Are there any guarantees in life, or is it all a game of chance? They say that with every venture comes the possibility of both success and failure; that each opportunity confronts us with any number of possible outcomes, both positive and negative. If this is true, then it must be said that the disciple of a perfect Master is an inconceivably fortunate man, for he has won two lotteries simultaneously. To be born human — the very pinnacle of all species of life — is by itself an exceedingly rare event. But to also have had personal contact with a perfect living saint within that infinitesimal fraction of time, is truly beyond the realm of probability and chance. It is both a miracle and an absolute indicator of the vibrant certainty of his destiny.
What a pity it is then, when the disciple forgets or takes for granted, the untold grace that is the manifestation of a Master in his life. For he has thus failed to understand the immense magnitude of the profound fact that a perfect mystic has crossed his path in the same instant of time and space as his own fleeting human existence. And this is a failure that will eventually come back to haunt him, if not during life, then inevitably at that final moment of truth, when he takes his last human breath.
But what good is a tear shed after the fact? What benefit is the bitter regret of that lost opportunity? If life’s insipid daily routines were overwhelming to the point that the intellet, the heart and the eyes were clouded to this priceless treasure, then remorse at the sunset of life is a meaningless as the wasted itself.
On the other hand, he that lives life drenched in awareness of the love and protection of his Teacher — guided and supported as he certainly is, to achieve the ultimate purpose of humanity — for him, it is a different story altogether. His master becomes his friend, companion, patron, guardian, aide and above all — saviour. And it is all just a matter of awareness — for the Master is, in fact, all of these things to his every disciple, regardless. But it is for the disciple to allow the depth of their relationship to be realised — by his own awareness and effort, not at the geriatric eleventh hour of his human existence, but rather, while life is at its prime, when the sun is blazing brightly upon his daily toil.
And for such a disciple, beyond any doubt, providence prevails. The question is no longer ‘if’ but simply ‘when’. The story book of his life is already written, and it is decidedly a happy ending. The only uncertainty is how many chapters must transpire before he gets there. And that is a matter of just three issues for the disciple: commitment, sincerity and effort.
Looking at the big picture from this perspective gives life a different flavour altogether. Doubt, insecurity and anxiety of the impending future are cast off, and replaced by a luminous resounding cloak of certainty that shields the disciple from apprehension and distress of life’s consequences. He becomes aware only of the divine essence woven into his existence, and of his Master’s influence in stimulating him to appreciate and realise that divinity.
But above all, conviction of his inevitable fate becomes the basis of that essential prerequisite of spirituality — total submission to the will of God.
In the opera of life, where drama and tension dominate every scene of every act, the disciple of a perfect living Master is granted the privilege of a preview of the grand finale. And it is a lustrous resonant certainty that his Master reveals to him, one that should revitalise his obedience and effort. With the outcome assured, all that is needed now is perseverance and patience for the unfolding of the beautiful fragrant bouquet that is his inevitable vibrant destiny.
