#249 The way we view our blessings changes us.
‘Blessing’ means a special favour, mercy or a special benefit from Bhagavan. The Sanskrit words are ‘anugraha’ and asheervaada, expression of a blessing.
What do we consider as blessings? Generally, blessings are the moments, circumstances, and people that bring joy, abundance, and positivity into our lives. They come in many forms –
Blessings of Health: Good health which includes physical and emotional well-being and the absence of debilitating diseases. Being able to continue one’s pursuits without significant health issues is a substantial blessing.
Blessings of Wealth and Financial Stability which includes having a stable income, savings, and the ability to meet one’s basic needs comfortably. It also includes good returns on investments and the freedom to pursue life priorities comfortably.
Blessings of Opportunities may involve education in a school or university with good credentials, career advancements, prospects of senior positions, and chances to make a positive impact in the world.
Blessings of Supportive Relationships: Supportive relationships and connections with family members, friends, mentors provide emotional support, encouragement, a sense of belonging and love.
Blessings of Talents and Abilities include our artistic skills, intellectual capabilities, which delight us, enrich our lives and can be shared with others.
Blessings of Nature and the Environment which sustain our health and life. Additionally a breathtaking sunset, a serene forest, or a pristine beach add much joy and wonder.
Blessings of Peace and Safety includes political and economic stability of the country one lives in, safety from harm, and minimal conflict or violence.
Blessing of Time includes the time for one’s life priorities to truly have a well lived life. These may include time with significant and loved people and the time for other interests including what people deeply cherish.
One could go on counting different forms of blessings. What is the point of this?
I want us to examine the interesting interplay between what we consider a blessing and what we consider the result of our free will and karma.
For something to be considered blessings or grace, it must be shaped by the hands of God, literally and metaphorically.
Ishvara is abhinna-nimitta-upaadaana-kaaranam, both the intelligent and the material cause of the creation.
And so, any process, any event, any karma or karma phala is shaped by the hands of God and hence it is a blessing.
However in our experience, we are selective about what we view as a blessing and what we view as a matter of fact, what we are entitled to.
We argue, surely everything cannot be Ishvara’s blessings. Surely, we cannot allow him to steal our thunder. We are in charge of our lives, right?. We have free will.
Yes, our free will includes the choices we make and the actions we take to shape our lives. We have the agency to make decisions about our education, career, relationships, vacations and so on.
The question is, is free will a blessing or an independent thing that we created from scratch out of our own selves?
We set our goals and determine our life priorities. Much determination and effort goes into achieving our goals. Along the way our free will includes the ability to respond to challenges and be resilient.
Is our capacity to be hardworking and resilient a blessing or an ability independent of Ishvara that we conjured up?
Surely war, famine, disasters, rape, suffering, little children dying, terminal illnesses etc. cannot be a blessing, you argue.
Well, disturbing as these phenomena are, they are shaped by laws of karma which are created and sustained by Ishvara.
For every collective suffering that we experience, we have equal responsibility to reduce the pain by our karma.
Free will has been given to me unlike the programming of animals. As Pujya Swamiji would often say, A cow does not have the free will to choose whether to have a cutlet or an omelette for breakfast. We have choices.
Both free will and recognising blessings are not opposing forces; they are born of objectivity aligned with reality.
The un-negatable reality is that every form subtle or gross is a manifestation of Ishvara as he is the material and the intelligent cause.
That being so, is –
Is there anything that is untouched by Ishvara’s presence?
Is there anytime that is outside of the scope of Ishvara?
Is there any form that is not a manifestation of Ishvara?
Is there any emotion, thought or memory however pleasant or unpleasant that is outside Ishvara?
Is there any karma or karma phala that is untouched by the law of karma?
When we recognise our blessings, we shift our focus from what we lack to what we already possess. This shift in perspective can have a profound impact on our lives.
When we recognise our blessings we discover a greater strength and motivation to pursue our dreams, life priorities and aspirations.
When we acknowledge our blessings we provide a counterbalance to the natural tendency of negativity bias – the tendency to dwell on negative aspects or what we lack.
When we acknowledge our blessings of health and not take it for granted, we engage in healthy behaviors with enough attention to nutrition, exercise, rest and sleep.
When we acknowledge our blessings of wealth, we make informed decisions to preserve what we have and invest wisely as well as use it to make a positive change in society.
When we acknowledge our blessings of opportunities, we become more proactive, dynamic and make opportunities available to others by making that phone call, sending a reference note, connecting people who can work together.
When we acknowledge our blessings of supportive people, we generously express our appreciation of them, deepen our connections and think of ways to support and contribute to their happiness.
When we recognise our blessings of talents and skills we don’t hide behind them but become instruments or vessels of positive change for ourselves and others.
When we acknowledge the blessings of our environment, we do what we can to consume less and use available resources.
When we recognise the blessings of a stable nation, we do what we can to help the nation prosper by contributing to its stability and economy
When we acknowledge the limited time that we have with our families, partners, children coworkers and friends we learn to share deeply and support freely without regrets.
People want blessings. Lots of them.
Is it a problem of not having enough blessings or a problem of not recognising the blessings one already has or both?
You decide.
And so, as you start counting your blessings, where does it start and where does it end?
Is there anything that is not a blessing?
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
