Receptivity

I was born in a tiny village, smaller than the smallest. Even this area, Briarwood, is larger than my village. It was divided into three parts: East Shakpura, West Shakpura and Middle Shakpura. I do not even know where the middle part started and where it ended, because it was so small. Perhaps it was not even two blocks! East and West somehow I could distinguish, but the middle I could not. At that time the limit of my receptivity was my East Shakpura. Such a small village! Beyond that I could not identify myself with anything else, believe me.

First my receptivity was confined to my little home. My home was enough for me. I could not think of anybody beyond my home. Then my receptivity expanded when I got joy by saying that something was happening in my village, East Shakpura. At that time I was identifying myself with East Shakpura, where I was born. Then I began identifying myself with West and Middle Shakpura. Then my receptivity expanded to include not only my village, but my aunt’s village and other places. After some time I was getting joy if something was happening in different places around me.

I started my receptivity with my house. First I got joy only if something was happening in my room or in my house. If anything good was happening, I was getting joy. If anything bad was taking place, I was crying. Then I got joy if something was happening in East Shakpura. Gradually I got joy when something was happening all around my village. Then I came to know that I was born in East Bengal. When the word ‘Bengal’ was uttered, I got such joy! Then I started identifying myself with India. The more I expanded myself, the more joy I received.

My receptivity is my oneness with both the suffering and the happiness of the world. Gradually, gradually, gradually my receptivity increased. Now, if anything good happens in the entire world, I get so much joy because I have spread my wings. Again, if anything bad happens in the world, it definitely affects me.

The expansion of oneness immediately creates receptivity. Now I am able to receive everything inside myself, not only the happenings of my own family or of my little village, but of the entire world. Because I have become one with the whole world, good happenings everywhere are giving me joy, and bad happenings are making my life miserable.

If I can accept both the suffering and the happiness of the world, then I feel that I am really meant for God and I am able to do something for God. Otherwise, if I welcome only good news and do not pay any attention to the bad things that are happening, then where is my oneness? Just recently, so many people were killed in a hurricane. When I see how people have been suffering, I feel miserable, absolutely miserable. Again, when something nice is happening, I am so happy.

Receptivity increases only through expansion. By expanding ourselves more and more, by claiming an ever larger part of God’s reality, we increase our receptivity. From our home, we can expand to claim the entire world. Receptivity comes only from becoming one with the large, larger, largest reality of the existence of God on earth.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Rainbow-Flowers, part 3, Agni Press, 1999
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/rf_3