
“The feet of the Guru are compared to the lotus flower which, although grows amidst the dirt, remains unaffected. Similarly, the Guru guides us on how to live in this world full of sufferings and sorrows” Guruji Dr. Omanand.
Anybody who has ever observed a lotus flower emerging from a murky pond cannot fail to notice the beauty of this exquisite plant. The flower always looks so clean and pure against the background of the dirty pond. The lotus grows in mud, and returns within it at night, but it always blooms clean the following day.
We are bliss. Our true nature is bliss, pure and eternal bliss. It is like the pure, fresh and bright lotus. As the lotus, why we are not able to be unaffected from all the dirtiness of the world, from the mud of our own mind? Simply because we have never been taught.
This was a knowledge that the ancients had, and handed down from generation to generation, in various populations, in different parts of the world, with different names. But with the progress and evolution this knowledge has become limited to a few enlightened people. Fortunately, some of us get the urge to seek within us our true essence, to have a deep and real knowledge, to understand what we are here for. And if we give in to this research we come to know the secrets of the great yogis and masters, handed down to disciples for generations. These secret formulas, tools and suggestions for practices help us to live in the mundane world without being affected.
But what is the significance of the dirt, the dust that covers our true nature and does not let us shine with extreme bliss? This dirt has to be searched in all the rules society imposes on us from the childhood. A child up to 2 years is pure, is free from desires; but then the family starts to stop and change his pure nature by giving rules, without looking at the child’s inner capacity, without helping him to express his best, without protecting his purity from all the suffering that the interaction with the world, through the body, senses and mind will give him. But please do not make the mistake of blaming your family after reading this, the mistake that I made, when I realized this, under the guidance of Guruji. It is not their fault, also they themselves were not aware. In fact they suffer a lot to see us suffering with fear, anxiety and stress. So, don’t look at the past, stay in the present. You have the great opportunity to realize yourself now, whatever is your age, because what you will find is wonderful, and so it’s worth a try, I assure you. Moreover, you will be the one who brings this fantastic knowledge back to the world, to the new generations.
When we grow up, our ego starts to grow up too, and we are no more able to separate our self from our mind, our thoughts, our feeling, our emotions, our senses, our body. The attachments start, and then one by one, desires, fear of losing, anxiety of not being perfect, or as others want, anger, tension, and so on. We are not the centre of this Universe, we are not the creator of the Nature, we are not the creator even of our body, then why do we want to be the centre of all? Why the others have to be as we want? Why our life has to go as we want? Something which is true for us is not necessarily the only truth for all. We are simple human being at the level of the mind, that is link with the ego, “I am”, the thought that I know everything, thought of being perfect, thought of being the best. Sometimes even we are not able to realize it, we keep on saying: “no, I’m not perfect” but what you are saying is wrong, what you are doing is wrong. How can you find fault with others if you are not perfect, if you don’t know the real truth? We are also at the level of senses and body, convinced that we are this body whereas we didn’t create it and we can’t decide when to die. What is in our hands? We are so looking to own something, from the most material things, to the more subtle thing. We must realize that this is the ego. Ego wants, more and more. Ego decides. Ego guides our life. When you start to look at this you are already changed. The first step is done. Try to observe when you judge someone, even if it is you or other people, or actions that you do or others do. Why are you judging? They are not doing or saying what you want? Try to observe, this is the game of the mind. If you are in peace nothing can disturb you: if something gives you stress and tension, start to think if it is you instead who could be at fault rather than others. Stop to judge and start to observe: by observing the reactions of the mind you firstly come to know your own mind. And then, use the wonderful tool that is meditation to go beyond mind, to realize your true nature; no one can do it for you.
Without mud the lotus can’t exist. We are in this world, we are born in this material world, but this doesn’t mean that we have to live at that level. We have body, senses, mind, intellect .These are the parts that make us living being. Be grateful otherwise we will not be here. But one has to realize why we have these things for. Are we here to live at the mind level, to be born, eat, realize our desires and die? If the lotus flower didn’t flourish in the mud, it would lose all its purity, freshness and brightness. No one would notice it beauty.
So,” Live your life as a Lotus Flower”, as Guruji always tells us.
My name is Ma Mangla Anand, my spiritual name that my Guru,Dr Omanand gave me. I am from Italy and I work there in hospital, as a physiotherapist. I completed 500 hrs Yoga Teacher’s Training at the Paramanand Institute of Yoga Sciences and Research, Indore, India, in 2015. Since last year I have been teaching traditional Yoga in Italy. I’m in the Ashram right now to go deeper in Meditation under Guruji’s guidance.