How many times have you asked a child to make a birthday wish? How many times have you heard the child’s wish for some thing totally bizarre? How many times have you seen a child cry relentlessly to fulfill a birthday wish?
Children are the most beautiful lot of mankind on earth. No matter what you as an adult might be gonging through in life either at physical, emotional and financial level. A mere look at the child face will relieve you of all the pain and agony. There is some thing special in them and in their age. They seem to be experiencing so much joy , that it instantaneously trickle down on adults who come in contact with them. In fact spending time with children is one of the best and oldest therapies for relaxation know and unknown to mankind. Know to the wise, who have kept their hearts and mind open to varies ways of relating with the Self, and unknown to ignorant men, who identify with the image of a ‘man’, that numerous times each day they lose this great opportunity to relate to their own Self and be happy,
The ignorant men will require a well informed research ( meaning a research in which lots of time and money had been spend) from a third party ( which might be based in far away land) to think of this proposition, let alone to experience it. The foundation of all research starts from the individual. The ability to inquire, observe, analyze and to be open to conclusions, which might contradict his or her earlier ideas. In other words, the foundation of all scientific research of mankind on matter is to see things as they are.
In the last couple of months, we have attended numerous birthday parties. Some were of children who were new arrivals , while others were of youngsters and some of people who have occupied this planet for a long time. It’s quite evident how passionately birthdays are celebrated in this part of the world (South America and western hemi sphere). Small family gatherings to a big pomp and show, in which the essential feature is the amount of money spend and the number of celebrated guest attended. In this age of matter (or Kali Yuga), birthday celebration have become alike to making fashion or social statements. Parents, family and friends do all things possible on this particular day to celebrate the birthday of the individual. Overlooking that there was a life before and there will be a life after this day for the individual. A life that is very lonely, insecure and unsatisfied.
I recently asked one of the relatives of a birthday girl. “Why all this extra effort today? She quite abruptly (to conceal deeper investigation) said, “Why don’t you know, today is Lara’s birthday”, “We want her to feel special today!”. Lara is always special, why tell her only one day of the year, I said. “Yes but today she is extra special, have you bought a gift for her yet? she said with a smile, and left the conversation almost unexpectedly.
Sensing her displeasure over my seemingly naïve query, I decide to take a walk by the sea. It was dusk and the Sun was setting into the sea and giving the entire ocean an orange glow. I was now enjoying the breeze, waves and the vastness of the ocean. Suddenly, a very calm feeling permeated my entire being, it was as if I had become the ocean. I was vastness and happiness itself. There was nothing I wanted or craved for. I was the only thing that existed and all things that seemed to exist apart from me in the past now seemed to be actually part of me.
As water of the ocean, it was I who manifested in the form of waves. And it was I with which the waves finally merged. I had become weightless, and it seemed that a slight touch or so, and I would float like feather in free space. I could see all things and beings inside and outside me. In fact on various occasions birds and people flew and walked straight through me. And yet I was aware of everything and detail on that beach. Some time later, I regained my physical weight and realized that I was far away on the seashore. What was that? I asked with exhilaration and honestly while sitting in silence that night.
A voice from everywhere and nowhere said “ its you, love! Your real self ”. If its me then why cant I feel the same now? I enquired after a while. The voice said, “ you are identified with the manifested wave of the cosmic source”. You are the wave of manifestation and also the source from which entire cosmos has emerged”. I was now still and centered on the inner invisible heart.
As hours flew by, I addressed another question to this omnipresent Guru who seemed to fill my being with deep bliss. If I am the source of entire cosmos, then why do I feel miserable? The voice said “ Can the unlimited be happy being the limited? You are identified with the manifested to the extent that you have forgotten your real nature. Awake and arise from your sleep of body consciousness. Once awakened in the unlimited, even the manifested state will be a blissful song ”.
It was morning time now, as I got up from the bed. Every thing was special, unique, beautiful and one of its kind. Every person was different, gorgeous and charming to me, all colors, designs and dresses got my full appreciation. I was understanding, love and compassion itself, as I saw myself in every thing and everyone. How could I judge any one when it was all nothing but me?
On awakening, I saw that the feeling of being the unlimited is inherent to all beings. As a child, it’s the inquisitiveness and sense of finding satisfying answers to all the questions. The innocent birthday wish of the child is reflective of this search for perfection. During my childhood days, the feeling of being special and unlimited was so palpable that , I would almost insist to my parents that my birthday be celebrated all days of the year. While other laughed to loud rapture at this innocent but ambitious wish, my mother who unconsciously understood the feeling of the unlimited, promised to make some thing special to eat every day of the year as a way of fulfilling my wish and at the same time being practical. Happiness is not a mood or a wave, which comes and goes, but we are ocean of happiness itself. Totally new and totally alive, I am happiness, joy and completeness. Life and each of its moments are fresh. I am freshness itself!
The environment around me during the upbringing, assisted me to develop the inner feeling of being special and unlimited by not curtailing the freedom of my inquiry, but rather giving it a sense of recognition and direction. Never was I directly or indirectly told by my parents, that I was the limited, even though in the society it may have be evident otherwise. Parents always counseled to listen to my deep feeling, intuition and conviction in every thing that I did or wanted to do in life. This does not mean that in the search for perfection I didn’t make mistakes. Like any other teenager, I also for a while thought that happiness has to be sort outside in the world of senses and mind. To be happy one had to be rich, famous, highly qualified and have casual relationship with opposite sex. To experience different things at your will was the key to happy living
In my search for happiness outside I often encountered frustration of not getting what I deserved or thought to deserve. What ever I wanted, I worked or asked and got, but the moment I got, I said to myself, not this, not this, there may be some thing else that I am looking for! Does life mean only experiencing the waves of sense pleasure?
No matter how frustrated you are, if you are honest to the search. You will get required guidance and help from your own higher self. Your higher self will come to your rescue in different forms and names. To me it came as family, friends, co-workers, various Masters and as Guru Sri.
On awakening I also say that in every material and physical thing I consciously and unconsciously sort only my own higher self. When I realization it, I couldn’t stop busting with laughter and exclaiming. What a fool I was, what a fool I was!
Birthdays are special occasions for the individuals and we need to celebrate them with certain outwards celebration. With out forgetting the central theme, that birthdays are essentially opportunities to cultivate values and virtues which can help the children realize his or her optimal potential.
Family and friends need to spend more time with children, trying to understand their wishes, ambitions and attitudes. Relating and counseling on their conscious and subconscious levels of existence. Some times it’s the subconscious level in the form what dreams children see often , are more effective in guiding the child. As an adult, its not important that we always provide the right answers to their seemingly unending queries. But what is important that we channelize their birthday wishes, desires and energies in the direction of introspection, honest search and listening to the inner voice. For the process of questioning and getting satisfying answers is the ideal approach for Self discover of the child and the individual within.
Next time you see a child’s face and become instantly happy. Know for certain that we all are born with same sparkle and innocence on this planet only to realize our complete potential as the gloriously unlimited being, who is eternally happy and joyful.
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