How Is It Possible to Counteract Life’s Disappointments?

Material things are not really owned by anyone, for at death they must be left behind and given to others. We are only allowed the use of things. It is foolish to be attached to material objects. Pray only to be given the use of things you genuinely need and, if necessary, to be given the power to create at will whatever you require. Even millionaires must leave all their wealth at the call of death.

If you owned the entire earth, you would be fraught with sorrows because, at the time of earthly parting, the delusion of its being wrested from you would torture your soul. To die of a broken heart and enter the grave with unfulfilled desires is foolish. You must learn to see your life as a motion picture playing in this earthly “movie house.” Recognize now that this picture house of earth can never give you the perfect happiness of Spirit.

The only way to combat earthly disappointments in the areas of prosperity, fame, or happiness is not to feel sad when you are denied something you think you ought to have.

You may say, “My desires are conditioned by my needs,” and to a certain extent this is true, but I am speaking of the greater freedom of mind and soul. When you achieve God-consciousness you will have everything, even if you have no material possessions. The person who finds God owns the cosmos, and, owning the cosmos, he owns everything in it.

Jesus knew that he was one with the Father. That is why he could do things most mortals cannot. When Jesus said, “The foxes have their holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Luke 9:58), he was not bemoaning his poverty. Rather, he was saying that, as the owner of the cosmos, he could not remain caged in a small place as most earthly creatures do.

Instead of seeking the things of the world, Jesus counseled, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God (in other words, the entire cosmos) and all these things (happiness, wisdom, and prosperity) shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). If you follow his advice, all these things will come to you even without your praying for them. Be like Jesus, who was rich with God while owning nothing material.

Really, this earth is a place of mirth, a pleasure house for immortals. We must remember that our true home is the mansion of changeless, ever-new, blissful, omnipresent immortality. We are eternally God’s children, whether naughty or good. But when we forget that our home is the kingdom of God and become attached to earthly shows, we make ourselves miserable.

There is one thing you will never tire of, either in this life or throughout eternity, and that is the ever-new joy experienced in God-contact. At some point, a joy that always feels the same may bring about boredom, but joy that is ever-new and continuous will fulfill you forever. And such a joy can be found only in deep meditation.

Do not desire to become a millionaire. Rather, spend your time in longer, deeper, daily meditation. To strive for God-contact in meditation is pure joy and the quickest way to become Christ-like. The more you meditate, the more your happiness will grow—and you will be even happier when you eventually meet God, the King of ever-new happiness.

--from How to Spiritualize Your Life by Paramhansa Yogananda