nn 1,2

1.4.8 spir. in practice, 1.2.2 guru

Today I will speak upon the topic of courage.

You know, to have courage is one of the most noble human traits. To be courageous in the face of adversity is a great and noble act. To lead a human life is not only to face the difficulties of human existence, but to face those difficulties with a courageous attitude. Adversity is a part and parcel of human existence. There will be times in the lives of human beings when troubles will prevail upon them, when there will be adverse circumstances where pain or suffering of one sort or another will come to them. It is a part and parcel of human life.

You know, there are two faces to God. In the one face, He is the all loving father, the compassionate mother, who will give nothing but sweetness and affection to His children. In the other face, He is stern and strict and He bestows punishment in order to correct the incorrect thinking and incorrect actions of His children. It is also a compassionate face but it is very stern and fearful. If a child is to look upon it they will become frightened. So, the Supreme Entity has two aspects. On the one hand he encourages the child with a most loving approach and, on the other hand he pushes them in the proper direction with a stick.

Now, what does this mean? It means that the results of ones' actions may be very positive or they may be very negative. Even if they are negative, this does not mean that it is wrong. You see, a child learns, not only from getting candy, not only from getting reward and complements for their good works, but they learn also from the bad results that come, the negative results that come from their past actions. When the child does an improper action and they are punished, they learn also from this. So, Parama Purus'a does not only teach His children through His loving touch, but He teaches also by allowing them to experience the results of their actions. In this He takes the form of Rudra, the one who displays the most fearsome face. Now, there is a reason for this. This fearsome face exists so that human beings might not continue to do the inappropriate actions they have done in the past and so that their thinking might be corrected.

So, it is the plight of human beings to suffer the results of their actions, to suffer in the wars of this world, to be the victims of oppressing forces, to suffer the ills of the body and the death of the body. It is the plight of human beings to suffer the results of their human existence. It is a part and parcel of living in a physical form to come in contact with the losses, pain and suffering that accompany human life.

Now, if this did not exist, no child would look beyond this material world. If it were all honey in the world, they would come in the physical life and they would say "I have found paradise" and forever they would become attached to the bright colors of this world. But a time comes in the life of a human being, when, though they have enjoyed the bright colors of this world, adversity will strike them. They will be the victim of a serious illness, they may lose a family member, or some tragic event may occur, some natural event, some wars, some different event which will bring adversity to their lives. When this happens, they cry "Oh God, help me, oh God, help me, I am so afraid, I am in so much pain, I am so unhappy, and I am suffering". So, when the suffering comes, the human being turns to God, crying "Help me", and what is the help that God may give? It is to show the human beings "You see My son, you see My daughter, attachment to the material plane is not the end all of life. This body that you live in is not you, it is but an outer covering you are wearing. It may grow old, it may grow ill but you are not this body, you are not this outer shell, you are my beloved child. Do not identify with the material world, do not identify with the grief and circumstance of your life. Life may give you so many joys and happiness and the next moment it may snatch them from you. Do not identify with these temporal experiences. Come, instead, to the deeper experience which lies quiescent and which is not disturbed by both the joy and the suffering of life". In this way, a human being will learn to seek the deeper aspects of their existence.

So, suffering is not without a purpose. And what must be the response of a human being to suffering? What should be the response of a human being when adversity comes on them? The human being must have courage. To lead a human life takes courage and there are times in the life of a human being when courage will be most important. It is easy to be courageous, to say fine words about ones' valor in the face of good circumstances, when all is going your way. But when the life turns in a different direction and there is adversity at ones' door, courage is a different matter. Then the human being may cry "Oh Lord, why has this happened to me? Why am I suffering? What have I done wrong? Let this go away from me". The first response will be to wish that the adversity does not exist. This is good and well, but adversity cannot always be wished away because it has a purpose in life.

So, what must be the response of a human being? It must be to say, "Oh Lord, you are my only shelter. I may experience joy and happiness in this body, in this life, or I may come to adversity and pain. Still I will take you as my shelter and I will calmly endure this suffering. I will not run from it, but I will know that it does not consume me. I may feel the pain in my body, I may feel the pain in my heart, I may feel the loss in my life, the grief, the pain, the sorrow, but I know that these are temporal experiences and they will pass. So, I will take heart in you, Lord, and I will endure".

You see, even the greatest warrior, before the battle when they stand facing the enemy, will feel the waves of fear come through them. When they lie in their beds the night before the battle thinking of the coming day. Do you think there is no fear in the hearts of those great warriors? They experience fear, but they do not succumb to that fear. They laugh in the face of fear, they laugh in the face of death saying "Fear, I laugh at you, you cannot control me, and death, I laugh at you, you may come if you like, I do not care". And when they enter the battle, do you think not a single warrior feels the fear before the battle rages? They may fear, but they go to the battle regardless. That is the path of courage.

A human being need not seek out dangers, there is sufficient adversity in human life without seeking it. But if it should come, take shelter in the Infinite Entity. Know that this human life and all of these adversities and travails are temporary and face them with courage. This is the truly noble act of a human being, to face adversity with courage and nobility.

So you see, each and every person must be a warrior within, for life is not for the weak hearted. The spirit of the warrior is within everyone. Draw it out in yourself in times of adversity and place your shelter, not in that which may be destroyed, but in that which is beyond destruction, the pure, eternal love of the Infinite. It is in the Self that you exist, beyond duality, beyond joy and happiness, beyond pain and sorrow. You exist, pure, untainted, immersed in unqualified love. Make that dwelling your home of homes, and when adversity comes, go home to your inner most Self and face that adversity with dispassion, and courage.

Suffering is a part and parcel of human existence. It cannot be avoided, but it can be transmuted and transformed. You know, it is His face also, the face of Rudra is equally the face of God, the shining face of infinite love. He is always with you, even in your deepest pain, even in your darkest hour, He is with you. Turn to Him, find your strength in Him, find your shelter in Him, and also, make Him the source of your courage, oh human being, for that Divine Entity is ever yours, ever loving, and ever blessing you, even in the midst of adversity.