Home
As phenomena go, there is one that stands out as being truly amazing and at the same time largely underrated — almost to the degree of being taken for granted. It is that special sense of serenity and security, that feeling of tranquillity and happiness that is experienced when we find ourselves at that particular place which we identify as our place of residence — our home.
Whether it is a fortified luxurious bungalow that we live in, or a simple thatched hut, that feeling of peace and refuge we experience when we come home, while perhaps subtle, is also unmistakable. And also quite universal, for it can be observed not just in humans, but in many animals as well — particularly those that instinctively dwell in one place, even temporarily. Their very behavior within the space they choose as their ‘home’ is somehow different; less agitated, less aggressive — more relaxed.
What is it that lies at the heart of this phenomenon? To what can we attribute that sense of peace and tranquillity, albeit short-lived? If we can somehow comprehend the cause of this effect, we would be on the threshold of understanding how to achieve a greater, and perhaps even the ultimate level of peace and tranquillity — that which is eternal in nature.
The secret lies in blatant view for some. They are the special few of our species that have not only grasped the essence of this phenomenon but have actually mastered it, attaining that degree of inner serenity and harmony known as perfection. They are referred to by many titles, including mystic and saint, but they refrain from wearing such labels, preferring simply to take on the roles of teacher, guide and above all, friend. So it is that these Masters, or rather, these Masters of perfection, hold the answer to that prize which every man seeks — true happiness. The release that all men crave for, knowingly or unknowingly, from the tempest of agitation, restlessness and insecurity. And that answer is contained within the teachings of every perfect Master without exception.
Fundamentally, they explain that the reason for that feeling of relative tranquility when we are at home is because of a natural tendency or attraction towards what we perceive as ‘the place we belong’, or rather ‘the place we come from’ — our origin. And thus, we experience a degree of satisfaction or happiness relative to the degree of ‘belonging’ we perceive for any place that we take as our home.
In fact, this natural tendency exists everywhere in creation — even at the level of the elements. Observation reveals that many physical elements are to some degree in a state of ‘distress’ — unstable, volatile and with the propensity to return to their origins — that source from which the element originated and the only state where it can exist in an inert, ‘peaceful’ condition permanently. And the Masters teach man that this principle applies to everything in creation, including even the physical body, which is the basis for that familiar expression: “ashes to ashes, dust to dust”.
But beyond this tenet, the Masters hold forth one additional profound truth. One simple fact that is obvious and undeniable, yet ironically incomprehensible to most men. And it is that what we perceive as our home is, in fact, not so. In reality, this physical world is not our true origin, it is merely the source of that temporary outer skin we adorn; that material covering which we will certainly shed before very long — our physical body.
This revelation explains why that peaceful feeling we experience in our physical home still leaves a lot to be desired, both in terms of degree and permanence. And it compels us to consider where our true home really is — rather what it is, for once something is beyond the realm of the physical, it no longer makes sense to speak of location, but rather, of state or condition.
And that state, say, Masters, is a state of consciousness. It is neither the abode of our temporary physical existence nor even of our intellectual aspect, the mind. In fact, it is the abode of that part of us which was never created and can never be destroyed; our true essence — the soul. And that ultimate home is more than just an abode, it is also our Origin and Source.
Nirvana, Sahaj, Heaven, Sach Khand — all simply different names for the same thing — that state of consciousness from which we originated. Different terminologies, but one common concept — our ultimate home. And the only home that can give us ultimate peace, ultimate tranquility, and thus, ultimate happiness. The question remains, how does man attain that real state?
While the Masters possess the complete answer, they know that the best teacher is a personal experience. So their technique is to whet the appetite — to stimulate man to seek his own true source, and then to show the way — to teach man how to utilise his full potential, and finally to allow man to walk the path of inner discovery himself — walking by his side, as his friend and guide.
Just as every river is inexorably drawn to the ocean by the force of its liquid essence, so does the essence of man draw him inevitably to his true spiritual Home, once the Master has shown him the way to release his karmic barriers. And it is the force of that essence, the affinity of the spirit for its Source which accomplishes the task of carrying us to our true Home. That force which defines the very character of our essence, as well as the nature of our Source itself. It is nothing less than the power called love.
