See the impermanence in life. That is the ultimate truth. Turn back and see, all that you did is now like a dream. Whatever you do in the future — you may become mayor of the town, you may rise to the highest position, you may have a lot of wealth — so what? You have cried and wept, you have been angry and agitated, so what? It has passed, the whole thing has finished. Tomorrow will pass too. This very moment, whether pleasant or unpleasant, will pass.
Now and then, a pinch of unpleasantness comes. Do you know why? It makes you aware of the pleasantness. Suppose, you never had any unpleasant moments in your life, you would never have pleasant ones either. You wouldn’t know what pleasantness is.
Accept it. God does the same thing to you. Now and then, He gives you a pinch. So, every pinch you receive in life is for the best, to make your life more lively and enjoyable. Otherwise, there is no purpose in life. Why are people born? Why go through everything when death will come one day? Is this life? Are you born just to pay your bills? If you are born just to pay your taxes, electricity and phone bills, then life is not worth living. If you’re awake, you will see there is so much foolishness in this world.
Death can any time rob you of all your comforts and conveniences in less than a minute. Before death robs you, let go. Then, you are free and you will feel at home. One day, death is going to rob you of everything. Your home, your kith and kin, your car, all will be gone. In fact, they will all be here, you will be gone. It is the other way around. Wake up and see nothing is yours. I don’t mean that you should go and empty your bank balance and give it all away. Keep the money in the bank, but not in your head. You will not be greedy, you will not be angry, you will not be possessive or jealous; just one remembrance of an inevitable truth that is going to happen in your life, you are going to die one day!
This one insight is good enough to bring a transformation in life. That sense of courage, conviction and realization is what wisdom is. First the realisation and then courage and conviction, brings you so much freedom. Your vision broadens. That which broadens or sharpens your vision is ‘Swadhyaya’.Then one begins to understand everything — there is one light, which is within me. Then you find the way; truth dawns and then you recognise that which is in all the Holy Scriptures. That is wisdom.
