From a satsang with Pt. Dr. Umesh Persad, Spiritual Leader, SWAHA Gyaan Deepak Kirtan Mandali
Once there was a samurai, a warrior from Japan who fought with his sword. The samurai visited a monk and demanded, “Teach me about heaven and hell.” The monk looked questioningly at the warrior, refused his request and dismissed him, saying he couldn’t teach the samurai anything.
The samurai got angry instantly. He pulled out his sword and was prepared to cut off the monk’s head.
Looking straight into the samurai’s eyes, the monk said softly: “This is hell.”
The samurai stopped, realizing what the monk had done. He had taught him the meaning of hell. He knelt before him in gratitude and put down his sword. And then the monk said softly: “And this is heaven.”
The moral of the story is that anger inflames one’s mind and leads to other negative qualities, such as hate and jealousy. That is hell. Heaven, on the other hand, consists of a mental state of peace, gratitude and contentment.
The answer to our problems is as simple as eliminating the negativities within ourselves, one by one; then, only peace remains. Thus, both heaven and hell are within us, and it is up to each of us to choose which path we wish to follow.
Another story tells us about a man who was galloping down the road on a horse He seemed to be in a rush; he had something important to do. Another man, who was standing at the side of the road said, “Hey, where are you going?” and the man on the horse replied, “I don’t know. Ask the horse.” He didn’t know where he was going, and he was relying on the animal to lead the way.
If we reflect on these stories, we will see that the horse represents our habits. Our habits may take us in all different directions, and we may not even be aware of our purpose or direction.
For example, we could get up in the morning, brush our teeth, make the bed, walk outside, and two hours might pass before we even realize what we’re doing. Such thoughtless action even occurs when we’re driving and the mind is scattered all over the place, so that we might reach our destination through sheer habit. In such instances, we give up conscious control of the body and mind, and we are not fully aware of our actions.
The moral is that we cannot let the horse be in charge. Then, it will lead us all over the place. We must be the boss of the mind and the body; we must control our habits. We must also make conscious decisions to choose states of mind, actions and reactions that lead us to a mental state of heaven. It is only then that we can eliminate life’s problems and advance on the spiritual path.
