December 20, 2023

Notes by Om Shreejay

Review:

Last week we learned about a boy who didn’t know how to manage his feelings. His mismanagement of his feelings resulted in many people getting hurt. We learned that when we do something hurtful, the hurt does not go away no matter how many times we say sorry. The lesson is to try to always be kind and when this is hard, do no harm – with your words and actions. Our RAW was to compliment someone every day. Go past the superficial and pick qualities about their personality e.g., being thoughtful, doing something good without being asked, and giving without the expectation of receiving something. When our internal narrative is one of positivity, this translates to others too. Begin with you.

Story:

A man was passing through a forest. It was a beautiful forest and he noticed in a tree it was filled with cocoons of butterflies that had not hatched. He decided to sit under the tree and saw one of the cocoons wriggle and shake. A small hole opened in the cocoon, and the butterfly struggled to get out. After a few hours, the cocoon stopped moving. He felt the need to help the butterfly, so he cut open the cocoon carefully. When the butterfly came out it looked weak and fragile – its wings were wrinkled, and it couldn’t fly. It was on the branch crawling and its wings did not spread out. The man was confused and thought he was helping the butterfly by removing its obstacles. The man realized that that very action made the butterfly weak. The butterfly needed to struggle through the cocoon so it could become a strong and healthy butterfly and be able to fly. Because of this the butterfly never got to fly.

Lesson from Story:

There are things in our environment that happen that aren’t in our control and that we don’t like. To evolve, adapt, and grow, one must take those challenges and meet them. To grow we must embrace these challenges. Our challenges help us realize the goals and purposes that we have for ourselves. The butterfly had one purpose – to struggle through the cocoon. When you have a clear purpose and when you are devoted to it, that purpose will bring out the best in yourself. It is the challenges and goals that we devote ourselves to that make us evolve and be better versions of ourselves.

Activity:

First Friend Dwija asked us to think about a time when we struggled (physical or mental). Think about who helped you (friend/sibling/parent/guide/teacher etc.). What do you do when you are confused about your purpose or something personal? You may think that your parents/friends wouldn’t understand, and you can’t express this to them. Who do we go to then for help? The one person or ideal we can always go to is Bhagavan/God, especially in circumstances when we don’t know our purpose. Your essence is divine – leaning on yourself is leaning into the divine. There is no separation between you and the divine.

RAM:

Think about a goal you want to accomplish – something important to you. As it becomes clearer to you, think about what you need to do to make it happen. How will you realize this goal?

Our next class will be on January 17, 2024.