Journey to Enlightenment Part 01

Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Chetana Catherine Florida, Nirmala Hanke, Raksha Penni Helsene
Publisher: Create Space

Page 98

died. That was a big shock in my life and it made me think about life again from the foundation. I said now I am not going to indulge in the business and my father's money and all the comfort, because I see my mother is gone, my sister is gone and my best friend is gone - we had woven beautiful dreams together and then she was gone. And I asked what the value of wealth and prosperity is. We had a thriving business, but his wealth and position did not protect the three of them, so I told my father that I had no interest in his business and not to expect me to carry on the shop. I left home in search of myself to learn where people go after death. It was my personal quest. I was so lonely, so down, nothing mattered to me.
Ultimately I found one teacher who said that books did not contain my answer. He said, Books give you information, not transformation. You will not be happy with borrowed words. For your answer do three things. Observe silence as much as possible, practice simplicity as much as possible, and learn to live with few things, go into meditation. Always say who am I. And rediscover that you are indestructible. If you do, one day you will find your answers for yourself.”
It took five years, as I was obsessed with death. One day I was walking in the wilderness and I saw the leaves falling, and from one tree I saw a sprout that was so tiny and gentle. Five years of practice took me to that moment. All of a sudden I saw that something is dying and something is growing. It disappears and appears. One leaf falls and another leaf sprouts. And one tiny seed has so much strength it breaks the ground and comes out. And that is me. I am that seed - it was such an ecstatic feeling. I saw life blossoming and bursting out, and I knew that I am the seed and I knew that my sister had sprouted and my mother was there. They had not gone anywhere, I just needed to connect with them.
The point is, we have to gain from pain. Pain is a part of life. If you don't have pain, how can you grow? If we know we can gain from pain, our whole trip as a human being will be very fruitful. To be fruitful, the answer is what I learned - accept life, live simply and meditate. With this we can make our journey meaningful and fruitful.
On the Wings of Light and Love - 99