Having Joy During Painful Experiences (Part 1) - Removing the Poison
An excerpt from the forthcoming book "Satsang with Swami Shankarananda: Answers to Questions on the Spiritual Path" by Swami Shankarananda Giri (Swami Nityananda's teacher and the founder of AYM)
Dear Feel Love Now Community,
In the following teaching, Swami Shankarananda invites us to let go of any focus on doubt, limitation, pain, separateness, fear, worry, lack. As we do so, we realize that it is possible to live in ever-expanding joy, freedom, and peace—and the eternal bliss of our being.
Joy is our true nature. When we live the teachings of truth, we gain poise within ourselves to realize every moment belongs to the Divine, and we love and enjoy the fullness of every moment with divine joy.
With eternal appreciation,
Swami Nityananda
The following is excerpted from the forthcoming book: Satsang with Swami Shankarananda: Answers to Questions on the Spiritual Path by Swami Shankarananda Giri.
How to transform fear and limitation to live in ever-new joy
“That which seems to affect like poison in the beginning but which is like nectar in the end; that happiness, born of the knowledge of the Self, is called spiritual bliss.”
—Bhagavad-Gita 18:37
The desire to experience happiness persists because there’s an inner knowing that it exists. So, the more impermanent our experience with happiness in the domain of the senses and intellect is for us, the more we are impelled to go deeper, to go further, to expand beyond that.
That’s when we begin to practice what affects us like poison in the beginning. It’s called spiritual instruction, sadhanas, spiritual disciplines, and gaining self-mastery.
Krishna reminds us that when we want to live in the state of spiritual bliss, we must let go of whatever stands in the way of experiencing the highest, purest state of blissfulness.
The reason the spiritual practices affect us like poison initially is not that the spiritual practices are poison, but that the spiritual practices expose us to the poison that we have swallowed called worldly mindedness. We’ve been indoctrinated into limited-conditioned thinking to fear the same things our families or other humans fear. We’ve been indoctrinated to develop the consciousness of lack, superstition, bigotry, prejudice, and worry. So, we think it’s natural.
Life is such a joy for me because I know what suffering is about. What I observed early in life is myself, persisting as far back as I remember. Start with yourself. It’s my awareness that it’s my nature to live in joy and to be free inwardly from limited thinking.
I love to promote joy in living, a joy that doesn’t pass away, that expands, that keeps growing and giving of itself. It does so the moment you appreciate experiences for the wisdom you gain.
You may say, “How can I have joy during a painful experience?” Trust that there must be a way to experience joy: In the midst of change, I choose to experience ever-new joy. That’s spiritual bliss, ever-new joy. With all other joys, our senses become jaded.
If life is smooth, always on an even keel, there’s no white-water rafting. Even with a number two grade wave, there’s joy and excitement. You still could fall out and get wet. Don’t reject whatever happens, saying, “Oh, it didn’t last,” or “Oh, it was painful.” You don’t have to repeat the pain. Gain the wisdom, or you will repeat the pain.
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