Progress ?

Regular readers of this blog will notice a familiar theme to this post. I've used different words to express the same quest, the same angst, the same ponderings....but nevertheless they remain my deepest questions.

When will I progress ? The question comes up often especially when the times are hard. For tough times seem to impede progress. But that begs the question "What really is progress ?"

Often I defined progress is defined of a set of personal and professional milestones leading to that proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.Where is the rainbow and is there really a pot at the end of it ?

Back to hard times. Do hard times mean progress has stopped ? What kind of progress ? Personal. Perhaps. Professional. Perhaps. But a deeper introspection suddenly reveals that the "progress" I am missing is just an exercise in bloating my ego. A set of achievements that will mean nothing to nobody when I leave this body. Nothing that is truly long term - across lifetimes. The futility of running after "progress" suddenly strikes home as does the inevitability of the PRESENT MOMENT.

Guru says "The sign of success is your smile" :-) :-)

And when does one have to make a real effort to smile ? Its during the tough times right ? Whats so great about grinning from ear to ear when the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the coffers are overflowing, the belly is overfull ....? Its adversity that really challenges one to address this question "What is Success ? What is Progress ?"

After much agonizing I realize that real spiritual progress happens during the tough times. After all it is during these times that one really has to practice and live the points of the Art Of Living Course - acceptance, not resisting, living life through the opposites, living happily in the present moment......

Its quite amazing. This knowledge has been built for one to navigate the choppy waters of life. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita "Anithyam Asukham Lokam, Imam Praapya Bhajasvamaam".

When I accept that all my hankering for achievements is so temporary and meaningless, the mind calms down and bows to the present moment.

I have to be grateful for this knowledge to be made available to me in this lifetime when the Master giving this knowledge is in his physical form. And yet the question remains "Why this creation with all these problems at all ?" If it is all just a play, why is it so painful at times ? If all goes back to the source, then why leave it at all ? Can illusions be so painful ?

Pain is inevitable - Suffering is optional - Sri Sri Ravishankar.

Jai Guru Dev