One of the most startling teachings offered by the great Hindu saint, Neem Karoli Baba, was conveyed in his oft-repeated question, “Can’t you see it’s all perfect?”
Many of us first heard that in the early 1970’s, when the United States was engaged in a brutal, unpopular war in a tiny, far-off country. Our President seemed ensnared in a web of lies, deceits, and flagrantly illegal, unprincipled actions.
Internationally, there was terrible flooding and famine in Bangladesh and horrible starvation and genocide in Africa. We were becoming aware that technological progress was disrupting the delicate balance of nature. Our perpetual arms race with the Soviet Union, made sure the spectre of a nuclear war was never far from our consciousness.
“Perfect?”
Yes. “Perfect.”
It is one of the most difficult aspects of spiritual Truth for us to comprehend. We aren’t required to turn a blind eye to injustice, unkindness, dishonesty, and cruelty. It merely invites us to let go of our internal conflict with the way of the world, to stop arguing with reality.
From a purely practical point of view, cultivating the ability to allow things to be just as they are is an important step on the road to joy. The mind keeps replaying the past, as though obsessing about what has already happened will somehow change history. It won’t. The need to affix blame stands in the way of moving toward joy and contentment.
The world is as it is. What happened happened. There is no way to change it. And the way things are in this moment is a direct result of all of the factors and events that have led up to this moment. Things are as they are today as a result of what happened yesterday, and the day before that. We can learn from the past. We can grow. We can cultivate understanding so we’re more attuned to the effects of our own thoughts and actions. We can resolve to make the world a better place, in spite of the fact that it is already “perfect.”
Making the world a better place happens when we — ourselves — become an embodiment of a higher truth, a greater realization. Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” It’s a simple, straightforward concept. And, in fact, it is the only way to effect real change in the world. As long as we are caught in an endless expectant wait for others to change, we are stuck. As long as we believe that some external condition has to change or someone’s behavior has to change so that we can be happy, we will be spinning our wheels in the mud of frustration and dissatisfaction.
The minute we resolve to “be the change we wish to see in the world,” real transformation takes place. When we no longer expect others to be sweet, and kind, and generous to us before we are willing to reciprocate, we can be sweet, and kind, and generous to them . . . no matter what. In so doing, we naturally become happy. We no longer need a “thank you.” We do what we do, simply because it is just more fun to be loving, whether people receive it, or not Our reward comes from the joy inherent in being a living expression of the highest part of ourselves. We act from our hridayam — our “spiritual heart”—rather than from our minds. Pure, unconditional, Divine Love — itself — is “perfect.”
In recent years, we can’t help but notice how very isolated, disconnected, and self-centered our culture has become. People live as if they are the only person in the world, acting as if no one else exists. My British mother was very concerned with good manners and taught us a protocol for nearly every situation. When I was a rebellious teenager, I thought her codes of behavior were just meaningless, uptight rigidity. But now, I realize that manners are really about paying attention and being alert. There is someone in the world besides you, so be kind, thoughtful, and considerate to them.
Consciously cultivating manners can be a superb spiritual exercise. After all, meditation is largely about paying attention. And manners are about paying attention. Meditation can be about learning to see God everywhere, in everything. Manners can be about treating others — even absolute strangers — as God in human form. As Jesus said, “In so much as you do this unto the least of these, you do it unto me.” When we attempt to live in our own isolated little cocoon of consciousness, we desire to protect ourselves, but we actually isolate ourselves. Living — instead — with a heightened, intentional awareness of other people is a major step on the path to joy. Stop. Look. Wait. Recognize that everyone you encounter is God in human form. Let God go first. Smile. Greet God with a warm “hello.” Hold the door for the next incarnation of God. Let God merge in front of you. Let God have that coveted parking space. Say “please” and “thank you” to God. Most incarnations of God won’t notice. Some incarnations of God will act numb. Some will seem confused and suspicious. Occasionally, a particularly interesting incarnation of God will respond with hostility. You offer God kindness, and He reacts as if you just spat on Him. Like a great Zen teacher.
But every now and then some form of God will lift His face and look you directly in the eyes, smile broadly, and say “thank you.” And you know — in that instant — that you just changed God’s life a little bit.
*******
There is no denying that when we look around us, it seems totally imperfect. Our friend Emmanuel has sometimes referred to it as “perfect imperfection.” The One Energy behind it all is perfect. As it manifests in form, it is also perfect. But our judging minds look at it all and conclude that it isn’t perfect. We think God has made HUGE blunders, HUGE errors. We could have created a much better universe.
Whenever I perceive my mind getting cantankerous and judgmental of other human beings, and the conditions of the world, I find it useful to remember txhe Buddha’s “Five Hinderances.” They are: 1) Lust and Greed; 2) Hatred and Ill-Will; 3) Agitation; 4) Sloth and Torpor; and 5) Doubt. In essence, those are the primary issues we come to earth to work on. We might see earth as a school where we incarnate because we have at least one of the five hinderances, if not all of them.
If “The Five Hinderances” are the “selection criteria” for all those who are admitted to live on planet earth, is it a surprise that our encounters with other human beings can be so difficult? We have enrolled in a school where we and our fellow students are full of lust, greed, hatred, ill-will, agitation, sloth, torpor, and doubt.
Isn’t that fascinating?
We are enrolled in a kind of reform school where the other students are as corrupt and delinquent as we are. But we can’t get caught in thinking it is the others who should change.
The only one we can change is ourself. That is what we came here for. And God, the Creator, the Universe, is always offering to lead us to peace and joy if only we can surrender our attachment to thinking we have a better idea of how to get it.
Reprinted from the forthcoming When Prayers Aren’t Answered.
Back to Center Post Contents | Home