There is no human being, who at some time or the other, has not faced hardships or sufferings in his or her life. It is very important to note that the essence of the matter is “how one faces the hardships or sufferings encountered in life”. A tenacious or firm-minded person, with ‘Dhi Shakti’ (extreme will power) will be able to tackle problems effectively, without getting unduly disturbed. In the course of time, the person’s ‘Dhi Shakti’ itself will become the Guru – the inner Guru. For such a person, it is always possible “To live ‘today, here and now’.

Practising to live ‘today, here and now’ is a form of meditation and is necessary for persons with lesser ‘Dhi Shakti’. Such persons find themselves unable to face difficult situations. To continue to battle the difficult situations in their lives, they need guidance from experienced persons. One such person, who can give apt guidance to tackle or overcome difficult situations in life, is the Guru.

A person who has started on the path of ‘adhyatma’, recognizes hardships and difficulties as opportunities for progress on the spiritual path and becomes a keen observer of the sufferings. As spiritual practices continue, one becomes a dispassionate witness to all the sorrow and happiness that occurs in one’s life. It is like witnessing the process of inhalation and exhalation, or day and night. By and by the person learns that these are all activities of mind and that in reality, there is no happiness or sorrow, there is only the ‘today, here and now’.