Sri Chinmoy’s easy-to-follow exercises, based on perennial ancient wisdom, are truly pertinent for the modern era and perfectly suited to our fast-paced lives his amazing ability to offer positive help and insight speaks to each reader as if the words were written just for them.
„The Jewels of Happiness will inspire you to become who you truly are – a shining child in God’s big Family“
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Excerpt
REGAINING THE LOST HOPE
Someone loses hope because he feels that there is a certain period, a given time, in which he has to achieve something, We decide, for example, that in two days we are going to achieve some specific thing. Outwardly we may say that in the near future we hope to get something or do something. But this is not entirely true. If we go deep within, we will see that our minds have already set a particular time limit. When the date arrives, our outer mind may not know that this was the deadline fixed on our inner mind’s calendar. But on that day, if we have not achieved or received the hoped-for result, we will find that our world has collapsed. If we do not see the result on that day, we will be miserable.
What can we do to regain hope? First, we have to know that real hope is not something weak. Very often we think of hope as something very delicate — a sweet, smooth, soothing feeling, which is a kind of balm to our outer minds. But this is not an adequate definition of hope. We have to know that hope is something very solid, very strong. Hope is not something that is crying for the world beyond or crying for a truth that does not exist. No, hope has seen the truth, but it cannot and does not yet possess it. It has seen the truth, only it is unable to bring the truth into the world.
Hope is not an idle term.
Hope is the reality that can and does
Reveal itself to us at God’s choice hour.
To hope is to know the secret of achievement.
Because there
is a hope—flower,
There will definitely be
A hope-fruit.
Just wait and watch.
HUMAN HOPE, DIVINE HOPE
Divine hope is very different from human hope. Ordinary human hope can rarely be fulfilled, because inside it there is no determination, no sincerity and no conscious willingness to accept the highest truth.
But divine hope is something that has seen the truth that we are ultimately going to achieve. If we know what divine hope is, then we will get strength from the certainty that it offers us. Hope has not yet been able to bring the truth to the fore in our lives, but one day it shall.
Human hope expects something say, five dollars. When fulfilment comes, immediately this human hope is overjoyed and it often loses its inner poise. But if we start with divine hope, we will never lose our inner balance and poise. Our divine hope has already seen truth in its highest aspect. Now this truth needs only to be embodied. Our hope is only to bring that truth into manifestation. Then, when hope’s fulfilment comes, we do not lose our inner balance, because we knew that it was bound to happen.
CASTING ASIDE ALL EXPECTATIONS
How can we avoid losing hope? We must try to cast aside all expectations from our desiring mind. It is our outer mind that feels that it needs something or wants something. When we feel that we need something, ordinary human hope begins to play its part. It is the desiring mind that feeds our outer hope. If we can be above the desiring mind and remain all the time in the spontaneity of the heart, then we will have a constant feeling of possessing the divine truth.
When we remain with our heart’s aspiration, we are constantly identified with God’s Will, and at that time our earthly hope is transformed into divine hope.
Because there
is a hope—flower,
There will definitely be
A hope-fruit.
Just wait and watch.
Hope is not a momentary flicker.
Hope is Eternity’s slow, steady,
Illumining and fulfilling height.
Hope is sweet.
Hope is illumining.
Hope is fulfilling.
Hope can be everlasting.
Therefore, do not give up hope
Even in the sunset of your life.
