WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER?

[Guest guest]

WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER?The very fact, so many people have gathered here today, is sufficientproof of our interest in the subject. Almost at every place, where Igo, in India or abroad, people put to me the question: "Why do goodpeople suffer?" By Sai's Grace & blessings now this is theright time for me to give an answer thro this divine SBOI groupThe story is almost the same everywhere. The people say: "We havebeen honest and hard working: we have not hurt or exploited anyone:we have done as much good as we could: and yet we have had to suffer.What is the reason?"I am reminded of a young man. He built up a flourishing business inMumbai. Then he turned his attention to spiritual things. He, as itwere, handed over his business to his assistants, whom he trustedimplicitly. They proved to be dishonest. Very soon, this young manfound himself in a difficult situation. He was on

the verge ofbankruptcy. Winding up his business, he went to America, where heopened a shop. Misfortune dogged his footsteps. One afternoon, twoblack men entered his shop with pistol in their hands. One of themcaught hold of him and said: "If you stir or utter a word, you willnot be alive!" The other ransacked the shop and filled the booty in awaiting van and, before any action could be taken, the two quicklyvanished.In the course of a letter this young man wrote to me: "Why did thishappen to me? I pray many times everyday. I seek God's help andprotection. Every morning, as I get up, I offer a prayer: I spendsome time in quiet meditation. Before I open the shop, I pray.Throughout the day I keep thinking of God and offer small prayers toHim. I pray again in night, before I go to sleep. I have hurt no one:I have cheated no one. I have never been dishonest. Why, of allpeople, did this happen to

me?"I think of a young woman. She stays in Singapore. She is God fearing.She is an active member of a Yoga Society. Some months ago, she cameto India, along with her family members. They visited a number ofsacred shrines. They met holy men and sought their blessings. Thenthey returned to Singapore. A few days thereafter, their officepremises were gutted by fire, and precious documents were destroyed.The girl, with tear filled eyes exclaimed: "Why is it that thishappened to us? We visited India in a spirit of reverence, sought theblessings of a number of holy men and women. Why did this happen tous!"I read concerning a woman. She went round the world collecting rareand precious antiques. After six laborious years, she returned to hercountry where she planned to start business in antiques. A weekbefore the inaugural function, a fire broke out, and a number ofshops including her own were

destroyed. Her hard work of six longyears proved futile. Her priceless collections, her irreplaceablecurios, were reduced to ashes! No insurance claim could compensateher adequately. She put the same question: "Why did the All-MercifulGod permit this to happen to me?"Let me tell you of another woman. She devoted the best part of herlife to social service. She was by nature affable, amiable,energetic, and vivacious. She went out of her way to bring joy andcomfort into the lives of many. Suddenly, one day, she found herselflosing balance as she walked. A few days later, as she returned home,one night, she stumbled and fell across the threshold of her house.The next day she was examined by a doctor, who, after a thoroughcheck up, diagnosed the disease as multiple sclerosis. She was toldthat it was a degenerative nerve-disease which, with passage of time,would gather momentum and restrict her

mobility. Ultimately, shewould not be able to walk without support and she would be confinedto a wheel-chair. She might even lose bowel and bladder control andbe dependent on others for her routine chores. This lady too, couldnot understand why this had happened to her, when many of her friendslived normal, healthy lives. "Why did God permit this to happen tome?" she asked.Some people believe that there are certain obligations they owe toGod, and if they fail to fulfill them, they or their dear ones arepunished. One such woman met me when I visited Ottawa, Canada. Shetold me that she recited the second, twelfth and eighteenth chaptersof the Bhagavad Gita every day, before taking her lunch. Sheobserved, also, the Satyanarayan fast, every month. But during awhole month, she missed out on the recitation and the fast. The dayafter Satyanarayan her husband, who was perfectly healthy and

