Christopher Greenwood
Day 149 – Experiences increase Faith
I started this morning with a quote from Mohanji: “Faith is the antidote for fear”. Whenever we have fear, we can understand that faith is lacking.
Faith is the antidote for fear.
Mohanji
This is a quote from Mohanji that I use as one of my personal barometers, or checks, or tests for all the work that I do and my interactions with people. The absence of fear, or recognizing that there is no fear, is a display not only of that faith but also of the awareness that whatever is happening, whatever is taking place, there is no need to have fear because fear always creates blockages.
I’ve learned that faith is something that needs to be built up over time. I was a very sceptical and analytical person. I always wanted to have the answers and to understand how and why. I was never a person to blindly believe in something. Now, brick by brick, as on a wall, all the experiences that I’ve had with Mohanji have built up my faith in him and my faith in myself.
I’ve shared many of these experiences in the recordings, and many of them have simply been impossible for me to understand with the level of awareness that I have. For example, the changes I’ve seen in Mohanji’s body shape or witnessing confirmation that he has been with other people while sitting there with me and speaking to me. I can’t explain this; it’s not possible, so the only thing I can do is: accept it and have faith. I see the effects, and that brushes aside any real questions that I have, the questions of “why?” and “how?”, which I’m happy about because it was actually a waste of time and energy. It’s much easier to just get on with work now.
There’s a change that comes with having a real, rooted faith, something that I can consider established on a level. I wouldn’t ever say that anything is complete or final, but at least I’ve reached a point I feel where I can firmly say, “Okay, this is where I stand.” I’m learning that this is built up over time.
The recent example of the incident at Frankfurt and the humane airports campaign is giving me an opportunity to reflect on me now versus me some years ago. I can recognize this change because I’m not sure I would have approached the situation with the same attitude of, “Let’s just get this done. This needs to happen”. The major difference is that I have developed faith; faith in that which is speaking for a good cause and needs to happen, that injustice has to be spoken about. I know that I can only do what I can, and that’s good enough, even if people don’t agree or criticize.
Finally, most importantly, faith in Mohanji is the complete backing to this. It’s his energy that’s empowering this. I already see doors open more easily. The right people are coming together to give their skills and the right inputs. It’s incredibly humbling to be a part of this and have the opportunity to take it forward. Deeply recognizing, as he has said many times before, “If you take one step, I take 100 for you. The tradition takes steps for you”. I can see that happening. It’s moving, and I’m simply the instrument to help this happen. I know from my previous experience that there’s no room for fears, doubts and anxieties because they really do block progress. I mentioned in the quote earlier that whenever we have fear, there’s a lack of faith.
Reflecting on this, I can now say that I’m incredibly thankful to Mohanji for the opportunity to spend time with him, practice his teachings as best as I can and for what he shares with us all. This has really brought some transformation in life. He said before that you would never really know what has changed in his presence until you look back and see where you came from. That’s when you can see the difference, and that’s what I’ve been experiencing now, especially with respect to the quote I’ve shared today.
Now, for me, faith is knowing that someone completely has my back in all this, in what I’m doing, and especially so with the campaign for humane airports; it is something that is good for the world, and something that needs to be done, so what’s there to fear?
I would only emphasize that whenever there’s a feeling of fear or anxiety, it’s always our own personal experiences with Mohanji that can remind us of who is there with us and what they’re doing.
Have a great day ahead.
Day 150 – The trap called ‘Ownership’
A few weeks back, we had a global volunteers’ meeting, which was a really great opportunity to listen to all the volunteers who are working across various Mohanji platforms. They were sharing their activities and plans. We also had some really good experience-sharing from some of the longer-term volunteers, such as Hanumatananda, who has been with Mohanji in the foundation for over ten years.
Mohanji himself also gave a great talk, and one of the topics he spoke about was the traps that can emerge when we are on the path of volunteering. He mentioned that the number one trap is ownership – ownership of our actions.
This is something that I’ve learned over time. I’ve learned to make sure that ownership of work is kept in check because it can be really detrimental. After taking a cue from Mohanji and watching how he is with all his activities, I started to make changes in my own working pattern. I know from experience that it can be very easy to begin to develop ownership of tasks and initiatives, especially when we’ve been entrusted with serious responsibilities. I like to do my best; this means that, in the past, I would become very attached to that initiative, having my own view of how something should be done, rather than simply focusing on giving what I can to the activity.
I found it was very subtle because when I started, it was simply about giving my time: whatever I can give, I will give, and that’s what I’d be happy with. But as soon as I had something new to start, I developed an attachment to it. What I found is that once ownership started to creep in, I began to compare much more. This was a slippery slope because I’d compare myself with others, how they were doing their tasks and what they were doing. This not only affected my self-esteem, but I began to form opinions of others, which I had never done before, didn’t need to do, and sometimes I even developed prejudices. Then the work became much heavier, and control started to creep in, which is the complete opposite of what Mohanji is teaching. The irony and the beautiful drama at play was that I was taking steps and volunteering so that I could move towards liberation but actually ended up creating more bindings, which really is a comedy.
So, this is the trap of ownership in volunteering, and taking my cue from Mohanji, I began to correct this. I brought much more surrender into my work and began to live his example. I simply looked at delivering the best I could with what had been entrusted to me. Let me do my best. More than anything, simply let the actions speak for themselves.
Letting go of this ownership or control brought much more lightness to the work. That doesn’t mean I’ve completely let go of responsibilities. Obviously, I have to keep some element of steadiness and direction in what I’m doing, but it means that there’s much less heaviness. It’s more joyful each day.
“Okay, what can I do today to the best of my ability?” This is what I’ve done, and I’ve simply let whatever I’ve done speak for itself. The best example of this attitude of having no ownership is Mohanji himself. When I look at everything – all of the platforms, all the meditations that exist, all the careers, all the practices – he has given it completely free, and once it has been delivered, it’s handed over to somebody else to take forward. Rarely does he interfere; he simply delivers, and he keeps on delivering. Many more initiatives and ideas are coming forward, but at no point in time is he concerned about having control over them, nor does he have ownership.
Mohanji also asked a rhetorical question in the meeting, which was: “What do we actually have control of in our life?”. He said, “We can’t even control the heartbeat, circulation or digestion, so there’s nothing called control really.” He concluded by saying that, with our work, there’s no need to prove anything. We simply focus on delivering what we can, and the actions will speak for themselves, which I think is always a good reminder.
Hope you have a great day ahead.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 7th August 2022
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