Family Life

Amma says, "Children, both worldly and spiritual life can be led side by side, but we must act without attachment and expectation." We feel sorry when we think, "I have done this; I want to reap the fruit of it. If we think that everything is God's, then we have no attachment. God is the only Truth".

No matter how much wealth we have, unless we properly understand its value and use, we will experience only sorrow. Even if we derive from it is only temporary. It cannot give eternal happiness. If we understand how to use wealth properly, we will enjoy the wealth of happiness and peace.

A juggler does so many tricks. He dances and rolls on the ground, but as he juggles his mind is always fixed on the object. Just so, with practice you can learn to fix the mind on God while doing any work.

Small children may worry that the Sun has disappeared at sunset. In the morning when it rises, they rejoice at its return. They don't know what the truth is. Likewise, we rejoice and grieve like them with gain and loss.

If one's child is sick, we are willing to wait without sleep for any length of time in the hospital waiting room. We have time to linger for hours in a shop simply to purchase some costumes. But we have no time to pray to God. Children, when we love God, we will easily find time to pray to God.

Children, you may be scientist or doctor or engineer, let the rational aspect of yourself shine forth when you are in the laboratory and when you are among other professionals. But when you go home you should be able to drop the role. At home you are coming back to real life, and you should be able to move from your head into your heart. You should have the strength to stop thinking about your science and experiments. How boring and dry life would be if you went directly to your room without even glancing or smiling at your wife and children. Think of the stress and strain this would create in the family. If the head of the family doesn’t interact with his wife and children, everyone will find home life boring and sad. Love creates smiling laughing faces and compassionate hearts, and is expressed in sweet and pleasant words. You can choose both head and the heart. There is no problem in this, but there should be a balance, for if you choose logic and rational thinking alone, you are in all troubles. Love will not create any trouble, fear, anger or tension.

Source: http://www.amma.org/teachings/family-life.html