"This Week"
by the
Bahrain Meditation Centre
Bahrain Meditation Centre is administered by B.K.W.S.U. (visit: www.bkwsu.org.uk)



10th September, 2005

Invest in Relationships



Most of our deepest pain seems to come from relationships of one kind or another. Since we 'invest' most of our time and energy in relationships, we are most likely looking for a 'good return' on our investment and are upset when we don't get it. Today, love is more a transaction. The head thinks, "However much I give, I should also get back!" It's not surprising that divorce rates have soared over the past decade. As we are not getting the 'yield' we seek, in this age of instant gratification, we move on to another 'investment'.



Spirituality is based on relationships and asks that we invest in our self and one other key relationship as its foundation, that is, with the Supreme, the Source. Once we begin to experience 'profit' in that relationship we are then able to share the 'dividends' with all those around us. In fact, since almost everyone is 'spiritually bankrupt', this is the only relationship on which I can 'stake' my spiritual and emotional wealth.



Spirituality is a deep realization that no man is an island and we have to live in a commune, community, in communication with others to survive and develop as a whole person and as a society. As much pain as there is in relationships there is also learning and tons of love to be harvested.



Only when I am grounded in spirituality and have started my own journey of knowing my self, which leads me to know the Supreme, can I truly reap pure love and, more importantly, bring forth that pure love into other relationships. My attention is no longer focused on the 'transaction' and 'potential profits' and I can begin to accept others as they are. In this context bartering may not be a bad idea - an exchange of a quality from a recognized place of worth.



It is crucial that we now invest in loving relationships with all our spiritual siblings. The secret is to give without expectation. Easier said than done, no doubt, but is there any other choice? If I am to live on and share this planet, let me continue to plant the seeds of love and compassion with my heart and not my head, knowing that whatever seeds I plant, I will get the return multimillion fold!







Om Shanti
(I am a peaceful soul)



Tel: +973-17-712 545, meditate@batelco.com.bh, www.bahrainmeditationcentre.org