Those who realize the Truth, live a life of bliss, peace, and joy. What is the secret of their Happiness? How did they manage to smile despite all their suffering? Realization of the Truth gives them this gift of eternal joy and everlasting peace.
Chellaram was suffering from cancer but he was blissful. His body experienced physical pain but he knew that he was not the body. He was the Divine Soul. He did not let the misery affect him. Although death was around the corner, he would wake up every morning and visit the poorest of the poor. He would go to the beggars' colony and give food to the beggars. He would go to the blind school and take notebooks for the children. He would visit homes for the physically challenged and support the residents with wheelchairs and provide articial limbs. Although he was suffering, he did not let his suffering affect his bliss. His work gave him so much contentment and fulllment that the dark shadow of cancer could not dampen his joy. There are people in this world like Chellaram who do not get affected by bad things. Bad things can't steal away their smiles. If you had ever met Chellaram, you would wonder how he could be smiling and laughing all the time. Despite his disease, he was one ne example of someone who had seemed to have realized the Truth that when bad things happen, it should not stop us from living blissfully.
Those who realize the Truth accept this world as a Cosmic Drama. They know that we are just actors, we come and we go and this world is nothing but a big show! The ones who realize the Truth, live with detachment and dispassion. They see without doubt that we come into this world with nothing and when we go, we take nothing. They live with this Truth and don't let misery overtake their peace and joy.
When they see a tragedy in the drama of life, they watch it like a movie. They realize that they are just observers of the show, not the actors that most people think they are. Therefore, when something happens that causes them pain, they realize that life is both sunshine and rain. There will be loss and gain, but they watch everything happening on this humungous stage called the earth and they enjoy the show.
Dominic was a realized Soul. He had a strange wife and disrespectful children. Still, he did not live a life of misery. Whenever his wife caused him trouble, he would view it as a movie he was watching. He could not control her actions but he did not let her actions control his reaction. The amount his wife troubled him was enough to make him a maniac but he was blissful and peaceful. To add to the misery created by his wife, his children added cherries to the cake. They constantly disrespected him and expected his support despite their irresponsible behaviour. Anybody seeing Dominic would feel sorry for him but Dominic did not bother. He was a painter and he was busy making paintings and would often paint churches and temples, bringing a smile on people's faces. To him, the suffering he faced was just a passing phase and he believed it would soon be over.
There are some people who go for a movie and they cry. They go to a theatre and they sob because the plot is so sad, that the tragedy touches them deep inside their hearts. But the realized ones are not bewildered by tragedy in the movie. They know it is just a movie, it is not real. But what makes them live blissfully is the realization that life itself is nothing more than a movie. We are all actors, we come do our parts and go.
Robert was unfortunate to lose one leg in an accident but it did not stop him from traveling the world. While he seemed cursed to lose a limb, he was blessed with enough money and a lovely life partner. Together, they would go discover the world. Although Robert was either in a wheelchair or on crutches, it did not stop him from discovering the world. To him, the story of his life was such that his leg was his pain, but his resources were his boon. He learned to live a life of joy and enjoyed his life movie as it unfolded scene by scene.
What is it that makes others suffer, the pain that the realized ones have transcended? It is an understanding of the Universal Law of Karma, also known as the Law of Action and Reaction, the Law of Cause and Effect or the Law of the Boomerang. All these are names of the one essential law that governs the universe, the law that makes sure that only mangoes grow on mango trees. While most people in this world suffer when bad things happen, when they cry seeing misfortune happen to good people, when they break down at the untimely death of a dear one despite their constant prayers, the realized ones stay cool, calm and composed. The tragedies of life cannot rob their peace. They know whatever is happening, is happening as per the Universal Laws. More so, they know that they can do nothing about it. They realize whatever has been sown, will reap exactly what it deserves. There is no mystery or need for any contemplation once we realize the Truth.
Sheela seemed to be a very powerful woman. Tragedies came into her life, one after the other. But she knew that these tragedies were her own deeds returning to her. She was an ardent believer of Karma and she believed that whatever was happening in her life were her own actions coming back to her. Every time something bad happened, she would smile rather than frown because she knew that one more negative deed was redeemed from her account. Not everybody can be an optimist like Sheela but she had found a way to live peacefully and blissfully.
How do those who realize the Truth live blissfully? They rejoice in whatever happens, no matter what. They learn to live not labelling anything as good or bad because they know everything is perfect. Be it a comedy or a tragedy, they enjoy both scenes in the drama of life, with equanimity. They go one step further which makes normal people think they are crazy. When something seemingly bad happens, they rejoice. They are happy that a bad deed committed in the past has been redeemed. The negative has been cancelled and they live with hope that now the positive will unfold. If something unpleasant happens again, they celebrate again because they know that they can't escape from their own past actions. They accept both pleasure and pain with peace and blissfully live despite the trials and tribulations of life. They have understood the Universal Law and they are not affected by whatever happens in the world.
Boris lived a life that was like a yoyo, full of ups and downs. Success and failure kept playing games with him. He did not know initially how to deal with the rampant changes that were sweeping his life. He was lucky to meet a Spiritual Master who taught him the art of living with surrender and acceptance. Initially, he would resist failure, but now, he would consider it to be a sunset that was causing temporary darkness and he knew that the sun would rise again soon. He learned how to accept the Divine will and surrender to the power of the Divine. His failures no more caused him misery, nor did he get too attached to success. He lived a balanced life but one thing never escaped and that was a smile on his face. He learned to deal with life and he learned to laugh at his failures. He knew that he could not escape from his own past actions, but he looked forward to all the goodness that came to him like a boomerang.
How do the realized ones live? Not only do they live joyously, peacefully and blissfully, but they also keep on doing good every day that they live. They keep on planting good deeds and they are very careful not to plant a single thorn, any evil because they know that it will come back to them. This attitude of living with joy, moment by moment, doing good in every act of life, makes the life of the realized ones, a life of bliss. While the world around them continues to suffer, both the tragedies that affect them, as well as the misery caused when bad things happen to others, the realized ones are unaffected by both. Neither does a personal iniction of pain nor does the sight of others suffering shakes the inner peace and bliss of the realized ones. Outwardly, they will show their compassion, care, and concern. But internally, they are not disturbed. They live as observers of this drama called life and they accept whatever is happening, knowing that it is the unfolding of the Universal Law.
Komal seemed to live a life of Divine peace. She was a fan of the Law of Karma and completely subscribed to its tenets. She knew apples can't grow on mango trees and therefore nothing troubled her. Good or bad, she accepted both as the grace of the Divine. She knew eventually her goal was liberation. She knew while it looked like she was doing the actions, in reality it was her ego, mind, and body and not she who was in charge of her actions. Her goal was simple – to live as a realized soul. As long as she was alive, she had to act. She knew that she could not escape from action. Whatever actions she did, she took care they were positive and good actions because she knew her Karma would come back to her. She lived her life being a seeker of the truth, hoping to be liberated from Karma and all the miseries of this world.
While the realized ones live blissfully, there are a few who are blessed. They are so blessed, that they transcend the Law of Karma. They go beyond the Law of Action and Reaction, cause and effect. They are the very few fortunate ones who escape from the suffering of this world as they achieve the Ultimate Goal of life.
