Indians are sometimes the subject of jokes because we are not as conscious of time as occidentals. Even the Japanese are more particular about punctuality than many Indians are.
The civilization of India predates clocks and wrist-watches. People used the Sun in ancient times to approximate the time of day. The hours from dusk to dawn were kept largely for rest. This may be a part of the reason for many Indians being weak at adhering to schedules. It is not a good habit, regardless of its origins: time is a precious resource, and we must be disciplined in avoiding its waste, especially when others are involved.
The Living Guru has a different notion of time compared to that of modern life. Indian Scripture perceives this dimension in a larger context. The rituals of traditional Indian life place great importance on the precise planetary positions during birth, marriage, important festivals, and death. However, religious philosophy of our Mother Land heaps scorn on all conventional concepts of time.
God is eternal. Everything else is transient. There is no permanent reality other than the Divine. The Universe is an illusion. God has been present since the beginning of Creation. God will continue to prevail beyond the limits of our comprehension,
The Word of the Living Guru links time to the supremacy of God. The Japji Sahib recognizes that God is beyond time. Eternity is an exclusive preserve of the Almighty.
The Living Guru is also above time. It links us in this Millennium to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who first gifted us with this supreme truth some 500 years ago. We seek the Grace of God so that our descendants may honor the Living Guru who can never die.
Please post your concepts of time and experiences with the Living Guru below, or email UjjalJeevanCharitableTrust@gmail.com
Please also spare some thoughts and financial support for S. Inder Singh and Shri Bihari Lal, whose appeals appear alongside this panel.
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4 comments:
Thanks for your posting!
Happy week.
Thank you as well, and may the week bring you fortune, good health, and happiness.
I could not have agreed more with what you written. I, however, would like to add/elaborate on the term - 'World is an illusion '.This term is very often used in Hindu scriptures and others, including SGGS (Sri Guru Granth Sahib). Though this term is a fact realized by our Gurus and Sages, it is found bewildering and hard to accept by ordinary mortals like us. Bewildering it is, because we can see the world – the earth, the moon, the sun & the stars as a reality, but we can’t see God. Then how can the world be an illusion? I think our sages have used the term ‘illusion’ in a relational context. Whilst God cannot be seen, he can be experienced/realised through a process of spiritual purification. If we can’t see him, we are to blame; we are spiritually blind. We have not put in efforts to get out of our spiritual ignorance. Further,whilst God is eternal, our world is ephemeral – transient, subject to change and perishable. What we see of the world today as a reality, may not even exist couple of light years later. So, in this context our Gurus & sages have regarded ‘world as an illusion’.
The concept of illusion may also relate to the transient natures of superficial differences between forms of nature. The people we dislike, the animals we ill-treat, and even the inanimate creations around us are all reflections of God in reality. A realization of the real nature of life and our surroundings has been a common feature of all Indian spiritual leaders from Sri Krishna, to Lord Buddha, and Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The Living Guru stays in our midst for all time. Daily recitation of the Japji Sahib, and deep introspection on its messages can help us along the path to the truth of illusion.
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