Categories: Cosmic Messengers
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
Today, drawing from personal experience and observation, we will explore a unique topic relevant to our current times: the journey of those we call the Universal Representatives. This teaching is offered to provide clarity and understanding for what you may be experiencing.
If you are new to these teachings, the term ‘Universal Representatives’ might be unfamiliar. We have discussed this concept in detail in previous articles. To gain a full understanding, you might find it helpful to explore the collection of teachings on this topic. This background will illuminate the message we are about to share, making it more accessible; without it, the meaning might be difficult to grasp. Today, we focus specifically on a phenomenon I call ‘The Setback of the Universal Representatives.’
Who Are the Universal Representatives?
You might be wondering if you belong to this group. Let’s reflect on their characteristics. The Universal Representatives are individuals who live a life of virtue. You may be someone who diligently observes the five precepts, or perhaps even the eight or ten precepts. In Pali, this ethical conduct is known as Sila, the foundation of the spiritual path.
Your life is likely oriented towards inner development. You may practice meditation, developing both tranquility (Samatha) and insight (Vipassana). Or perhaps you are someone drawn to acts of devotion and material offerings (Amisa Puja). Regardless of the specific practice, you are a good, gentle person. You do not cause harm, pain, or distress to others, not through your actions, your words, or even your thoughts.
In a world of over seven billion people, individuals who live with such pure intentions and a healthy state of mind are exceedingly rare. You can see for yourself how uncommon it is to meet someone who doesn’t inflict harm, whether physically, verbally, or mentally. Our news reports and newspapers are filled with stories of the opposite.
These Universal Representatives are defined by this deep spiritual inclination and a commitment to harmlessness. They may be men or women, from wealthy, middle-class, or poor families. While many are Buddhist, some may come from other religious backgrounds but feel a growing disconnect with their faith, drawn instead toward these universal truths. They stand apart from the crowd because of their deep-seated goodness.
The Paradox: Why Do Good People Face Setbacks?
Herein lies the great paradox. Despite living such a virtuous and wholesome life, you may notice a distinct lack of worldly progress. This doesn’t mean you are destitute. You have food and drink, clothes to wear, and enough money to cover your monthly expenses. However, when you compare your situation to that of your neighbors, friends, or relatives, you may feel a sense of struggle or pressure.
You see them acquiring new cars, fashionable clothes, and enjoying diverse foods, often sharing their successes on social media. This can create a painful feeling of being left behind.
While others seem to be enjoying life with great happiness, you, the one living a righteous life, are facing a surprising number of problems. Your endeavors, whether in business or personal projects, may meet with constant frustration and failure. There is a noticeable gap between your inner goodness and your outer success, which can be a source of significant mental stress.
Real-Life Examples of the Struggle
This ‘setback’ manifests in many areas of life.
- In Business: You might run a small shop, conducting your business with complete honesty and kindness. Yet, you see other local merchants earning substantial profits while yours are minimal, just enough to survive. There is no surplus for a vacation or simple worldly pleasures.
- In Education: Young Universal Representatives, whether in school or university, often face immense pressure. Their studies may be disrupted or derailed for no apparent reason, preventing them from achieving their academic potential.
- At Work: In a government or private job, you are an excellent employee who causes no trouble. Still, you are beset by problems from the institution, making it incredibly difficult to work peacefully.
- On the Spiritual Path: You may have a deep yearning to deepen your spiritual life, perhaps even to ordain as a monk or nun. Yet, insurmountable obstacles seem to appear, preventing you from pursuing this calling.
- In Family Life: A homemaker dedicated to raising children may experience immense pressure from their spouse, feeling like a prisoner in their own home, leading to profound mental anguish.
We have heard countless stories like these, confirming this pattern. People try everything to succeed, taking out bank loans, starting new ventures, but it feels as though their efforts are washed away like water. Curiously, astrologers or occult practitioners might tell you that your stars are aligned for success, that unfavorable planetary influences are gone. Yet, every attempt you make ends in failure. This contradiction is a hallmark of the experience of the Universal Representatives.
The Unseen Reasons Behind Your Challenges
When you face such persistent and unexplainable failure despite your best efforts, it is natural to seek reasons. There are three potential explanations to consider. Remember, these are possibilities to reflect upon, not certainties to cling to.
