Letter # 30 "Acceptance"

Recently, a reader asked me to write about acceptance. The word accept comes from the Latin word acceptare, which means to "take or receive willingly." How is it possible to accept all the immense responsibilities, conflicts, seething anger, abuse, resentments, coldness in relationships, despondency, endless challenges, and the ultimate of which is death? Our heroes (the word hero is related to the Latin word servare: “to save, deliver, preserve, protect”) and spiritual leaders have all emphasized service to others and have given up their lives doing so e.g. Jesus, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh and his four young sons, and many others, some sung and some unsung.
All creatures go through the process of birth, aging, disease and death. If providence will have it, an embryo will develop, grow up, do some actions, dwindle and die. At the end of it, all goes back into the dust. Even Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a famous psychiatrist, who wrote a book on “death and dying”, is now dead. She described five aspects of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These five do not necessarily occur in linear order.

Let's look at what is unacceptable. What is unacceptable is hatred and abuse.

If you want to strengthen yourself to fight off hatred and abuse, you have to begin with self-care and self nurturing. Only after one can do this can one help another. I often tell people that when they go on an aeroplane, they are told before take off that if the cabin pressure falls, oxygen masks will come out from above. They are instructed to put the oxygen mask on themselves first before putting it on the person beside them. Why do you think that is? You van easily guess the answer – if you don’t have oxygen, you will suffocate even before you can do your benevolent act.

So first accept self-care of the whole of you - body, mind and spirit. Then, when you have the energy, go serve others, speak out against social injustice, teach, and share your talents or money. Think of the universe as one body. Think of all being one. Serve with body, mind and spirit but don’t forget your own replenishment.

In the busy world of today, we often don't get time to think of having a spiritual outlook. But, in my view, it's important to do so. It gives direction and hope. "When countless hindrances harass (you), the Name will protect (you) immediately," sings Guru Nanak. In Punjabi the verse is “Anik bighan ja ae sangharai…”, from Sukhmani Sahib Asht. 2.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna states, “When one’s intelligence, mind, faith and refuge are all fixed in the Supreme, then one becomes fully cleansed of misgivings through complete knowledge and thus proceeds straight on the path of liberation.” B.G. 5:17

And here are uplifting messages from the Koran and the Bible:

“The servants of the Beneficent are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the ignorant ones address them they say: ‘Peace’.” The Holy Koran: 25.63

"... the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness ..." Galatians 22.

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.

Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2008"
“Practicing goodwill makes for a good life."
Tel: 604 273 6641 (also for fax on request)

http://jasbhopal.com/

References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.