There's a famous conversation between two spiritual masters called Bhagat Tirlochan and Bhagat Namdev.
Now Tirlochan notices that Namdev is always busy at work.
So he asks him,
Namdev,
Why are you always so busy?
It feels like you're getting caught up in the world.
Shouldn't you be meditating on God?
And Namdev's answer is recorded in Guru Granth Sahib.
Namdev replies,
Oh Tirlochan,
Always keep the divine name on your lips.
Continue to work with your hands and feet,
But keep your awareness on the divine.
So what the spiritual masters are showing us is a different way of looking at life.
Our mind seems to constantly be searching for something else,
Always hoping for something to change in order to make us feel better.
But Namdev is saying that life is a miracle that's happening right in front of us,
Like gifts that we're receiving whatever we're doing.
It reminds me of a story from the life of Guru Arjun,
The fifth spiritual master of the Sikh tradition.
A student once went to the master and said,
Please show me an enlightened person,
Somebody who I could use as a role model.
The master said to the student,
Go visit Bhai Bikari in the state of Gujarat in India.
The student went to visit Bhai Bikari,
And when he went to the house,
He noticed that there was a celebration going on.
Everybody had gathered to visit Bhai Bikari because it was his son who was getting married.
And when the student went into the house,
Amongst all the celebrations,
He was surprised to see Bhai Bikari sitting in a quiet room knitting a shawl.
The student was invited to stay for a few days to enjoy the celebrations.
The wedding day came and went,
And on the very next day,
Bhai Bikari's son became very ill and died later that night.
All the guests that had arrived to celebrate the wedding were now mourning the death of the groom.
And the shawl that Bhai Bikari was knitting was now used to cover up the body in preparation for the funeral.
The student was so surprised,
And he asked Bhai Bikari,
If you knew your son was going to die,
Why didn't you pray for a longer life?
Bhai Bikari replied,
This body is temporary and will be destroyed one day.
The only thing worth praying for is the wisdom to accept whatever life has in store for us.
Now,
This story is not about magically telling the future.
This shows us what true happiness really is.
It's about being comfortable with change,
Knowing that nothing ever lasts.
It's about not running away from our problems in life towards pleasures,
But being at peace with both of them.
So what is true happiness?
It's about being free from mental and emotional struggles.
It's about every day waking up and going to sleep,
Being content and peaceful regardless of the circumstances.
And throughout your day,
Whether you're experiencing a positive or a negative emotion,
Try and see if you can be like Bhai Bikari,
Knitting his shawl and being totally neutral to whatever is happening around you.
