Happy Birthday Great Soul!

Posted on June 24, 2009 Updated on May 16, 2010

Dedicated to the beautiful Swami Chidvilasananda on the auspicious occasion of her birthday. With deepest love, joy and gratitude, I thank you for the inner truth, which you have so graciously revealed to me. Not a day goes by when I don’t miss you and yearn for your divine company. Happy Birthday Gurumayi. Long may you live, prosper and share your grace with us.

with great respect and love,

aura

Your Body is the Temple of God
24 Jun 2003, 0001 hrs IST, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

We find it difficult to “see” the inner Self, but we can easily see our body. The human body is the temple of God. You have to take care of your body.

The spiritually inclined tend to ask: “What is the body? I want to know God. I want to know the Self. This body is just an obstacle.” Some even believe that by starving the physical body, one might somehow get closer to God. But there is no point in subjecting your body to torture — since God dwells within, you must take good care of it and protect it. When your body is well cared for, you experience great and divine love in it. Do not neglect it, do not ignore it. Great divinity dwells in this very structure, in this very system. You have to protect this incredible gift which you have received from God. My guru Baba Muktananda said: “You obtained your body by God’s grace. It is a precious gift and deserves right use. Use it for meditation. You will drink the nectar of immortality.” This body is a gift — so you have to understand that it is not really yours. Once you understand that it is a gift of love from God, your attitude towards it will change for the better.

What really keeps this body going? It is the energy, the same energy that scientists are trying to discover. This incredible energy, this beautiful energy, this strong, powerful, absolute energy, flows in every vein. So Baba says, “Use the body for medi-tation.” When you meditate, you regenerate the body by intensifying the energy, which holds both the body and the entire universe together. Instead of putting your body down, through meditation you elevate yourself and develop healthy feelings towards yourself.

In order to lead a good life, it is important for you to have a healthy body. The body has to be strong for you to experience joy and self- esteem. In this very body the divine light exists. If you care for this body with great love, with great joy, as the gift that you have received from God, it will reveal the Truth to you. If you care for the body, the body will care for you.

If you have taken care of your body, it will not fall apart when you are feeling sad or oppressed; it will protect you, it will keep you together. When you see the light in this body, that very light will provide you with shelter and security.

Do not see your body merely from the outside. Go within and experience the energy which flows through the body and allows every cell to pulsate, to live, the energy which allows every thought and emotion to fructify, which is also the energy which holds the universe together.

All the great saints, all the great beings, experienced the Truth within this body. When your Consciousness soars higher and higher, you feel you have been lifted out of the body. When you respect the body, when you treat the body very well, the body becomes very light; it becomes one with the universe. You feel unity with the mountains, with the air, with fire. There is no wall when you see another person; only love throbs between you. When you treat the body well, it is no longer an obstacle. Should you feel discomfort in it, you are able to recognise the cause of the feeling and to treat the body with great joy, with great laughter, with great understanding. LINK