If we cleanse ourselves of the negative qualities such as anger, ego, greed, we can contribute towards a more positive world, writes SANT RAJINDER SINGH
The sound of chirping birds returning from their migration from the warmer climates and small animals peeping up from their hibernation holes herald the return of spring. Spring time is so perfect that we want to invite our family and friends to join us to celebrate the return of this beautiful season. In the same way we should also welcome God into the home of our human body. The same preparations taken by us for an outer springtime party in which family and friends join us need to be taken by us for our inner party with God as guest of honour.
For that party, we first need to clean the house. This refers to not only the outer body being kept neat and clean, but also to the condition of the soul. Cleaning the soul means clearing up the dark spots such as anger, violence, greed, attachment, and ego which cover it. Cleaning the heart means being an ethical and loving person, introspective, meditating, and having love for God and all living beings.
In connection to this, there’s a story about four animals. There was a fox, a bear, a boar and a rabbit. They decided to build village together. Each built a house. When the homes were ready, they moved in. As the fox looked out of his window, he saw his neighbour, the rabbit eating a carrot. When finished, instead of throwing the carrot away in the trash bin, the rabbit threw it on the street.The following day, the fox looked out its window and saw the boar walking down the street while eating an apple. When finished the boar tossed the apple core into the street.The fox was upset that this had happened twice already. Then fox watched and saw the bear throwing its empty honeycombs into the street. This pattern continued for a whole week and the garbage left by the rabbit, boar, and bear began piling up on the street. Within a month, the garbage was so much that the fox could barely walk outside anymore. A few months later, the fox opened his front door to go outside.
The garbage had grown so much that it blocked his front door and he couldn’t get outside. Fed up, the fox packed his belongings, found a way to climb out the back window and moved far away, into a forest to start a new life where he could live in a clean place. The fox built a new house and lived in the forest by himself, happy to be rid of his messy neighbours.
One day, the fox saw the rabbit come by, carrying all his belongings. When the fox questioned the rabbit as to why he had moved into the forest the rabbit told him because the dirt had become unbearable for him. The rabbit then built his own home near the fox’s. A few weeks later, the bear and boar came trudging through the forest with all their belongings. They gave the same reason as the rabbit to move into the forest and built their respective homes in the forest as well.
With the four new homes in the forest, the fox thought the village would be clean now that each of the other three animals had learned their lessons about what happens when they throw trash into the village. For a while, the new village in the forest was clean and the fox was happy. However, after a while, each of the other three animals began throwing their trash into the streets again. The fox couldn’t tolerate it anymore. He told the three animals that instead of throwing the trash on the street they should make a compost pile in their own backyard to throw the garbage and use the waste to fertilise their own lawn. Soon, they each had a place in their backyard to throw their garbage so it did not clutter up the streets again. The village remained clean and animals lived happily ever after.
This tale explains why there are so many problems in the world. When we do not clean the inner house of our soul, we spread the waste into the world. Each person is dumping their garbage into the streets. Everybody thinks they are cleaning their house, but instead they are throwing their waste into the streets of this planet.
The trash in the story represents all the negative traits that people have. People are filled with anger, violence, greed, selfishness, and ego. The houses represent their own body and mind. Instead of cleaning ourselves of these negative characteristics by eliminating these bad habits, we’re disposing them in the world and defiling our environment and the lives of those around us.
Soon, those on whom we throw our anger become angry and pass it onto others. Then, we aren’t the only ones in a rage, but we spread it to the point that everyone in our family, our community, our city, our country, and the world becomes angry. The same logic applies to selfishness, greed, ego and all the other negative traits within us. Instead of filling up the world with our negative behaviours, we can cleanse ourselves of these traits and contribute to a more positive world.
The method of developing positive traits is meditation. Each time we meditate, we come in contact with the source of all positive qualities within us. Each time we connect with our ‘inner-light’ and ‘sound’, the two manifestations of God, we are cleansed from within and begin to take on positive qualities. We are transformed and display these ethical virtues in our lives.
Through meditation and ethical living, we can transform ourselves and the world and keep ourselves, our home, and all creation clean.
The writer is a spiritual leader