- The Result of Kamma: Your current situation could be the fruition of past intentional actions, known as Kamma. This is not fate, but the natural consequence of past skillful (kusala) or unskillful (akusala) actions from previous lives. It could be either a past merit or a past demerit ripening.
- The Influence of Mara: In Buddhist teachings, Mara represents the forces that obstruct spiritual progress. These setbacks could be a form of interference from such forces, designed to dishearten you on your path. This may or may not be the case for you.
- Guidance from Benevolent Beings: This is a crucial point. If you are truly one of the Universal Representatives, here for a future purpose, your journey may be guided by benevolent, right-viewed deities (Samyak Drushtika Devas). To protect you from the dangers and distractions of the world, they may gently hold you back from worldly success. By keeping you on a virtuous path and preventing you from getting lost in materialism, they are strengthening your mind and preparing you for what is to come. The repeated setbacks are not punishments, but a form of protection and training.
Navigating Life with Wisdom and Equanimity
The purpose of this teaching is not to make you feel discouraged or to cause you to give up. On the contrary, you must continue to try your best in all aspects of life, your education, your career, your family. However, if after every sincere effort you still meet failure, and you feel a persistent inner message that you should remain at your current level, it is time to practice acceptance. Find peace in the knowledge that you have done all you can.
This is where the Buddha’s teaching on the Eight Worldly Winds (Atalo Dahama) becomes your anchor: gain and loss, fame and disrepute, praise and blame, pleasure and pain. Train your mind not to be shaken by these inevitable ups and downs. This mental stability is your true wealth.
Never, under any circumstances, allow these challenges to make you abandon your virtue (Sila) or your meditation practice (Samadhi). Do not become so disheartened that you stop your spiritual cultivation. Your inner development is paramount. Though you may fall mentally, do not stay down. Victory is attainable.
Recognizing a Shift and Staying on the Path
How do you know when things are changing for the better? A truly successful period is when things flow with ease. As our Sinhala elders say, it should be like ‘hitting the milk tree’, effortlessly right. If you attempt ten ventures, six, seven, or even eight should succeed. That is a sign of a favorable time.
Conversely, if you are experiencing great mental distress, the probability of failure is naturally higher. During these times, you may be tempted to engage in unwholesome deeds out of desperation. Do not go down that path.
It leads only to a deeper fall. Your setbacks are lessons. Perhaps you were straying toward unwholesome states of greed or anger, and these experiences are a course correction, guiding you back to a balanced, middle way. Trying to abandon your path to live like the rest of the world will not bring you happiness; you will only find more suffering, as you cannot find pleasure in those things in the same way others do.
This is why these teachings are shared with great compassion, to help you understand your unique journey.
Your Unseen Guardians and How to Connect with Them
The Universal Representatives are not alone. You are protected by unseen, benevolent forces. Some may call this an ‘ishta devatava’ or a guardian deity. Whether it is a right-viewed Brahma, Deva, Yaksha, or Naga, there is a protective energy around you. You may not perceive this with ordinary senses, though some may have a subtle feeling or an intuitive trust that a higher power is watching over them.
Regardless of whether you can see or feel it, it is important to cultivate a connection. Each day, after your chanting and meditation whether you practice devotional offerings or insight meditation, take a moment to share the merits you have gained. In Buddhism, this is called punna anumodana. Joyfully offer the fruits of your good deeds to your protectors, whoever they may be. Ask them for continued strength and guidance on the correct path. This simple act strengthens your bond with these supportive forces.
A Final Message of Encouragement
In summary, if you are one of the Universal Representatives, a soul born in this era with a connection to the Buddha’s teachings, perhaps from a celestial realm, you are likely experiencing a period of significant setback and suffering. This has been happening for some time. Yet, you have never been without the absolute necessities of life.
Please do not take this as a negative message meant to discourage you. Try your best to succeed in every way. But if, after exhausting all efforts, you find yourself blocked, then understand this: you are being guided. You are being controlled not for punishment, but for protection, so that you may walk the correct path. Each challenge is a lesson. You can even think, ‘Mara, you are my teacher.’
In a future teaching, we will discuss what happens when these Universal Representatives meet one another. For now, understand these points and proceed with wisdom. Do not abandon your virtue. Continue your daily practice of chanting and meditation. Strengthen your mind. Whatever happens, do not collapse mentally. When you proceed in this way, your success is inevitable.
May you all be able to understand the truth of your experience and move forward on the right path.
We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.
Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.
May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!.
