God as the purifier of Silver

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver." (Malachi 3:3)

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it'.

Hey Ram!!

All of a sudden... cricket, bollywood, abhiash, Indo-US nuclear deal.. all of that have taken a back seat in the Indian media. Lord Ram and religious sentiments are doing the rounds everywhere. Triggered by the blunderous affidavit filed by the UPA govt to the SC, stating "There is no proof that Lord Ram existed". I mean what is that the govt wants, to prove Lord Ram lived and walked on this earth once upon a time?? Questioning Ram is like questioning the religious believes and fundamentals of Hinduism! Well, the UPA govt was caught on the wrong side of all this, when they thot they could get way such a remark, and get a go ahead on one of the ambitious projects of modern India, the "Sethusamudram Project". Its a canal project very simlar to Suez canal, not as big though, but the intentions are quite the same, to reduce the travel time and the cost involved in the transhipment of goods. Its almost a battle of Science v/s Religious belief now. Scientists asking the religious leaders to prove that Ram was infact a real person, and not just a fictious charector in the "story" Ramayan, who built the bridge of rocks to cross the ocean to Lanka. What are the scientists looking for here?? any agreements or treaties signed by Ram.. bones or any other bodily remains of the Lord (something like searching for a dinasour skull or something???!!!) .. this is insane!! Scientists are awestruck by the magnificient creation of this world by the God, they are yet to understand the very basics of nature and science, the formation of universe, the human body, many unanswered questions related to diseases, genes, evolution etc. More time should be spent by them on these than to raise such insane questions. Great brains doesnt mean one can start questioning God!! Well, they have said it all in there, and we are seeing it happening.

Denying Ram is denying India. Read on, this is a powerful article by Tarun Vijay on Refiff.com

On 17 July, the Supreme Court asked the government to explain why the Ram Sethu, also known as Adam’s Bridge, cannot be declared a national monument. Union minister for shipping, road transport and highways T.R. Baalu, refused to even comment on this. All this even when we have an alternative route to the canal construction, which would keep the religious interests and the modern day needs intact. As a part of the National Democratic Alliance govt in 2002, defence minister George Fernandes had approved an alternative route that experts now say is less expensive, has lower environmental risks and does not require breaking down the Ram Sethu. Then why do we need all this now!!??.. Hey Ram!!

Speaking Tree - Move With The Flow, Learn To Let Go - Sept 13, 2007

We tend to cling to every object in our lives. We hold on to our profession, relationship or possession as if our entire world depends on them. We are so busy clinging to our own lives, that we have forgotten to live with the flow. We are afraid to move ahead, afraid to let go. Life in essence is like an unobstructed, unrestrained, uncontrolled flow of a river. Life flows at its own pace and the ultimate source of all our pain and sufferings is our tendency to cling to and obstruct the flow.

Professional life stagnates, relationships are broken, possessions are lost; all because we refused to let go when we were actually required to let things take their own course. Why do we cling? We cling because change scares us; we cling because we are afraid to face the unknown, to face challenges; we cling because we feel secure if the status quo is maintained; we cling because we refuse to believe that life can never be static; because we refuse to accept the transience of everything; we believe that everything is in our hands. We do not have enough faith in life and that higher force which is omnipotent and omnipresent. In the chaos of existence, we have lost touch with our higher self. Most of us lead a life which is similar to that of a child who is lost in a crowd, separated from his guardians. He has nobody to place his faith on. He is afraid, insecure, suspicious about everyone and everything. We live under the false illusion of having everything under our control. The spirit of getting things done becomes a problem when we continue to cling on even after we have exhorted all our efforts. We are overwhelmed by a sense of despair and disillusion when things move beyond our control. It is at this stage we need to learn to let go. Several times relationships are broken just because we tried too hard to make them work. We didn't give the breathing space they required to grow. We didn't let go and let them take their own course. Professionally or personally, once all the efforts are made towards achieving a goal, we must learn to let go and let life take the best course. It might or might not be of one's choice, but if we have faith, we will realise that it inevitably is the best course. We need to believe that forces above us are far better equipped to make judgments for us. We must learn to have faith in their judgment. Letting go, however, does not mean turning into a fatalist. One cannot sit idle in life and expect life to take care of itself. Karma, the fulfilment of one's duties is the ultimate objective of all human existence and if we fail to fulfil our duties towards life, life inevitably fails us.

When God gives us dreams, He shares them with us. Whatever we consider our dreams, are actually His dreams and He gives us the capability to realise them. The part we are required to play is to ensure the optimum usage of the capabilities bestowed upon us. And once we have played our part with utmost honesty and effort, we need to let go, step aside and let God step in to fulfill our dreams. After all, they are His dreams, too.

Avalanche of Thoughts

It is said ‘thinking will get us to the foot of the mountain, but faith will make us climb the mountain.’ So let us act out of faith. Doing so will bring vitality to one’s actions. But faith in God is not enough, one should have faith in oneself too. Role of experience in our lives There are three levels of knowing - gross, subtle and subtlest. Gross knowing is verbal knowing, subtle knowing is seeing the meaning of the word and subtlest knowing is experiential knowing. There are things which can be understood only by experience. For example, God is the ultimate experience and it is inexpressible. If you look at a flower from your mind, you see its chemistry; if you were to look at it from your heart, you see the poetry; and if you look at it from your being, you become one with the flower. To experience an experience is an art. We don’t experience an experience; we are always interpreting an experience. When one is lost in interpretation, then one looks at something through one’s thought process, ie through mental words. Words are the expression of one’s likes and dislikes. Our interpretations are very autobiographical and hence we don’t see or experience what is, we experience our old and known self. To live wisely means to create a space in one’s mind, which is capable of seeing and not just interpreting. Then one is vailable for an experience.

How can a miserable mind understand the right path? By just stopping to be miserable. Learn to wonder, learn to marvel, learn to see life without a thought. Thought is an expression of memory - memory of the past. And when you see something with thought, you see something with memory... and that is past. So you see the present with the past. In effect you don’t really see. When you are unhappy, the unhappy thought will relate to all the files of your unhappy memories of the past and the past unhappiness, like an avalanche will cascade into the present. Just drop being miserable. Then you will not fight with your mind and you will flow with what is.

- Swami Sukhabodhananda for "Times Wellness", TOI Jan 9, 2007

Speaking Tree - Every Day is a Celebration For the God-conscious - Dec 28, 2005

We awake each morning not knowing what to expect from the day ahead. Will it bring good fortune or pain? This uncertainty creates feelings of fear and instability. How is one to deal with daily life when one is filled with uncertainty? Mystics and saints view life from a higher angle. They recommend that we live each moment with full trust in the Lord.

Trust in the Lord requires a conviction that there is an unseen power who created this world and who created us. It means having knowledge that our soul has been created by God, and its journey is under God’s will. It requires conviction that God has sent us into the world for a purpose and our destiny is to fulfil that purpose. This means that we cannot leave this earth before our destined time comes. It means that certain events that happen to us are also preordained by God, and that what happens is already laid out for us. It also means that we have been given some free will in which we can make some choices.

Some of what happens to us each day is God’s will. We also have free will to choose, and we can make choices that are going to be beneficial to us and those around us. Our journey in life is a process of evolution of the soul. Sooner or later the soul is destined to return to God. The end goal that God has for us is that we attain this freedom. At the right moment, we get a helping hand when we think all is lost.

Ernest Shackleford dreamed of crossing Antarctica by dog sled, a 2,100-mile journey. Shackleford and his team began the journey. Unfortunately, the boat taking them to Antarctica hit an ice pack and sank. Luckily, the men survived, but they found themselves in waters with drifting ice floes. The nearest land was 200 miles away. The nearest human outpost was 1,200 miles away.

They salvaged a one-ton lifeboat which they pulled with them, crossing from one ice floe to another. When they reached an area that did not have anymore ice floes, they got into the lifeboat, but the waves were often 90 feet high. Somehow, they made it to an island of ice, which had never been crossed before. It took them seven months to reach civilisation. When they finally arrived, they told their friends that they felt the presence of an unseen power guiding them on.

The beauty of God’s unseen hand is that sometimes we actively pray for help and receive it, but there are many times when we do not even ask for help, and help comes anyway. These times are reminders to us that we are not alone. One way to feel God’s presence is to meditate. The energy emanating from God is a principle that manifests as light and sound. The light is greater than any light one experiences on earth. The sound is a divine melody that reverberates without instruments or vocal chords.

The more consciousness there is, the more ethereal the sound. Let us make everyday a celebration. The next time we feel helpless and alone, let us remember that God’s arms are around us. Let us offer thanks for the myriad ways in which God’s love surrounds and protects us.