Find Abundance in Problems

 

Modern society is oriented toward solving problems. There is no lack of  go-getters who dedicate themselves to finding new ways to do things, and no  shortage of belief that progress can’t be stopped. Much of this confidence,  however, is a distraction. By focusing on the next technology, the next  engineering marvel, the next medical breakthrough, we lose sight of deeper  problems that offer no solution.

Buddha pointed to the problem of suffering, Jesus to the problem of sin and  the lack of love, Gandhi to the absence of peace in a world of violence. What  new technology will prevent me from attacking my enemy? What medical  breakthrough will enable me to love my neighbor as myself?

You can look around and see how futile external solutions have proven. Crime,  famine, war, epidemics, and poverty continue to baffle us, and yet society  throws money at these problems over and over, as if a failed approach will  succeed if only we persist. On the spiritual path you discover that all problems  are rooted in consciousness, therefore the solution is always a shift in  consciousness.

If you were to be happy from the soul level, totally in accord with God, what  would that be like? In a word, it would be effortless. To be happy from the soul  level, three things are required:

1. You act without effort.

2. You feel joy in what you do.

3. Your  actions bring results.

All three requirements must work together if you want to experience the  happiness God intended. It is already on display in the natural kingdom, where  every creature acts spontaneously, and yet every action supports the entire  ecological system. Human beings, however, primarily reside in a mental  landscape. Our vision of ourselves rules what we do; the physical environment  comes second (if at all), and it is expected to adapt to our demands.

In Nature, every challenge is met with a response. As dinosaurs die out,  mammals thrive. As ferns give way to flowering plants, insects learn to feed on  pollen. Creation and destruction move together, constantly in touch with each  other. The same seamless interaction is also possible in a mental ecological  system.

In higher states of consciousness, no gap appears between desire and  fulfillment. Few of us experience this spontaneous state, however. The  conventional condition of separation is all about gaps and discontinuity.  Desires seem to lead to failure. The best-laid plans seem to go astray, and our  experience of separation seems to grow.

You might think it would take heroic efforts to solve the problems that face  us. Spiritually speaking, the reverse is true. The soul’s vision isn’t about  struggle and lack of results. It isn’t about failure. You only need to measure  your actions against the three simple conditions I mentioned above.

1. Am I acting easily, without struggle?

2. Do I enjoy what I’m doing?

3. Are results coming of their own accord?

Answering “yes” means that spiritually you are going in the right direction;  answering “no” means that you aren’t.

Adapted from Why is God Laughing? by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books,  2008).

Deepak Chopra

Acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest leaders in the field of mind body  medicine, Deepak Chopra, M.D. continues to transform our understanding of the  meaning of health. Chopra is known as a prolific author of over 49 books with 12  best sellers on mind-body health, quantum mechanics, spirituality, and peace. A  global force in the field of human empowerment, Dr. Chopra’s books have been  published in more than 35 languages with more than 20 million copies in  print.