Latest / Sri Aurobindo Studies / Overcoming Difficulties With Cheerfulness

Transcript

Overcoming Difficulties With Cheerfulness · Sri Aurobindo Studies

• 0:01
  We are all familiar with the artificial type of cheerfulness
• 0:05
  of the vital nature which puts on a happy face and glad hands
• 0:10
  everyone in a show of bubbly cheer.
• 0:13
  We are also familiar with the artificial type of cheerfulness
• 0:17
  that arises through the use of intoxicating beverages and
• 0:21
  immersion in an atmosphere of vital excitement.
• 0:26
  This type of cheer, however, is not able to overcome the
• 0:30
  difficulties one has to face, and when one leaves behind that
• 0:34
  artificial cheer, one is still faced with the problems,
• 0:38
  obstacles, doubts, fears, and depressions that were
• 0:43
  temporarily masked behind the surface smile.
• 0:48
  The type of cheerfulness that is powerful and effective stems
• 0:52
  from the psychic being that has begun to come forward and direct
• 0:56
  the life with a sense of its meaning and purpose.
• 1:00
  The soul has taken birth to accomplish something.
• 1:03
  It recognizes that there are numerous setbacks and obstacles
• 1:07
  along the way, and it is prepared to meet them quietly,
• 1:12
  patiently, cheerfully, to eventually achieve the goal.
• 1:18
  Devotees have frequently in the past put on a sad face and a
• 1:22
  grim demeanour, expressing how difficult the spiritual path was
• 1:28
  and how much sacrifice it required.
• 1:31
  The dark night of the soul has been a frequent topic among
• 1:34
  devotees in many paths. They show their seriousness and
• 1:39
  they struggle. There is a story from the
• 1:43
  ancient texts that illustrates something of this power of
• 1:47
  cheerfulness in the spiritual quest.
• 1:51
  The divine sage Narad was travelling one day and came
• 1:55
  across a Yogi who had undertaken strict austerities, seated under
• 1:59
  a tree, meditating without distraction and without regard
• 2:04
  for any of the amenities or comforts of the external life.
• 2:09
  When he saw Narad, he inquired, I have been meditating here for
• 2:14
  years without break. When shall I achieve final
• 2:17
  liberation? Narod used his divine sight to
• 2:21
  look into the yogi's future and stated In four more lifetimes
• 2:26
  you will achieve final liberation.
• 2:29
  The Yogi was crestfallen at the verdict of Narod as he was
• 2:33
  expecting liberation right away. Narod continued along his way
• 2:38
  and found a seeker immersed in singing and dancing out of
• 2:41
  devotion to God. He too inquired of Narod about
• 2:46
  his liberation when he would be in the presence of the God he
• 2:50
  worshipped. Narod replied that as many
• 2:54
  leaves as there are on this tree, that is the number of
• 2:58
  lifetimes it will take for your liberation.
• 3:01
  At this the devotee became ecstatic, exclaiming that in
• 3:06
  such a short time he would see God.
• 3:09
  A celestial voice came from the heavens declaring You are
• 3:13
  liberated now. The cheerfulness of this devotee
• 3:18
  was a power of his soul which had obviously taken charge of
• 3:22
  his external being and his life. He faced what the other Yogi
• 3:27
  felt would be an enormous set back with characteristic
• 3:30
  cheerfulness and joy. This was the fast path to
• 3:35
  complete liberation from the bonds of the external world and
• 3:39
  life, the Mother writes. Quote Another remarkable sign of
• 3:45
  the conversion of your vital, owing to Agne's influence, is
• 3:50
  that you face your difficulties and obstacles with a smile.
• 3:54
  You do not sit any more in sackcloth and ashes lamenting
• 3:58
  over your mistakes and feeling utterly crestfallen because you
• 4:03
  are not at the moment quite up to the mark.
• 4:06
  You simply chase away depression with a smile. 100 Mistakes do
• 4:11
  not matter to you. With a smile you recognize that
• 4:15
  you have erred, and with a smile you reserve not to repeat the
• 4:19
  folly in the future. All depression and gloom is
• 4:23
  created by the hostile forces, which are never so pleased as
• 4:27
  when throwing on you a melancholy mood.
• 4:30
  Humility is indeed one thing, and depression quite another,
• 4:35
  the former a divine movement, and the latter a very crude
• 4:40
  expression of the dark forces. Therefore face your troubles
• 4:45
  joyously. Oppose with invariable
• 4:48
  cheerfulness the obstacles that beset the road to
• 4:51
  transformation. The best means of routing the
• 4:55
  enemy is to laugh in his face. You may grapple and tussle for
• 5:00
  days and he may still show an undiminished vigor, but just
• 5:04
  once laugh at him and lo, he takes to his heels.
• 5:08
  A laugh of self-confidence and of faith in the Divine is the
• 5:12
  most shattering strength possible.
• 5:15
  It disrupts the enemy's front and spreads havoc in his ranks
• 5:20
  and carries you triumphantly onwards.
• 5:24
  End Quote. Reference Srioro Bindu and the
• 5:27
  Mother powers within. Chapter 7.
• 5:30
  Attitude, page 72.