Us luminous beings

I believe that we are like the sun, glorious, luminious beings, lit from within with the light of love. But we go through life with our doors closed, our faces lit up with artificial, flourescent smiles and 100-watt laughter. And then someone comes along whose soul connects to our soul and we throw open our doors and windows and our light shines forth and we reveal our true, loving self. And we revel in their presence and can be totally ourselves and we say we are transformed by love. But is it really a transformation, isn't it just an uncovering? The uncovering of our true self.

The same thing happens when we are in the presence of beauty, a beautiful sunrise, the cadences of birdsong, lilting music, great works of art, the innocence of children, the beauty within us responds to the beauty without and we realise our beautiful selves.

So then, why do we let fear close our doors, force ourselves to wear masks, shutting out our light, blind to the light in others? It would be so wonderful if we lived believing that we are creatures of light, capable of great loving, aware of our infiniteness, in touch with our divinity. We would truly be divine.

My heart is a shrine

My heart is a shrine, it seems,
loves come and go like pilgrims.

Some come seeking solace,
some to unlock the joy in their hearts.

And yet others come with footsteps heavy with sorrow,
and I wait for them to undam their pain.

Until release comes in torrent upon stormy torrent,
all pain washed clean by blessed tears.

And yet what can I give,
but the God that is within me?

This lamp of love you have lit with your hands, Oh Lord,
and sheltered it from innumerable storms.

My song of praise is my only offering,
and my heart lifted up in gratitude.

Wealth

A long time ago I came across a Sanskit verse which goes "Artham anartham bhavaya" which loosely translated means "Regard wealth as filth". "What a wise saying" I thought and proceeded to do just that. So all these years I have had a mild dislike towards wealth aided by the observation that wealth can buy comforts and luxuries but cannot bring happiness. I have never been rich in my life, richness of course being a relative term, but when I look back I realise that all my needs have always been met, my desires for the simple things in life have been fulfilled.

I have come to realise that it is more important to have a sense of abundance, of being rich in spirit, in generosity, in the spirit of giving whether of your possessions or of yourself. When I put a smile on someone's face, I feel rich. Like Martin Luther King Jr said 'Wealth is the least of God's blessings'. So everyday I thank God for the wealth of blessings that he has showered over me, all the love, the grace, the kindnesses, the joy, the abundance. Wealth somehow takes care of itself without my having to bother much about it. There is just the faith that God will provide.

But I no longer regard wealth as filth. I have realised that wealth has its uses, like helping someone short of cash with money required for surgery, like putting a poor child through school, like buying a book which can enrich you with knowledge, like buying a plane ticket to see a dying parent whose sole remaining wish is to see you. I guess the intent of the Sanskrit verse was to point out that one should remain detached from wealth, to not develop greed, to not allow it to stick to our senses as one would not allow filth to stick.

Take me in Your arms

Take me in your arms, Oh Lord.

Take me with You in the wind that brings the scent of faraway lands, of approaching rain,
the formless wind with footprints on surfaces of lakes.

Take me with You in the rain that pours down on the parched earth, evoking perfume scented song and causing the seeds to burst forth into life.

Take me with You in the sea that watery, salty cauldron with its constant ebb and flow and pulled by the moon and yet knows the secrets of all mankind.

Take me with You in the sap that rises up in trees and bursts into leaf and bud and branches in which birds come and nest and raise their young.

Take me with You in the songs of the fields, in the dust of farmers' hands, in the celebration of harvests and the warm glow of harvested grain.

Take me with You in the sunshine that glows on the faces of children at play adding sparkle to their eyes and music to their laughter.

Take me with You in the joys and sorrows of the human heart, in love that rends the heart and pain that kills softly, unknowingly.

Take me with You in the silences that dwell in the depth of forests and the eyelids of sleeping babies secure in their mothers' arms.

Take me in Your arms, Oh Lord, fill me with Your love, let me lose myself and merge with You in never ending ecstasy.