Supreme Gratitude for the Guru’s Grace

Supreme Gratitude for the Guru’s Grace
by Kambra McConnel

Sat Chit Ananda Guru Ki Jay

Kedarji utters that “Grace is All There Is.”

And he often reminds us of how Grace is defined in our Nityananda Shaktipat Yoga approach:

“Grace is the power, the Love that rescues us from the entanglement of worldliness, and like a boat, carries us across the illusion of this world to that distant shore of Joy, Peace and Bliss of the Absolute. Grace is that which frees us from the bondage of ignorance that conceals God from us.”

I still remember learning that definition of Grace from Kedarji for the first time, when I was a newcomer to our approach a decade ago. To this day, when I contemplate this definition of Grace, it always brings a smile to my face and fills my heart with Joy, Peace, and complete Awe.

I have consistently held this highest understanding of Grace in my awareness for many years, in addition to another wisdom utterance that Kedarji often shares: “Grace begins with a grateful heart.”

When I recall these utterances, I feel more at Peace and better equipped to address what I perceive to be challenges. I can wake up each morning with my heart singing and dancing with indescribable Joy, and I can maintain that state for more moments in each day.

The Grace of Leadership and Self Effort

Contemplating these utterances over a long period of time – and being properly led to observe them in action as they are proven out through direct experiences – has become a cumulative, ever-increasing and truly saving Grace for me.

Because – very importantly – wisdom utterances are not enough without proper leadership. As Kedarji and the Saints and Sages of our Lineage remind us: “Teachings do not transform people. Leadership does. Direct experience eclipses intellectual understanding.”

By the Grace of Kedarji’s leadership in numerous methods for daily spiritual practice, I can quiet my restless mind enough to experience the inner state of Joy that is the True Nature of who I really am…and the True Nature of who others are, too.

And when I combine Kedari’s Grace with “my Grace” – my consistent and steady self-effort in daily spiritual practices – then I can fully embrace the Grace of any situation or circumstance.

I can be grateful for any interaction, no matter what appears to occur, without getting completely stuck in worry, fear, anger, anxiety, impatience, frustration, depression, doubt or cynicism. The difference that makes the difference is that I can still experience and express these emotions but without getting mired in them – instead, I can allow them to simply flow through and dissipate.

Engaging in my daily spiritual practices also makes it easier for me to bounce back – to get unstuck when I am stuck, and to regain my balance when I feel surprised by unexpected events. I can more easily understand each of these apparent challenges and slips as Grace – as welcome reminders to remain spiritually vigilant and to Joyfully redouble my effort in Sadhana.

Selfless Service in Sadhana

In my Sadhana, I have had the most profound experiences of Guru’s Grace and my Grace when I engage in Selfless Service – an essential spiritual practice in our approach.

Selfless Service (or “Seva,” as we call it) is a practice of offering every activity as a blessed sacrament to God – to make every action and interaction holy. The purpose of Seva is to put forth self-effort to perfect activity without concern about outcomes, and to remember that my Guru and Lineage of Saints and Sages stand behind me like a mountain.

As Sadguru Kedarji utters in “Vibration of Divine Consciousness:” “Through Seva, you gain spiritual merit and wisdom. Why? Because Seva is service to God. It is meritorious action; something the scriptures of every spiritual tradition speak about. This spiritual merit protects you, attracts abundance to your life, and keeps God’s Grace flowing to you.”

He goes on to say that: “Seva is a very important part of spiritual practice that should not be left out. You cannot know the mystery of Selfless Service without practicing it. And once you practice it, there is nothing more to be said. The experience is Self-evident. Seva is not a means for you to serve the Master. Service to the Guru is a figurative expression. Selfless Service is actually the means or opportunity that the Master provides for you to serve God and, in return, attract God’s Grace into your life.”

The Saving Grace of Seva

Based on direct experiences with Seva over many years, I have become fond of saying, “Seva saves ya!” What I mean is that I consistently benefit in profound ways from engaging in this vital spiritual practice.

Every time I perform Seva, I feel “rescued” from getting in my own way due to emotional overload and useless understandings, habits, and tendencies, such as indulging in distractions; believing that I am unworthy, unintelligent, or incapable of addressing a task; or allowing feelings of disappointment, impatience, frustration, anger, hopelessness, or helplessness to prevent me from starting or completing a task.

Through Seva, I learn and practice how to remain one-pointed in activity and focus on the present moment, without letting my mind wander and ruminate over a past that is gone or a future that does not exist. This quiets and then silences my restless mind, which gives me experiences of inner Peace and Joy.

Then, I can function calmly with deeper concentration and more efficiency. Time appears to expand and slow down instead of flying by.  I have deeper reserves of energy to address and complete tasks without panic, impatience or stress. I also learn how to let go of attachments to expectations about outcomes and what I believe the results of my actions should be.

Engaging in Seva also shows me when I am overthinking, which gives rise to anxiety and a tendency to over-explain and provide more detail than is necessary, as Kedarji has revealed for me. And I learn how to overcome my fear of not knowing how to “do” something, and how to let go of “doership” (control), and simply immerse with Joy in an activity. This opens the floodgates and makes it possible for inspiration to flow freely and spontaneously rise up in my awareness.

Breakthroughs!

One of the most significant breakthroughs I have experienced in Sadhana is that the Grace of Kedarji’s instruction, leadership, and my self-effort in Seva show me how to “quit quitting” – how to never give up.

For example, prior to crossing paths with Kedarji, I never would have included yard work on a list of my favorite activities. Until one of my first experiences with Seva earlier in my Sadhana, I had never mowed a lawn, and I always felt afraid to do it. I had held the understanding that I am not mechanically inclined, plus past injuries to my back and spine had led me to fear getting hurt from pushing and pulling a mower.

However, when Kedarji instructed me to mow a lawn on our school property for the first time, and I chose to perform this activity as Seva – as a blessed sacrament and a privilege – I made the effort with one-pointedness, as a spiritual practice that is its own reward. I let go of fear and expectations about outcomes. Then, I directly experienced the Grace of learning how transforming my attitude can lead to a state of pure Joy and inner Peace.

When I mowed the lawn, I practiced letting go of my fears about getting hurt, and I found that I totally relaxed, and directly experienced Joy, Bliss and Peace. I felt so happy as I pushed and pulled the lawn mower, and I practically bounced around the yard that day. Mowing the lawn was so much easier than I had thought it would be, and it was great exercise too.

Thanks to the Grace inherent in Kedarji’s leadership and my own self-effort in Seva, I felt inspired to observe how I had limited myself over many years by reaching for false, useless notions about mowing a lawn. I became aware that in my mind, I had built up mowing the lawn as a harmful, impossible activity, when in fact it was perfectly safe, as long as I followed Kedarji’s instructions for how to operate the lawnmower.

And this led me to further contemplate: In what other tasks or activities am I subtly in the habit of making a mountain out of a molehill, by not holding the highest understandings?

Years later, I continue these contemplations in an ongoing fashion, regardless of the type of Seva that I perform. I use the fruits of my contemplations to fuel my self-effort – or to correct and redouble my self-effort – in all aspects of my Sadhana. In this way, my inner experiences of Joy and Peace continue to build, with enthusiasm and gratitude for so many blessings of Grace.

Thank God for the privilege of Guruseva!

Om Guru Om

Kambra McConnel is the Treasurer of The Bhakta School of Transformation. She sits on our Board of Directors and also volunteers as a certified staff teacher and program leader for Nityananda Shaktipat Yoga.