This human birth is meant to attain Self Realization. Once we attain this, we can always come back and do good for the world.
Just as we carefully count money and make sure nothing is missing, we should introspect each day, “How much have I chanted my mantra and meditated? How much time did I set aside for God? How much time did I spend for the sake of others? Was I able to compromise and be patient with another? Was I able to forget and forgive?” We should introspect like this every day.
Amma has seen so many families in villages who have a total wealth of 100 rupees –1 dollar and 40 cents. They live off this money. They buy 100 lemons. They then make lemon juice with salt and sugar and walk around with a small cart, selling lemon water. If they sell 100 rupees worth of lemon water they will make 50% profit. They then use this profit to live. So, every day they think, “How much profit did I make today? How can I make more profit tomorrow? Did I lose money today?” Like this, we should also introspect every day, “What did I achieve today? If I made any mistakes, how can I fix them tomorrow?” If we introspect every day like this and improve ourselves accordingly, we will be able to attain realization.
Just by reaching a Master or living near the master doesn’t necessarily mean anything. We may take our medical board exam and pass it, which requires a lot of hard work. But, if we then sit back and think, “What a relief! Now I never need to study again,” we will not become a good doctor. This is when we really start learning. Similarly, it doesn’t mean much just to reach the Master. After that is when we need to start making real effort.
It is dark immediately beneath a lighthouse. A mosquito on a cow’s udder will only get blood, not milk. A frog sitting right below a flower will only get mosquitoes. But, the honeybees that come from far away drink the honey from the flower. What we need to fix is our attitude. So, do not waste the presence of the Satguru. We need to store all memories we have with the Master.