SIGNPOSTS ON THE JOURNEY
Great Spiritual Lights
The pathway for Spiritual Seekers can often be both long and, at times, arduous. Fortunately all the great Faith Traditions have examples of Great Saints and Sages, who by their life and example help to 'throw light' on the spiritual pathway. One such was the great Hindu Master , Swami Chidananda.
Many years ago I visited India with my wife Angela and other members of the International Satsang Association. It was a 'pilgrimage' to many of the important sacred places of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. This pilgrimage was led by Sister Ishpriya. We stayed at the Sivananda Ashram in Rishiskesh . It was from there that we went to Haridwar, where we were fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet with this humble and holy man.
What impressed us about Swamiji was his gentle humility and his great wisdom. He conversed in a simple, straightforward and wise way as he answered our questions about life, Sadhana ( Spiritual Practice) and the importance of developing a regular and disciplined Sadhana. For Swamiji, it seemed that every moment of every day was an opportunity to meet God. His simple responses to our questions reflected the lines of the following Hindu Chant
Start the day with God
End the day with God
Live the day with God
That's the way to God
Chidanandaji, was the President of the Divine Life Society, based in Rishikesh. He was a devout and humble disciple of his Guru , Swami Sivananda, who founded the Divine Life Association. Chidananda was a quiet, humble and very holy man, whoce very presence illuminated any gathering. Below is a simple teaching of his on living a Fruitful Life that outlines and reflects the simple 4 line chant above.
The secret of a progressive and fruitful life is to be inwardly ever linked with God, linked with the Cosmic Being.When there is no connection, when you cut yourself off from the source of your being, then your life will be full of pain and suffering, misery and fear, negativity will prevail.
If you want to put an end to this, the only way is to link yourself with God, who is your source, your origin. Keep that connection either through inquiry and discrimination, or through constant unbroken remembrance of God and devotion, or through meditation and continuously thinking about Brahman, or
through worship-fully dedicating all activities to Him. Then, day by day
your spirit will begin to unfold. It will grow, develop, progress,
expand and you will attain divine experience.
So remember that separation from God is the root cause of all human miseries. Put an end to this; seriously strive after that supreme state of being constantly in a state of oneness, attunement with the Supreme and overcome the sorrows of samsara.
May God bless you. Swami Chidananda
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