Tonight (January 19) we will be working on Acceptance. This is a big deal because without it, you absolutely cannot change a thing in your life. NON-ACCEPTANCE IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF STRESS.
Acceptance means that you consciously acknowledge where you are RIGHT NOW, not where you weren't, or not where you want to be. In order to improve the way you look or the quality of your thoughts, in order to make your life more manageable, to change your job, increase your income, get on top of your finances, better your health, and so on, you have to be realistic about where you are now....and BE OK with it. Only then can you make the adjustment, change or improvement.
If you are stressed out, chances are you are not accepting the way things are. When people are trying to change themselves and pointlessly trying to change others, they spend far too much energy attempting to change the unchangeable. HERE ARE TWO BASIC RULES:
1. You cannot change things before you accept things as they are.
2. You cannot change anyone else.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
In the serenity prayer, you come to the place of acceptance through serenity; a state of peace, calmness, balance which is achievable through meditation. You cannot change everything...and so acceptance of things as they are is required. You need courage and grit to change the things that you can....and you need to have the awareness to know what is changeable and what is not.
Aakhan jor, Chupai neh jor,
Jor na mangan dayn na jor
Jor na jeevan maran neh jor
Jor na raaj maal man sor
Jor na surtee giaan vechaar
Jor na jugatee chutai sansaar
Jis hath jor kar vekhai so-i
Nanak utam neech na ko-i
Aakhan Jor is the prayer of acceptance. It is also known as the 33rd pauree of Japji by Guru Nanak. This prayer takes the YOU out of the situation. It removes the ego and allows you to let things be as they are. God, the Universal Source, or whatever you want to call it, has the power. Inserting your ego into everything and trying to control your life and everyone in it is a pathway to nowhere. This prayer calls upon us to trust, accept, and let go. We have everything we need. We are complete as we are NOW.
No power to speak, no power to keep silent.
No power to beg, no power to give.
No power to live, no power to die.
No power to rule, with wealth and occult mental powers.
No power to gain intuitive understanding, to contemplate spiritual wisdom.
No power to find the way to escape from the world.
He alone has the Power in his hands, he watches over all.
O Nanak, no one is high or low.
Give it some thought. Through yoga and meditation, you can arrive at that place of balance and calmness where you can see where exactly where and who you are. In that place you are perfect. You can access what is realistically possible to improve or change and what is not. Either way, accepting the situation as it is, is imperative to making an improvement. If you can accept the way things are and have the clear perception to know what you can work on and what you cannot, you will be on your way to living a stress-free life. We will work on eliminating stress and meditating on the beauty of how things are right now.
For more information visit our website. Every thursday night at 7:00pm. bring a blanket, friends, cushion, etc. Donation $15 recommended. Yogi tea served afterwards.....
SAT NAM,
RAGHUBIR
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