Light The Lamp of Wisdom Within!

Eknath Easwaran was a scholar, author and spiritual teacher who lived and studied with Gandhi.  He wrote the book Gandi The Man: How One Man Changed Himself to Change The World and what he learned from Gandhi was the power each one of us has to transform the world inside of us. which enables us to discover hidden resources that we can use to transform the world outside us.  Gandhi inspired millions of ordinary people like you and I to believe in the light, power and dignity inside of them and to stand up in a non-violent way to the oppression of the British Empire, which culminated in India’s independence in 1947.

 Eknath Easwaran wrote that “ A calm mind releases the most precious capacity a human being can have, the capacity to turn anger into compassion, fear into fearlessness and hatred into love.  Ordinary people like you and me may not be a Gandhi or Saint Francis, but to the extent we can quiet our minds and light the lamp of wisdom within, we too can add a little light around us, instead of feeling helpless in the dark.

So how do we light the lamp of wisdom within? For me, that means taking time to breathe and meditate and recognize that my anger or fear isn’t a bad thing.  My anger is a message that says “ I don’t like something and I (we) deserve better.”  My fear is a message that says “ I don’t feel safe and need comfort and reassurance. “

I believe that all of our emotions are  “energy in motion” that inform us about a need we have, and once acknowledged, our emotions can transform into another form of energy that we can use for something else. When we listen with loving kindness to the message our anger, fear or anxiety heralds, we light the lamp of wisdom within, respond with compassion, and take action in ways that add to the light in our world.  In this way, we feel empowered by the light, not helpless in the dark, and in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, can BE the change we wish to see in the world.  


 

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