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THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ( Page 2)
Contentment:
Happiness is being satisfied with what you have. It does not at all matter how much you have. Our basic needs are very limited and the more you have the more problems and cause of unhappiness you shall have. As long as you yearn to have more than what you have, in terms of wealth or amenities or luxury, you will be unhappy. Most people are adept at making hell for them by greed. They feel they do not have enough. How much is enough? For most of us enough is a little more than what we have. Often we assume that our needs are to be determined on the basis of what our richer neighbours have. We never look down to see how lucky we are compared to those who are not as well off as ourselves. It does not matter whether you are rich or poor to be content or to be greedy. To be happy, one has to be content. Increase of wealth does not increase happiness. It may on the other hand increase the problems and tensions in life and add to one’s misery.
Non-Attachment:
People tend to think of the soul or spirit as beginning its life after one’s death. They forget that the soul is a living entity and that it is “alive’ that it needs nourishment and growth. This is the essence of the concept of spiritual life. This is not meant for ascetics or those in monasteries or nunneries. Spiritual life is for everybody and is not meant for certain days or hours of the week either. It must not be divorced from everyday life.
Even if the spirit is alive, it is often imprisoned or under bondage. The soul is often compared to a bird that is at home while soaring high up in the skies or heavens. Attachments to the worldly matters, to wealth and power, are the bondages that prevent the spirit from taking off for its flight. These are the walls that imprison the soul. This is why Jesus advised us against ‘storing up treasures on earth’, for according to him “your heart will be where your treasures are”. Buddha also has something similar to say in this regard, “It is not life, wealth or power that enslave men,” he says, “It is cleaving to life, wealth and power”. Once you are free of such attachments you can experience heavenly happiness here on earth. Non-attachment does not mean renunciation. You can possess wealth, power or friendship as long as you are not tied down to them. You must learn to live in the world without being part of it. The idea of contentment and non-attachment is embodied in the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”. And in this first declaration on the Sermon on the Mount he adds the reward for this mode of life, “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. He hadn’t said anything about this reward being after one’s death. It is heaven on earth that he talks of. And those who make heaven on earth will enjoy heaven in the next life as well. In the same way we may assume that those who make, here on earth, hell for themselves and others are the candidates to fill the vacancies in hell.
Spiritual Life
One could also look at the invitation to be prepared for the kingdom of heaven as an invitation to a spiritual life. In this context the meaning of the term spiritual life must be properly understood. Spiritual life is the life of the spirit, of one’s soul. As we have seen earlier the human being is a being of spirit. The true self of a person is not just the body but the soul. Thus spiritual life must be considered as every day life of a person. Neither is it meant for a few individuals or groups of people either, nor is it to be apportioned for some particular hours of the day or particular days of the calendar. Does this mean that everyone must renounce the ordinary life of the world, lock themselves in cloisters and lead lives of renouncement and self-mortification? Not at all. That is not the spiritual life envisioned here. It is a life lived to the fullest where you enjoy happiness, peace and prosperity, the most sensible way to live. Such a life is not meant just for a few highly enlightened souls either. It is open to you and me, to every one of us. To start such a life you do not have to undergo intensive course or be disciplined by a guru. Leading a spiritual life is very simple. The following four cornerstones shall suffice to start building the edifice of your spiritual life, which can go to any heights as you wish. These corner stones are:
* An awareness that God is a being of spirit, present everywhere and thus always with you.
* Awareness that you are a being of spirit, created in the image and likeness of God, a child of God and hence a ‘very important person’.
* Awareness that every other human being is also a being of spirit, a child of God, hence your brother or sister and a ‘very important person’.
* Awareness that you have nothing to worry in this world once you put your absolute trust in God whom you should consider your father or mother.
Dr. Ramaswamy Iyengar, head of Chinmaya International Foundation, once told me that to him “spiritual life is a life full of fun and laughter. One wonders why everyone does not accept or embrace this form of life. The problem, in my opinion, should be what I have elsewhere in this book mentioned, the problem of unbalanced evolution. Too much emphasis on material aspect of our life and total neglect of the spiritual aspect. In this connection I must reiterate that there is no shortage of religiosity in our world. There is plenty of that especially the type that makes people hate each other and unfortunately very little of what makes you love one another. In this context I would like to recall what Dr. Abdul Kalam, the President of India said on one occasion, “Religion must graduate to spirituality”.