normal,suffered a stroke, and has remained paralysed since then. The womanput me the question that was uppermost in her mind: "Has thisanything to do with my failure to read from the scriptures andobserve the fast? Is there any cause and effect relationship betweenthe two?"I think of a young man. He was the only son of his parents, who aregood and kind, and obliging by nature. With his pleasant manners, theyoung man easily won over the hearts of many who knew him. One night,the car in which he was returning home, collided against a truck,killing him and three of his other friends. When the news wasconveyed to his parents, they cried: "Why did the Merciful Lord allowthis happen to us? Why was our only son snatched away from us?"A learned Rabbi has written a book titled, When Bad Things Happen toGood People. In this book the Rabbi narrates how his three year oldson was afflicted with an

incurable disease called Progeria. Theeffect of this disease, he was told, would be that the boy would notgrow taller than three feet, would remain bald, and would agerapidly. Even as a child, he would have the appearance of an old man!Naturally, the father was grief-stricken. "Why has God permitted aninnocent child to become the victim of such a disease? He asked. "Hehas hurt or harmed no one. Why has he been exposed to physical andpsychological torture?" The author considers several similar casesand concludes that God is not omnipotent, as we believe Him to be.God has limited power. Within those limitations God can exercise Hisdiscretion. But there are forces over which He has no control. Ifthose forces operate, God has no way of helping you out.Dr. Anne Besant, the founder of the Theosophical Society gave birthto a child who, during his infancy, suffered from convulsions.Suddenly, the fever

would shoot up and the infant would have a seriesof fits. The suffering of the infant was more than the mother couldbear. She was at a total loss to understand how the All-Loving, All-Merciful, All-Compassionate God had inflicted so much suffering on aharmless, guileless and perfectly innocent baby. She turned anagnostic and said that she was not sure if there was a God.She worked on the staff of "The New Review". One day, she was askedto review `The Secret Doctrine' by Madame H.B. Blavatsky. As she wentthrough this book, she came upon a chapter on Karma andReincarnation. She read line after line of this chapter withdeepening interest and a new awakening dawned on her. She began tounderstand that the present was not the only life that she or herchild had lived; it was but one of the innumerable lives they hadlived so far. The present life was but a fragment in the continuityof existence and,

therefore what an individual suffered today couldbe the product of what he (or she) had done in an earlierincarnation. The mystery was unravelled. Her entire attitude towardslife changed.The answer to the opt-repeated question, "Why do good people suffer?"becomes clear when we understand the operation of the law of karmaand re-incarnation. The law of karma is the law of cause and effect.Every effect must have a cause. The effect we see now must have acause, recent or remote. Whatever happens to me today has a causebehind it.Question: What is the concrete proof for this?Answer: You will get concrete proof when you practice silence andenter the depths within you. The meaning of the mystery of theendless adventure of existence is there within you. As you enter intothe depths within, the mystery is unravelled.Question: Can you give us some concrete example?Answer: An example

has been given in the Mahabharata. It concerns theblind King Dhritarashtra. After the Mahabharata war was over, SriKrishna said to Pandavas and Kauravas and all others: "It is time forme to return to Dwaraka. But before I leave, tell me if there isanything I can do for you?" The blind King Dhritarashtra said tohim: "I have bee good to everyone: I have not been cruel or unjust toanyone. Why is it that I am blind and have lost all my hundredchildren?" And Sri Krishna said to him: "I would wish you to get theanswer for yourself. Meditate, go deep within yourself until youtouch the astral self, and you will know!"Dhritarashtra entered into deep meditation and contacted his astralself. The astral self keeps a record of our earlier incarnations.Dhritarashtra discovered that in an earlier incarnation, he had beena tyrant king. One day as he walked by a lake side, he saw a swan-bird surrounded by a

