A word of truth to my faithless self: How long will you wander? Back, forth and around in circles, blind but convinced that you can see. You want to walk alone, fancy yourself valiant and unbound, taking the scenic route, as you call it. You go without guidance. Faithless self, you say that no one else can lead you on your path, as no one but you knows where you’ve come from nor can anyone be truly invested in your destiny. This is, after all, your journey; the discovery of your spirit, a recovery of your truth. Who could teach it to you? Who else but you would know? Are you sure that you will find your way? What you fail to see is that you are your own impediment. You deceive yourself and do not realise it.
Faithless self, you think that matters of the spirit are for the individual to resolve, questions are for the individual to answer, answers are theirs to learn, practices are theirs to decide and only in ways that harmonise with them. You think, perhaps, that what we need to learn is simply how to be: be ourselves, be free, living unrestricted and at peace. What do these terms mean? You find and fuse ideas to build your notion of the truth. By accepting segments of truth while denying others, you miss the Truth. You say you value your liberty but it may only be rebelliousness. And unknowingly you subscribe at the price of true freedom.
Oh Faithless self, you imprison yourself and do not know it. You may fight the lies of the world and even unearth the factual, but you remain oppressed by your own misconceptions. The subtler ignorance that is lodged in you, keeps you from real knowledge. And unknowingly you turn from the light to chase shadows, all the while caught up in the impression that those shadows are more beautiful and more worthy than the Source of Beauty. Maintaining these impressions, you dedicate yourself to illusion. Then you wonder why the frustration and the feelings of loss and confusion.
Faithless self, you reject direction. Yet silently, you yearn for a hand to reach out to. And many hands have reached out to you. It was pride that told you that you didn’t need help or that no one could save you. But it is up to you to accept the guidance, which is powerful beyond measure, always available and true. It is that wisdom which directs the heart to cultivate real love. Do you not recognize love when it comes to you?
By letting go of your faithless self, you can grab onto what lies beyond. All that we are is in us, but we cannot
uncover this on our own. We need those who know it to
show it to us, for their help to reawaken us. That is Guru.
Guru can show the way for they have seen and gone the
way. And they can take us to depths and heights further than
what we can achieve or even conceive of on our own.
A word of truth to my faithless self: seek the great sages and
follow their path.
Nalayne Carpede (Iskcon Durban)
September/October 2016 Hare Krishna News – Published by ISKCON Durban. Used with permission
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