1 April 2013, Amritapuri
Question: “When I think about the law of karma, sometimes I feel quite afraid.”
Amma: Everything that is born one day has to die. You are not the body. You are not the mind. So, why be afraid? We need to fearlessly strive for dharma. For that, you need dedication and courage.
In the military, soldiers are trained in a manner that helps them transcend fear. They have to run amidst exploding bombs. They have to survive in the jungle, eating whatever they can—even snakes. This is the training that transforms them into dedicated and fearless soldiers. They are ready to undergo all this in order to become an offering to the country. Here there is also a training for fearlessness. In fact, we must become even more fearless than soldiers if we are to become an offering to the world. Understanding you are not the body, you should adhere to dharma and live without fear.
If you put your hand in fire, it is going to get burned. If you touch a live wire, you are going to get a shock. It doesn’t matter whether you did so inadvertently or not. Whether our actions are done with or without awareness, they still bear fruit. So, we should be extremely alert. All of our actions must first go through the filter of awareness. Awareness can protect us.
The guru is like a chumatu tangi [a roadside rack onto which travelers can set down their loads]. When a traveler sees one near, the load he is carrying becomes more bearable just because he knows that he can set it down at any time. So, too, it is with the guru’s presence. We know if our load becomes unbearable, we can always set it down. Thus, the guru gives the disciple the strength to forebear.
Children, adversity and death come for everyone. Our prayer should be, “May my mind become capable of only thinking good thoughts and only doing good deeds.” Such people live forever.
– Sakshi
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[Excerpted from Amma’s Meditation Day Satsang – April 1, 2014]