hundred signets. He asked his people to removethe eyes of the swan-bird and kill all the hundred signets just toplease his passing fancy! He then understood why he was blind and hadto suffer the loss of his hundred sons.Question: But isn't that a very lengthy process of getting to know?Answer: It is well worth it. You do not acquire a post graduatedegree overnight. You have to put in years of study. Just as there isthe science of nature, so also there is the science of the spirit.The rishis of ancient India called it Atmavidya. Vidya means science.As natural sciences have their laws, so does Atmavidya, - the scienceof the spirit, - have its laws. One of those laws is the law ofkarma; another is the law of re-incarnation.Question: Could you explain this law of karma?Answer: The law of karma, simply stated, is the law of cause andeffect. My Beloved Master referred to the law of

karma as the law ofthe seed. As you sow, so shall you reap. You cannot sow thrones andreap apples. The law of karma is universal in its application: itapplies equally to all. We are sowing seeds everyday in the field oflife. Every thought that I think, every word that I utter, every deedI perform, every emotion I arouse within me, every feeling, fancy,wish that awakens within me, are seeds I am sowing in the field oflife. In due course, the seeds will germinate and grow into trees,and yield fruit, - bitter or sweet, - which I shall have to eat. Noone else can do that for me. There are causes that produce theireffect immediately. There are other causes that produce their effectafter a long time. As an example, if you go to a party and overeat,it is a cause you have created. This cause produces an immediateeffect, - acute indigestion. There are other causes which take verylong to produce their

effect. But every cause must produce itseffect; every seed must yield its fruit. This in simple words is thelaw of karma.We are told, all men are created equal. No one can be so blind orfoolish as to imagine that there is actual equality of ability orenvironment or conditions of birth for all. Why, in the same family,all children do not have equality of ability or intelligence. Thereis a family of which the eldest son is an IAS officer and the youngeris unable to pass the SSC examination. We have a proverb in Sindhiwhich says: "The mother gives birth to children, each brings withhimself his destiny." In other words, each one brings his karma withhimself. There is a family of which youngest son is a multimillionaire, while the eldest is so poor that he and his children arevirtually starving, literally begging for food.Two questions arise:1. Is this inequality the result of karma?2.

And if so, is it fair?The answer to both, - as the great teachers of India have taught us, -is in the affirmative. You are the architect of your own destiny.You are the builder of your own life. Every thought, emotion, wish,action creates karma: and we have been creating karma for thousands,perhaps millions of years. If our thoughts, emotions and actions arebenevolent, so called good karma results. If they are malevolent,evil or difficult karma is created. The good or evil we generateattaches its effect to us and remains in our life current until wehave satisfied it by balancing it out.Question: Why is our past karma kept a secret from us?Answer: Don't you think it is a great mercy of God that our karmiclinks are not known t o us> Else, it may be difficult for us to livein the world. Thus, for instance, there may be a man whose wife, inthe present incarnation, was his bitter enemy in

an earlierincarnation and had now become his wife only to settle previousaccounts. If all this were revealed to us, what would be ourcondition?Question: How did bad karma originate?Answer: Man was given free will; he was given the right of choice. Hecan choose between what the Upanishads call preya and shreya. Preyais the pleasant: the path of preya is the path of pleasure that luresus but leads to our degradation. As a Danish proverb has it: "Afterpleasant scratching comes unpleasant smarting." Shreya is the good:the path of shreya may, at first, be difficult to tread butultimately leads to our betterment and well-being and spiritualunfoldment. At every step man is given this choice. Many of us, alas,choose the easy path, -the path of pleasure, - and so keep onmultiplying undesirable karma.Question: If all that happens today is the result of our past karmas,does it mean that

everything is pre-destined?Answer: No, certainly not! We are the architects of our own destiny.We are the builders of our future. Many of us blame fate, kismet forour misfortune. But let me tell you, dear friends, that you are thebuilders of your own fate. Therefore, be careful especially of yourthoughts. We pay scant attention to our thoughts, believing that theyare of no consequence. We say, after all, it was only a thought, whatdoes it matter? Every thought is a seed you are sowing in the fieldof life, and what you sow today, you will have to reap tomorrow.God has created a universe of beauty, fullness, happiness andharmony. Each one of us is a child of God. God wishes each one of usto be happy, healthy, prosperous, successful and to enjoy all thegood things He has created. We keep ourselves away from all thosebounties because of our karma. Change your karma and you will changethe

