The Review Par Excellence

"The midwife knows that when there is no pain, the way for the baby cannot be opened and the mother cannot give birth. Likewise, for a new Self to be born, hardship is necessary."

Source: "Forty Rules of Love" - By Elif Shafak

A mother endures pain that is above tolerable limits of human beings to create a chance for a child to come into existence in this world. This pain allows a mother's body to secrete DMT which is considered as saturating the love for the baby. The mother's mind instead of focusing on the pain, focuses more on seeing and loving the child and feed him/her after the birth. The only other time, human body secretes DMT is when a person is about to die overwhelmed with love overcoming the pain of health issues/separation from the dearest ones/any regrest they encountered during life. But those who regularly meditate experiencing higher consciousness through constant secretion of DMT. By default, for achieving higher consciousness, enduring pain becomes essential even though our goal in life is to pursue happiness. The one who achieves equanimity in life (treating pleasure and pain equally) and become a Sthithaprajna loses material happiness and mortal consciousness and instead focus on achieving divine consciousness.

 

"God is busy with the completion of your work, outwardly and inwardly. He is fully occupied with you. Every human being is a work in progress that is slowly but inexotably moving towards perfection. We are each an unfinished work of art both waiting and striving to be completed. God deals with each of us separately because humanity is a fine art of skilled penmanship where every single dot is equally important for the entire picture."

Source - "Forty Rules of Love" - Elif Shafak

It is laugable when someone finds fault with others as one needs to recognize the truth that all of us are work in progress and the life itself is a gift to shape ourselves into a finished art. Comparison is a wasted effort as each person is wired differently than every one else and the development effort to complete each person is different. All the sources and methods suggested in the scriptures are basic principles for one to align themselves into the right path and ultimately when one fills the heart with love, the art is ready to be finished by the Creator. Every action of us, every experience one encounters, every person who has relationship with us, are all equally important in finishing that fine art.

When one understands that the art may vary but the Artist is the same and the expertise of the Artist exists in each art in a different way. Besides this diversity, exists unity of all the arts. The art is unable to understand and comprehend the nature of the Artist but the Artist understand the variation in each of His art.

 

"It is easy to love a perfect God, unblemished and infaliable that He is. What is far more difficult is to love fellow human beings with all their imperfections and defects. Remember, one can only know what one is capable of loving. There is no wisdom without love. Unless one learns to love God's creation, we can neither truly love nor truly know God."

Source: "Forty Rules of Love" - Elif Shafak

Love is the language of the heart and it shines with added luster only when it saturates love that flows like a stream out of it. Showing one's Bhakthi to God is easier but to love a human beings with all their defects is hard. Only when one loves the fellow beings, one can become a completed person who knows how to truly love. One should realize a life created itself is a grace and love of God to cure the defects in a human being. Everyone comes with an agenda to cure oneself. The top priority is to transform oneself from all the defects. While doing so, accepting the people around us as they are, is another milestone to achieve. One should realize each person has his/her own journey and we are not here to fix others but ourselves.

Adi Sankara taught Advaita only to make others learn that there is only one without a second. Jesus Christ loved everyone and miraculously cured someone who is suffering from illness. Prophet Muhammad shared what he learned through enligtenment with an intent for the whole world to benefit showing is infinite love to the fellow beings.

Life is created out of love, sustained in love and eventually merges with love.

 

"If you want to change the way others treat you, you should first change the way you treat yourself. Unless you learn to love yourself, fully and sincerely, there is no way you can be loved. Once you achieve that stage, however, be thankful for every thorn that others might throw at you. It is a sign that you will soon be shower in roses."

Source: "Forty Rules of Love" - Elif Shafak

Self-care is an important step for someone who is working on spiritual development. One who loves oneself is the only one who is capable of loving others. Every time someone throws a missile at us, we need to consider that as a process through which our Self-care is strengthened. Only when we experience adversity is when we understand the value of good times.

Yudhistra when he was thrown several challenges from his own kith and kin, he became a stronger and stronger. He never failed to love himself, his family and his extended family. He had the confidence that he would achieve what he is destined to do because he practiced dharma throughout his life. That is why Krishna stood by Pandava's side. The Pandavas never lost their confidence because they believed in themselves.

I have written article on Self-care in Sep 2021 and I am giving the link below.

Self-care

 

"We were all created in His image, and yet we were each created different and unique. No two people are alike. No two hearts beat in the same rhythm. If God had wanted everyone to be the same, He would have made it so. Therefore, disrespecting differences and imposing your thoughts on others to tantamount to disrespecting God's holy scheme."

Source: "Forty Rules of Love" - by Elif Shafak

We have to remember that Face ID, Iris ID, Finger Print ID, etc. work so well because no two identical person in this world. Every cell in our body is different as well performing different functions depending on where it belongs. Dualism works well because there is no identical one or more people. It is precisely what brings diversity to this world populated by nearly 8 billion people. Every individual has his/her own agenda and think differently. Instead of appreciating uniqueness of each individual, we should never impose our thoughts, words, feelings, and emotions on others as it would amount to defeating the purpose why this world is created. The interaction of this unique identities and to find common ground to live harmniously with love and compassion is the purpose of life. Finding that common thread that everyone is created by God and seeing His presence in everyone is the mission.

 

"When a true lover of God goes into a tavern, the tavern becomes his chamber of prayer, but when a wine bibber goes into the chamber, it becomes his tavern. In everything we do, it is our hearts that make the difference, not our outer appearances. Sufis do not judge other people on how they look or who they are. When a Sufi stares at someone, he keeps both eyes closed and instead open a third eye - the eye that sees the inner realm".

Source: "Forty Rules of Love" -Elif Shafak

"Don't judge the book by the cover" is the saying external appearances of people may be deceptive to make a judgment about a person in a positive or negative way. I don't know how many of you had a chance to visit Kaligambal Temple in Chennai, the famous temple that was visited by Shivaji. It is one of the ancient temples that survived to date. When you are outside this temple, you would notice a lot of people sitting outside the temple but not begging but dressed shabbily. They would never ask for alms. If you develop a conversation with them, they would speak high philosophy that can't be understood by normal person like me.

I remember a story of a young Indian boy who always wanted to make a trip to Mecca and saved every penny possible to make this trip. Finally, a person who organizes trips to Mecca agreed to take him but told him about the strict austerity he needs to practice during the preparation phase. Once this young boy was sleeping keeping his head in the opposite direction of Mecca with his legs in the direction of Mecca. The organizer reprimanded him and told him that it is disrespectful to keep his legs in the direction of Mecca. This boy quietly asked this elderly person, "Can you please tell me the direction in which Allah is not there so that I can keep my legs in that direction?" This elderly person learned a great philosphical lesson from this young boy. One can never judge a person by his age, how he is dressed, how he looked, and so on.

When we meet realized souls in India, they don't even see the dirty mind and encryptions we have accumulated in our lives but only see the pure and unsullied divine principle inside of us. They see each person as "Prema Swarupa" or "Atma Swarupa" meaning, "a person filled with love" or "a person who is a divine principle".

 

"The human being has a unique place among God's creation. "I breathed into him My Spirit", God says, Each and every one of us without exception is designed to be God's delegate on earth. Ask yourself, just how often do you behave like a delegate, if you ever do so? Remember, it falls upon each of us to discover the divine spirit inside and live by it."

Source: "Forty Rules of Love" - Elif Shafak

"Jantunam nara Janmam Dhurlabam" said Adi Shankara. Because human beings have the light of divinity in them. All they need to do is to kindle that light so that it would shine with added luster. Among the Christian community, they talk about having Christ like qualities. In Hinduism, the scriptures recommend not to give up Dharma as the way of life in order to achieve the spiritual principle inside of us. Prophet Mohammad spent his entire life teaching the Holy words he heard from the God to every life around him despite all hostility against him. He never stopped serving the humanity.

Humble but courageous, loving but firm in convictions, disciplined but liberal in forgiving others, living in the world but not of the world, giving and serving others but stand up for righteousness, are some of the qualities one should practice. Every one has a duty and obligation to love all species and not only human beings.

 

"Hell is in the here and now. So is heaven. Quit worrying about hell or dreaming about heaven, as they are both present inside this very moment. Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven. Every time we hate, envy, or fight someone, we tumble straight into the fires of hell."

Source: "Forty Rules of Love" - Elif Shafak

One who understands that every life is created in love, thrives and sustains in love, and eventually merges in love. God wanted to love Himself and hence He split Himself into many and created His own image in the form of human beings. He wanted to share His love and be loved. He can't differentiate any of His creation and loves each one of us dearly. He feels extremely happy when all of His creations love each other. Depending on how we find the source of love and expand the stream of love, we will experience heaven here and now. When we encounter hate inside of us for a fellow being, we experience hell here and now. Hate is like a fire inside of us and it is definitely going to hurt us no matter what.

Treading the path of love is the best way to experience joy and happiness in life which every life is bound to pursue. Thinking of the creator and the wonder of all His creations is one way to ensure that stream of love is found and let flow. Serving the fellow being with rigor and discipline understanding all creations are equally created by the Creator is another way to allow the stream of love to flow. Third path is to learn the purpose of creation and experience the divine principle behind every life. These paths are know as Bhakti, Karma and Jyana Yogas.