Patanjali “The only worthwhile accomplishments are not those we achieve outwardly, but the victories we win over ourselves.”
The only true victory of a man is when he conquers himself. Patanjali has proclaimed this to mankind already a few thousand years ago and in the last century it is repeated in the west by Paramahansa Yogananda, the great Eastern yogi who has enriched the West with his eastern acquired knowledge and insights.
Man is a marvelous creature, full of dreams and insights and talents.
Specially wealthy countries in the world have become masters of the matter, of technique, of science, of human knowledge, of democratic developments.
This is a true achievement. The successes of mankind on practical, social and economic fields, made mankind recently believe the world was manageable.
The persistence of poverty in the world, unrest in a lot of countries, the environmental crisis and the economic crisis show mankind there is still a long way to go. Mankind could be helped by this ancient wisdom of Patanjali.
"The only worthwhile accomplishments are not those we achieve outwardly, but the victories we win over ourselves"
It is a spiritual law that the outer world more or less corresponds with the inner world.
God says simply this to you: when you should tackle the turmoil and chaos and confusion and limitations in your inner world, the outer world would certainly respond. Of course not directly because the relationship between the spiritual world and the material world, between the inner and outer world, between mind and body is a complex one and is depending on many factors.
Victory of the inner world? What can that be?
Why don’t you look around: people are generally spoken well dressed, well fed, well educated, well housed and well informed.
But at the same time you all are very much struggling with your attachments and addictions.
- Seniors who drink too much
- Children who have overweight
- Smokers who can not stop
- TV viewers going to bed tired after 6 hours a day watching passively, cluttered with advertisements and moderate programs
- Parents of children with two jobs, two cars, two holidays a year, who “are loosing oneselves”
- Overcrowded shopping centers and empty churches
- Economic growth as the only foundation of society
- The environment as the victim of this growth.
Our advice is consider your inner self and look around and see the desperation of the vulnerable, the turmoil of the elderly, the powerlessness of the youth. The attachments, addictions and the despair resulting from this are controlling you more than you want to admit.
Create for yourself inner calm and silence and space and wisdom.
I would love to tell you "how much hope and future and happiness" is lying in this ancient wisdom of Patanjali, more relevant and necessary than ever.
My blessings to you all
Nr. 45
