“Do not do what you want, and then you may do what you like.” -- Sadasiva, Indian saint.
I could not sleep all night, reflecting on the realisations I have been having, excited about what is unfolding, messaging with my coach in the middle of the night, scrolling social media and seeing what the rest of the world is up to and after several attempts to fall asleep, I turned to Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi. And I came across this passage:
When the warrior humbly asked for some spiritual instruction, Sadasiva wrote with his finger on the sands: “Do not do what you want, and then you may do what you like.” The Mohammedan was uplifted to an exalted state of mind, and understood the saint’s paradoxical advice to be a guide to soul freedom through mastery of the ego.
This is the key to freedom and a fulfilling life. In one simple sentence. Wisdom and Truth are always simple. When it is complex, it is likely not the truth. What is he saying? He is saying that if I want to live happily, I need to let go of wanting, wanting to have, to be and to do. And when I let go of that, I am free to fully experience life, freely and happily because there is nothing I want anymore, and thereby I can have everything. Not in terms of ownership but in terms of the very thing I have been seeking: Freedom, serenity and peace.
These days I am doing “nothing” but moving on this path of gaining clarity of self. And I am increasingly falling into peace with it because I am realising that what I have been doing all my life has not worked. I chased money or fame or relationships or sex or other pleasures or achievements. But no matter what I had or did, it never fulfilled me, it never felt like I had arrived.
I realise now that nothing we can have or get in the external, the world outside of us, can fulfil me. And that’s why in the never-ending chase for happiness, I never arrived. What I seek, what we all seek, is inside of me and it’s the freedom to be me, to express myself authentically and with love and humility and in the process serve others. It is when I no longer need but I give that I receive and feel full-(filled).
I get to write these lines, some people read them, I hear from them and that fires me up to share more and to go deeper in my journey. Everything is a gift. If I had not had a sleepless night, I would not have had this realisation, come across this wise quote now or written this reflection.
I hope you got more sleep than me and that you are a little bit more inspired to go through your day in presence and with gratitude for whatever it brings. Thank you for being with me.
This was day 33. If these reflections are serving you - or not, or you have any comments regarding any aspect of this newsletter, please reply and let me know. I am always grateful for feedback whatever form or shape it takes. There’s no negative or positive feedback, it is simply whatever is true for you. Thank you. 🙏
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