By Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa

On a true spiritual path, a student will be challenged ALL along the way. As the saying goes, ‘it comes with the turf.’ A spiritual aspirant may follow a specific path which provides some answers However, there’s always a shelf life attached. I’m not judging. I’m just a scribe stating the facts the way they’ve been taught to me.

This is usually the initial test: Will my faith endure beyond any lack of courage?’ Why do I say courage? Because it takes courage to go beyond yourself and into the abyss of the unknown. This takes the ultimate amount of courage and, the only remedy to the mental pain of fear is faith. 

Faith is the antidote for fear. Here’s the kicker: it must be sincere faith. You can’t fool Mother Nature even if your able to fool yourself. Mother Nature will always stand alone and set the standard and commands for a better and better way of living. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t believe this. They think they know better and have conjured up ALL sorts of excuses, justifications, or whatever in dealing with this question. Let’s face it. It’s easier to avoid this issues rather than to tackle it head on. 

This delay, deflection, or denial can temporarily relieve some of the pain, but, it also answers the question of your true faithfulness level. True faith in Mother Nature means believing that living righteously is the model for life. True faith puts you on the faith spectrum. You’ve qualified for Mother Nature’s attention and gifts. The student knows these gifts are grand from past experience. 

Here’s the kicker. What stymies most students at this level is the thought of not being worthy enough to deserve more grand gifts. Everyone has a limit , a place of “respective incompetence” where “more” is unattainable. This thought is the killer of all future dreams, hopes, desires, and elevation. It doesn’t work well for a student to think this way. Many lose their dream of power, their hope life will be better, their desire for more maya, earthly pleasures. 

Nevertheless, some, a few, want to elevate their consciousness. These few know that their process of elevation means putting their dreams, hopes, and desires aside in favor of the sacrifice it takes to no longer listen to their memory reminding them of limits. These memory reminders, opinions, put their self-worth, self-esteem, at risk. 

This limited thinking is where a jump into the abyss of the unknown creates their faith meter to takes a big dip downwards. The only remedy for the pain of traveling into and through the unknown is faith, pure faith. Faith that Mother Nature takes care of everything and will take care of you and ALL you have to do is surrender your opinions, your memory. Sounds easy doesn’t it. It’s not!

Here’s the blessing. When the ego has surrendered opinions, the gift that God bestows is a state of contentment. For a Sikh, surrendering to our Guru is ALL we need for redemption and salvation. I’m using Western culture terminology for this description because we’re in the West. Salvation means elevation, compassion, forgiveness, understanding, kindness, discipline, and love. Salvation means enormous gifts from Mother Nature have befallen the student. It can’t be denied. It’s an experience of transcendence beyond the beyond. It warms the heart; it nourishes the body; it feeds the brain; it soothes the soul. In the language of a Sikh, it’s the experience of the student and the teacher merging together into the Shabd Guru, the songs of our Guru. These songs speak the truth. 

Others ways do as well, I’m sure of it because my Guru taught me that Mother Nature has many arms. Understanding everything means denying nothing. When this is adapted in the student’s consciousness  everything balances out. Turns out that Mother Nature is a gay, transgender, straight, woman or man. The choice is the students, or so he/she thinks. So without sacrifice and surrender, advancement is very limited. 

I say these words not to scare you away from this challenge, but to let you know that the gift you’ll receive will greatly bestow a contentment, a comfort, a confidence the likes of which you never even imagined. Embrace this test, don’t judge it. Know that Mother Nature has your back. When the student can see, then live with whatever Mother Nature throws their way, true faith takes hold. Faith is how Mother Nature’s blessings are bestowed. God is the doer and there should be no argument from the student. This is what true faith looks like. This is where merger begins. Me and God, God and me are One. 

Live life as an adventure, live it as a joy, as happiness, as contentment - even in sorrow. Life is a blessing. Remove doubt and the adventure begins. Please remember, doubt is where the mind is automatically lead by the memory. And, guess what, the memory leads you to an inflexible, state of repeated limitations. The mind must be flexible with the ability to discount nothing or accept everything. You are not the creator of your destiny, Mother Nature has that job. Just leave it up to Her.

Neutrality lives between opposite poles. That word "opposite" is like "opinion" to me. They’re charged words of opposite polarities. Have you seen two magnates at work. Their polarity creates both attraction and repulsion. Place the magnets on one side and they attract, place them in the opposite direction and they create aversion. One way attracts, the other way repels. This process creates the energy for creation or destruction. It’s called the law of polarity. Many parts in the car you drive are energized by two magnets. Magnetic energy is ALL around us. We live in it and with it, so don’t deny it. Please accept the fact that creation in and around us is and was created out of opposites. The test is not to see which polarity is right and which is wrong. the challenge is to find and live in the neutrality of both, live beyond polarities. .

Neutrality bridges the gap between polarities and understands the truth found in both.  Neutrality is a "no-judgement zone." Your memory/opinions are a hindrance, not a help. Neutrality, for a Sikh, is found in the Shadbs, the songs, of the Guru. Put your total faith in the teachings of the Shabd Guru and ALL your worries will cease. Yes, it usually takes time, but even if it’s not happening on your timeframe, your opinion really doesn’t matter. So, don’t fret. The challenge is whether or not you keep-up in your faithful attitude no matter what, not how far you’ve advanced in this week or this lifetime. That’s up to God. He provides the miracles, not you. Just keep-up doing and ALL will end well.   

In Perfect Harmony,
Your Partner and Friend on this Fantastic Journey,
Hari Jiwan