within and around me that is the creative force beneath everything has abandoned me. AND in my soul, I know that that creative source of Love and Beauty is always present and that the most effective thing I can do is bless all that love and beauty and be grateful for LIFe. Hide full comment
SS
Sharad Seth
Apr 11, 2023
It's such a deep concept - The idea of "some things must go wrong your whole life long". I almost cried as I read this whole poem, but this one line struck me as the essence of it. And to be honest, I have actually not been able to make complete peace with this fact so far. But what helps me put things in perspective, is when I see that it's only "some" things which must go wrong my whole life. Which means there will be "many" things which will actually go right. And by having gratitude for those things, I can probably overcome the remaining things.
SB
Sharon Black
Apr 11, 2023
The Covid Storm has taught me to bend into a new form. I have learned to live a quieter life, more focused on my family and farm. I enjoy what I can direct my love and attention on rather than struggling to be so busy in the larger world. , I am more content with my smaller life than I was prior to accepting my new shape.
Love this. Thank you. Flowing with what is, staying present, welcoming what is, not always easy, but I am open and willing to learn.
KA
Karthikeyani
Apr 10, 2023
If only we accept what universe gives us, wouldn't that be a calm state. Wow, what a bliss that would be.
Expectations drives to judgements and disappointments, it is this judgemental attitude which I have always been wrestling to overcome. I distanced myself from many with fear of disappointments, and developed compartmentalization quality. There were many instances when I realized later, good it happened this way, which was a big complain during the course of event.
I am consciously moulding myself to accept as it is.
It is my finite ego that always wants this or that to be other than it is, my ego that draws the line between what I like (and call "good") and dislike (and call "bad"). It may be tempting to call on any authority I see to bless the "good" and curse the "bad", yet if I undertake that "self righteously", further suffering always seems to result.
As a family, society, nation, culture, or even as humanity the majority of us may agree on some things being good or bad, but even those change over time, context, and situation. To me, all of this looks like conditioned patterns, passed down through heredity (IE death=bad), examples (Parents? Heroes?), instruction (scripture?), or karma. Awareness allows seeing beyond those limitation, recognizing (and appreciating!) the larger whole within which they take place (which of course includes us, and our choices) BE-ing the blessing seems like a choice that reduces suffering...
Life in this universe includes problems. You aren't going to change that, so to curse the universe is to waste a curse. (I think all curses are a waste.) That life has problems is okay because problems aren't just difficulties, they are opportunities to grow. Even though I say that, I try often to control storms, make them go how I want them to go. I believe in letting storms go over me, but I'm not very good at that. I tend to bend reluctantly. I think I surrender more than bend. I don't think some things must go wrong; I think we see things that way when things don't go as we think they should. What helps me be at peace is knowing that, knowing that things happen and change is constant, and knowing that things don't really go wrong, they just don't go as we'd like. That something is going wrong is a judgment call. I am getting better at going with the flow, not trying to control or predict.
Life is not always a bed of roses. It has also painful thorns. The Buddha mkes a wise reflection on suffering. He calls it a noble truth. Why do we suffer? What or who causes suffering? Once we know the cause of suffering, we can learn about suffering and when we apply this knowing, we can be free from our self-created suffering. Then thers is no blamimg, no fighting, no denying. We free ourselves from the grip of suffering. This is the way of being enlightened.
Knowing the cause of suffering is the way of reducing or becoming free from the self-caused suffering. Knowin is onething. Practicing and implementing is another thing. I know the path of ending the suffering. However, there are times when I have missed the mark and caused suffering to me and to others who have loved me unconditionally. I have related to my suffering compassionately and this knowing has helped me not to create my own suffering and that way I do not cause suffering in others who love me.
Being honest and aut... View full comment
Life is not always a bed of roses. It has also painful thorns. The Buddha mkes a wise reflection on suffering. He calls it a noble truth. Why do we suffer? What or who causes suffering? Once we know the cause of suffering, we can learn about suffering and when we apply this knowing, we can be free from our self-created suffering. Then thers is no blamimg, no fighting, no denying. We free ourselves from the grip of suffering. This is the way of being enlightened.
Knowing the cause of suffering is the way of reducing or becoming free from the self-caused suffering. Knowin is onething. Practicing and implementing is another thing. I know the path of ending the suffering. However, there are times when I have missed the mark and caused suffering to me and to others who have loved me unconditionally. I have related to my suffering compassionately and this knowing has helped me not to create my own suffering and that way I do not cause suffering in others who love me.
Being honest and authentic with my own self, being loyal to my own self, and relating to my self and others who might have caused suffering to me compassionately has been liberating me from my pain and suffering.
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave Hide full comment
Sometimes life hurts us, causes us pain. Rather than accepting it as nature's way of doing things, we start blaming others or even ourselves.
In this manner , apart from the physical pain or emotional pain that might have been caused, we add more pain by attributing the pain to someone else, even God , even ourselves , and attract much more suffering , which is much higher than the pain would have caused us.
It is observed that even gold has to go undera lot of stress ( fire) to be purified. Can we just take any stressful event this way and treat it and even welcome it , as our own purification process.
