A Million Thoughts: Learn All About Meditation from a Himalayan Mystic

Their clothes were soiled and tattered, their hair unruly and mostly matted, their bodies dark and smudged in dirt, years of suffering and sweat had permanently settled on their bodies, but, their eyes had an expression of peace and acceptance. Further, they all bore smiles of gratitude and contentment as they got their blankets. Some immediately unwrapped the blanket and donned it. It was gratifying beyond words to see them do so. Some made it their pillow; they either did not want to use it right away because it was new or perhaps intended to sell it in the grey market the following day. That was beside the point. We did our karma, we thought.

There was one particular scene beyond bear. Some people came running towards our car as they saw from a distance that we were giving blankets. In that group was a girl, she was physically handicapped. She tried to rush like the rest fearing the car might leave or we might run out of blankets. While she was trying to run, she stumbled and fell down. We almost cried seeing her state. As she got up and came closer, we realized she was mentally challenged as well. We could not endure the scene. We did our part and quickly got going. I never went out again to distribute blankets. I did not have the heart to see such suffering. My friend and his sister gave away the remaining on another night.

We came home and as I lay my head on the pillow, snuggled up in my quilt, I was looking up at the roof. My room was furnished, it was heated and had an attached washroom – everything to make it comfortable. It all seemed like a dream. “Wow! I have a roof over my head,” I thought. “What good karma must have I done to deserve this.” Those people kept flashing in front of my eyes. I could not help but wonder that not having a roof over your head was one thing but what about all the other needs? Where did they go to attend the nature’s call? They had no place to cook, nowhere to store their utensils or stove, no place to even keep the blankets in fact, they had no place to wash their clothes. Where would they generally go to get drinking water? Did they brush their teeth, or could they even afford to do that? They had no place called home. There was no where they could go after a tiring day. These and a million other questions boggled and tired my mind out.

I thought about how little we need to be grateful. I thought about how gratitude is not dependent on the magnitude of materiality, it is not dependent on what all you must have. Gratitude is simply a state of mind, an expression of the heart, a commitment to tolerance, a resolution to be happy, a feeling of peace, a sense of contentment, an emotion of fulfilment.

If you believe that in order to be grateful you must have certain things in your life, you will always find it hard to be thankful, because no matter how much you may have, there will still be just as much more you will want to have. Work towards what gives you joy but be grateful for all that you have.

When you are grateful, an invisible blanket of peace covers you, it makes you glow, it makes you happy, strong, warm. Gratitude puts mind at ease about everything around. Gratitude is not about just about being thankful to God.

Here are the two types of gratitude:

Being Grateful to God

Some people are grateful to God, to the Supreme Soul, to someone they feel is up there. It can give them a huge psychological boost, help them survive difficult phases in life, give them the motivation to stay course among numerous other benefits. Those who believe in the existence of God, regardless of the religion they follow, have someone they can be grateful to. Even daily prayer is a form of gratitude. Being grateful to God is not complete gratitude, though. Imagine being thankful to the mother who is never careless, indifferent or irresponsible towards her children. It is of little use. Far more important than being grateful to God is to be grateful to his children, his creation. This leads to the gratitude of the second type.

Being Grateful to Others

Love and gratitude are soulmates; happiness and harmony are their offspring. It is not possible to be grateful unless you accept that someone has done something for you. If you feel, out of ego or ignorance, that it was your right, you will fail to feel grateful. Consequently, you will not experience any happiness, much less peace and bliss. Any relationship with gratitude present in it is bound to flourish. Gratitude is not always about grand gestures, it may range from a sincere thank you to an act of extraordinary compassion.

The important thing to remember is that you must consciously express your gratitude without any expectations for reciprocation; it is hard but doable. True gratitude makes one generous, compassionate and infinitely loving.