conditions in which you live. And you can change your karma byadopting a new pattern of thinking.Question: Can karmas be wiped off by japa?Answer: It is believed that the effects of karma can be mitigatedthrough nama japa. In any case, the suffering can be reduced, becausenama japa acts as a sort of chloroform. It is like going through anoperation. The surgeon puts you under anesthesia and you come out ofthe operation without feeling the acute pain. Else the pain is soexcruciating, that a person could die of it. This is what Nama Japadoes to you.Question: Can saints take over the karma of their disciples?Answer: They can. However, normally, they do not wish to interferewith the law of karma. For they know that the law of karma is notpunitive but reformative. The law of karma does not wish to punish usfor what we may have done in the past. The law of karma wishes toreform us and

so sends us experiences which may help on our spiritualadvancement. It is true there have been cases when men of God havetaken the karmas of their devotees upon themselves. It is like havingbirds released from their cages. A man may purchase the birds and setthem free. Likewise, a man who is rich in the wealth of the Spiritmay, if he so desires, pay for our karma and released us from thecage of maya.Question: Tell us how to face suffering?Answer: If our attention is on suffering they get magnified beyondall proportions. In the midst of suffering let us count ourblessings. Usually, we suffer only in one area of our life. There areso many other things for which we should be grateful. Take a piece ofpaper and make a list of all the blessings you still have. There wasa man who started from scratch and build up a flourishing businessand one day become bankrupt. The first thing he did was to take

up apiece of paper and write down all the things he still possessed. Hefound, he still had a great deal to be thankful for. With gratitudein his heart, he started anew and built up a still larger business.If we count on our blessings, our suffering recedes in the background.In all conditions of life, let us thank the Lord. Let us make it ahabit, - to praise the Lord at every step, in every round of life.Even in the midst of fear and frustration, worry and anxiety,depression and disappointment, let these words come out of the verydepths of our hearts: "Thank you, God! Thank you, God!" and we willbe filled with a peace that will amaze us. When we thank the Lord allthe time, we build for ourselves a ladder of consciousness on whichwe can climb and touch the very pinnacle of peace.Let me tell you the story of a woman. Her husband fell seriously ill.The doctors dispaired of his condition and

said he would not be ableto last longer than six months. The woman had deep faith in God andstarted thanking the Lord a thousand times everyday. "Thank you, God!Thank you, God!" she prayed again and again. "Thank you, God, forhaving healed my husband and made him whole." She continued to offerhis prayer even though there was no sign of healing in sight. Strangeenough, a few months later, when the husband went for a check up, thedoctors were amazed at his miraculous recovery. "A power above andbeyond ours has been at work!" they exclaimed.Whatever be the condition in which you find yourself, whatever be thesuffering through which you pass, keep on thinking the Lord all thetime. When you do so, your heart expands and you become receptive tothe helpful and healing forces of God.In every situation, do the very best you can and leave the result tothe Lord. When Henry Ford was seventy-five years

old, he was askedthe secret of his success. He answered: "My life is built in thesethree rules. I do not eat too much, I do not worry too much and, if Ido my best, I believe that what happens happens for the best."Baba is every where just feel him and keep on saying `Om Sai Ram' to whom so ever you meet.OM SAI SRI SAI JAI JAI SAI!!! Let us pray at the lotus feet of Bhagwan Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards himLet us pray Shri Sai to give us the intellect and wisdom to make tomorrow's world a happier place to stay by following his principle of "Shraddha" and "Saburi"Jai Sai RamSwamy MahadevanBow to Shri Sai-Peace be to allBaba Bless you ever!!!