Gifts Within...or Withheld?

Hari Om

Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality and become more congruent within our personality.

The next text which will guide the Choose-day posts is "Tips for Happy Living - jIvnsUÇai[ /jiivanasuutraani", by Swami Tejomayananda (Guru-ji). Choose-days writings are here to prompt deeper thinking on the choices made on a daily basis and seek to provide prompts for raising the standard of one's thinking and living. This text composed in format of Sanskrit traditional teachings, speaks directly to this purpose. As ever, the full text may be obtained from CM Publications - or your local centre (see sidebar).

Did you ponder the 'gifts' - the potentials - within you? The inherent abilities are now elucidated by Guru-ji;

z´yStu kayva'!mnaebuiÏiSwta bih> saxn_aUtaí.6.

Shaktayastu kaaya-vang-mano-buddhi-sthitaa bahiH saadhana-bhuutaash-cha ||6||

These potentials are of body, speech, mind, intellect and also of external means.

The very word 'potential' indicates a vast array of possibility. Most are right there within us, yet often we forget them, or take them for granted.

Physical potential.

Health is wealth! A strong and healthy body is also likely to hold significant stamina for work. Note that this does not preclude those who may have disability. Even with an imperfect body, much can be maximised to better our circumstances. If we are born with natural athleticism, all to the good, but most of us have to work on it a bit! Taking up regular exercise and proper diet are the two key factors and are recognised by all societies, with or without philosophical application in mind. Within Hinduism, the great Yoga and Jnaana masters do not become so by chance; they work at it. Further, in the physical realm, we benefit from the variety which our organs of perception bring; hearing, seeing, tasting… such enrichment - are we not blessed?!

Speech.

Amongst all the organs of action, the speech is the most powerful. Words have the power to inspire, motivate, hypnotize, also to instigate, demoralise or engender hatred and danger. This tool of self-expression has such potential which, if not trained or harnessed properly, can lead us into many a blind turn or cause significant trouble. Learning to maximise the skill of speech and use it for the betterment of ourselves and others is a noble thing - a talent to be nurtured. Even if you do not think you have the potential to be a public speaker, simply learning how to rephrase and soften your speech can bring personal benefits of stronger friendships and better work prospects. Is that not a blessing?!

Mind.

Even an ordinary mind has the capacity to receive and store information, much more than hundreds of computers. The human mind can rule over matter and other human minds. The mind can feel the deepest emotions and intense peace and joy. It functions at an unbelievable speed and performs thousands of functions simultaneously and efficiently. The mind is the place of feeling; when in spiritual terms we talk about the 'heart' we are actually referring to the mind. The physical heart has much to commend it also, but it does not actually do any feeling - regardless of all the romantic hype! No. The mind is a wondrous gift; what cannot be achieved by us when we apply our minds?!

Intellect.
Creativity, imagination, analysis, comprehension, organisation… these and more are in the sphere of the intellect. The infinite potential of these have opened up a whole new world of fascinating experiences compared to that of our animal cousins. Ground-breaking discoveries in science, technology, medicine and such, have changed our lifestyles, influenced societal development and impacted all our interactions. Communications between humans are highly sophisticated; we have developed amazing and complex housings, modes of transport and task-saving tools. The sky is the limit for those who exercise their intellect to the fullest of its capacity. Do we realise this?!