Six Easy Steps to Solace
We live in tumultuous times. Our miseries seem never-ending. Calamities, both natural and man-made, visit us with uncanny regularity. Faced with these misfortunes, some of us feel betrayed by God. Does he not see the pain we are going through? Why does he allow so much evil to flourish on this earth?
I’m sure all of us at one point of time or another have raised the above questions. So when I met with a freak accident a year and half ago, instead of feeling exactly like I was supposed to (read pissed off), I vividly remember that I was instead thankful that it was just this much. Going through my closet (so to speak), I found an old newspaper cutting that I had preserved. Titled ‘The Zoroastrian Way of Seeking Solace’, it propounded Dastur Adurbad Mahrespand's (Prime Minister and pontiff in the court of the Sassanian King Shahpur II, who reigned in Persia during the fourth century AD) lessons on how to deal with various challenges in life. On his death bed, former dictated a series of lessons to his son, Zarthosht. These lessons have been handed down as the Handarz-i-Adurbad Mahrespandan, the admonitions of Adurbad Mahrespand.
Dastur Adurbad advocated the rule of moderation as being the key to a good life. Every time a misfortune befell me, he says, I derived six kinds of comfort and solace from it.
The tragedy could have been much worse. Hence, it is appropriate to thank God that the calamity that befell us was only so grievous and not any worse.
The blow was to my body, and not to my soul. It is important to realise that the body is but a shell, given to us by God to further the progress of the soul. Physical harm is therefore less grievous than spiritual tragedy.
Of all the misfortunes I had to endure, one more had passed. The sum total of a man’s suffering is dependent on past thoughts, words and deeds, and is therefore limited. (That’s exactly what Hinduism says). When a misfortune befalls us, it is a source of solace to know that of the tragedies scripted for us, one more has passed.
I realized that I must have been a good man. Why else would have Ahriman, the evil spirit, taken the trouble to bring misfortune upon me?
That the effect of our evil thoughts, words and deeds fall either on us, or on our children. So be thankful that the misfortune fell on us and not our child.
The sixth and final solace to be found in grief is that since the sum total of evil that can happen in the world is limited, one such misfortune visited upon us, is one evil less. Humankind is then free to advance along the path that leads to Ahura Mazda, the supreme lord. (See picture)
The article reiterated that misfortune and grief are part and parcel of everyday life. A positive attitude to our trial will help us cross the greatest hurdle.
What is needed is FAITH in the mysterious ways of God, and the wisdom to realize that whatever happens, always happens for the best. (My mom’s favourite dictum of life as well). It is this positive attitude that we should aim to cultivate, for it holds the key to HAPPINESS.
I’m sure all of us at one point of time or another have raised the above questions. So when I met with a freak accident a year and half ago, instead of feeling exactly like I was supposed to (read pissed off), I vividly remember that I was instead thankful that it was just this much. Going through my closet (so to speak), I found an old newspaper cutting that I had preserved. Titled ‘The Zoroastrian Way of Seeking Solace’, it propounded Dastur Adurbad Mahrespand's (Prime Minister and pontiff in the court of the Sassanian King Shahpur II, who reigned in Persia during the fourth century AD) lessons on how to deal with various challenges in life. On his death bed, former dictated a series of lessons to his son, Zarthosht. These lessons have been handed down as the Handarz-i-Adurbad Mahrespandan, the admonitions of Adurbad Mahrespand.
Dastur Adurbad advocated the rule of moderation as being the key to a good life. Every time a misfortune befell me, he says, I derived six kinds of comfort and solace from it.
The tragedy could have been much worse. Hence, it is appropriate to thank God that the calamity that befell us was only so grievous and not any worse.
The blow was to my body, and not to my soul. It is important to realise that the body is but a shell, given to us by God to further the progress of the soul. Physical harm is therefore less grievous than spiritual tragedy.
Of all the misfortunes I had to endure, one more had passed. The sum total of a man’s suffering is dependent on past thoughts, words and deeds, and is therefore limited. (That’s exactly what Hinduism says). When a misfortune befalls us, it is a source of solace to know that of the tragedies scripted for us, one more has passed.
I realized that I must have been a good man. Why else would have Ahriman, the evil spirit, taken the trouble to bring misfortune upon me?
That the effect of our evil thoughts, words and deeds fall either on us, or on our children. So be thankful that the misfortune fell on us and not our child.
The sixth and final solace to be found in grief is that since the sum total of evil that can happen in the world is limited, one such misfortune visited upon us, is one evil less. Humankind is then free to advance along the path that leads to Ahura Mazda, the supreme lord. (See picture)
The article reiterated that misfortune and grief are part and parcel of everyday life. A positive attitude to our trial will help us cross the greatest hurdle.
What is needed is FAITH in the mysterious ways of God, and the wisdom to realize that whatever happens, always happens for the best. (My mom’s favourite dictum of life as well). It is this positive attitude that we should aim to cultivate, for it holds the key to HAPPINESS.
posted by optimism at 12:57 PM
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