Hinduism on the London Underground
By Ritesh Jigani
http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/2/Underground.htm
Standing on a packed train on the way home from university, I was feeling
terrible. It had been a hard week, I was annoyed with several colleagues, the
train had been delayed and everybody nearby seemed to be coughing and sneezing
on me! In the rush to get onto the train people were barging each other and
getting into heated arguments. I was feeling erratic, as if I would hit someone
at the slightest provocation.
As all this frustration and anger was swirling around in my head, I started
thinking about what advise Hinduism could give me in a situation like this. I
started contemplating advice that I had heard during lectures, or read from
books. Recalling some helpful anecdotes from a talk I'd attended in the past, I
felt better. It quickly occurred to me that it wasn't justifiable for me to be
so angry and frustrated. People die of starvation or lose their loved ones to
terrorism, on an almost daily basis. By comparison, I had little to complain
about.
Then I thought about the concept of indwelling God, the idea that every person
has a portion of the divine residing within him or her. Up until then I'd been
growing increasingly annoyed at the people standing around me. But now I tried
to think of God's presence in all of these people. Slowly my anger began to
subside. Already I had come a long way towards restored sanity, the result of a
few minutes of positive thinking.
But the journey home still had a long way to go. People were cramming onto the
train in larger and larger numbers (even though any onlooker would have thought
it was already packed to capacity). And my headache was not improving. Then I
had an idea. I would chant God's name to help pass the time. Since ancient
times, Hinduism has placed great value in "Japa" (repeating God's name with
concentration and devotion). Many references from Hindu scriptures confirm this
(e.g. Bhagavad Gita 10:25). Up until recently, I had thought that to keep
repeating "Hari Om" or "Rama Rama" (or whatever else) is a generally pointless
exercise. But some of my peers who actually practiced Japa had spoken of its
great benefits, and I'd wanted to see this for myself for quite some time. "No
better time than the present," I said to myself, and began repeating a mantra
in my mind.
Within a few minutes I felt so much better. My mind was composed, my headache
appeared to be subsiding, and my outlook towards everybody around me changed. I
became filled with positive energy, and wanted nothing more than to do good to
everybody around me. It was as if I could feel God's presence filling the whole
area. Before, my mind was full of lust and the desire to possess more. Now I
just felt happy like I already had everything I needed. By the time I reached
home I felt great, and even helped out around the house a bit (my dad thought
there was something wrong with me).
Reflecting on this episode, I realised that I'd experienced first hand the
dire need of spirituality in modern life.
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Autos. Looking for a sweet ride? Get pricing, reviews, & more on new
and used cars.
--
This is ZESTGlobal. Post articles on international affairs to
[email protected]
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTGlobal by sending a blank
mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/join/
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
