August 17

The Essence Is Always There

Anything that becomes rare becomes very dear to us. When things are in abundance, we do not even know their value. It is only when a species is labeled “endangered” that we try to protect it. Even the value of peace has been taught to us in this way. Nature allowed us to do everything to lose our inner and outer peace; now we are beginning to know the greatness of having peace.

In the normal worldly sense, a species may become extinct. There is a beautiful saying in the Bhagavad Gita: “What is will always be. What is not, never was and never will be.” The essence is always there. You can never destroy the essence. Then what is it that is destroyed? The form that the essence takes. Only the name and form are destroyed.

Species keep changing. We cannot stop that. All of a sudden hundreds of whales die and get washed ashore. Can you stop that? It is all part of the nature. Peace is also a species on the verge of extinction. The whole world is now striving to save it. Let us do whatever we can to help others and to not consciously hurt anyone or anything. That means that no one should be afraid of you and you do not have to be afraid of anyone. This is an important quality of a yogi or spiritual seeker. Fearlessness is an important virtue. Develop that.