Infinite patience and smart Shopping

Suppose you go to God to get a boon. When your intention is to get a boon, then you are in a hurry.

Another person knows he already owns God; he is not in a hurry for anything. Infinite patience comes up in him. Now what is “owning God”? Realizing that the Divinity and His entire creation already belong to you. Usually you shop in hurry at the supermarket and rush back home. But when the whole store is already in your home, you’re not in a rush to shop; you’re at ease. Your hurry to get something throws you off balance and makes you small. Have an “eternal wait”—infinite patience. Realize that God belongs to you. Through this awareness or through practice you will reach infinite patience.

Now “To develop patience, do we observe the impatience?”

Just observe the thoughts and feelings and don’t regret them. When you know you are part of the divine plan, you stop demanding. You know everything is being done for you. You are taken care of. Usually we hurry the mind and are slow in our action. Impatience means hurry in the mind; lethargy means slowness in action. It is better the other way around:

Patience in the mind and dynamism an action is the right formula.

Spiritual way to get rid of: SORROW

If you are unhappy, you better check if one or all of these is lacking:

Ø Penance
Ø Dispassion
Ø Surrender
Penance is agreeing with the moment, total acceptance of all pleasant or unpleasant situations. Dispassion means I want nothing and I am nothing. Surrender is I am here for you, for your joy. If you are grumbling, then these are lacking. When you accept the situation, when you take it as penance, you cannot grumble; when you come from a state of dispassion (I don’t want anything), you don’t grumble; and if you are surrendered, you will have no complaints.
If you don’t do it willingly, you will do it later in desperation. First you will say, “Nothing can be done.” Then later in anger and desperation you will say, “I give up, I want nothing, I have no choice—to hell with it!”

All these three—penance, dispassion, and surrender—they purify your mind and uplift you in joy.

-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar