If, in fact, we are all created in the image of God, why should we not be able to see Him in love for our brothers and sisters?
Babies…now how easy it is to see the face of God in them–even in young children in whom ego and fear and such have not yet surfaced.
Now should we wish to return to something resembling that state of love, let us reduce or eliminate fear and ego from ourselves. Look how easy it is (to write this).
But like the Fivefold Path (FFP), it is simple but not easy.
If going within ourselves is a worthy goal, certainly circumstances of the past two years could have nurtured that. Lockdowns have kept us at home more. With movie theaters and bars closed, those external diversions being eliminated, concentrating on ourselves—our inner selves—is less likely to be detoured–in theory.
As kids, if a game we were playing wasn’t going our way, no problem; just pack up the football, take off your sports jersey and retreat into the obliviousness of childhood. Easy solution. My bat, my ball, my rules.
Is this what is happening as the world tries to ‘return to normal,” as all or most Covid restrictions are relaxed or eliminated?
How about the collective planetary reaction to the birth of the third year of Covid 18–now better labeled Covid 19-22 (and counting). We appear bored or ‘enslaved’ as the extremists among us cry. What we are NOT being, is vigilant and patient. Are we in danger of not seeing the forest from the trees? Is the advice being given considering public health sufficiently?
We are aided or guided down these paths by politicians, mega-businesspeople, Big Pharma and the cinema and bar owners. What about Higher Guidance?
And no doubt the traumas associated with life worldwide these past two years may have further clouded our decision making, keeping us vulnerable (psychologically)?
What has this to do with Agnihotra and the other four steps of the Fivefold Path? The answer is EVERYTHING, everything to do with self/esteem, value of life and patience. As all three appear at times to be in short supply these days, whatever are we to do?
FFP helps us immeasurably with intellect, emotion, power of discrimination and will power— in short it helps us to love ourselves and others. After all, the Mind Training Programme of FFP has the goal of training the mind to react with love in all circumstances.
As we have been in survival mode for quite some time, the four tools just mentioned could have seemed to be almost luxuries, an example of ‘collateral damage’ of the pandemic.
But as the mind is nearly always doing its job of thinking, feeling and willing, just like Swadhyaya (self study), it is open for business 24 hours a day, every day.
And then there’s intuition. As governments and the medical establishment, and the media have all proven to be not particularly up to the task of protecting us—say the statistics— going within and mining our own experiences and coordinating them with life as it confronts us today, are requirements—not luxuries, as it may have felt like in easier times.
“Teach me how to trust my heart, my body, my intuition, my inner knowing.” (Melony McGannt)
Nearly universally, those who practice Agnihotra regularly, as well as adhering to some degree to the other four steps of what is called the Fivefold Path, report higher and deeper levels of intuition and the feelings that support and encourage it—not to mention levels of will power and the power of discrimination formerly thought of as out of reach.
Should this culminate in my being able to love myself and others, all praises on High.
And remember the truth that once was spoken: “to love another person is to see the face of God”.—Víctor Hugo.
Persons who before doing Agnihotra found it nearly impossible to still their minds enough to sit and try to accomplish CONCENTRATION, then CONTEMPLATION, –the first and second stages culminating in MEDITATION– discovered themselves able to attain these states.
How else shall I be able to access my INNER KNOWING? There is no cable tv channel able to do this for us. Books may point us in a direction, but it is our job to walk the yellow brick road.
It is difficult to put into words what Agnihotra seems to bring out in ourselves, making our heart and our inner knowing true companions rather than sought after goals.
That is why our tagline for the past 45 years or so has been BELIEVE WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE, for only you are able to access and discover you.Esa es la razón por la cual nuestro eslogan durante los últimos 45 años aproximadamente, ha sido CREA EN LO QUE EXPERIMENTA, puesto que solamente usted puede ser capaz de acceder a usted mismo y descubrirse.