Today we will reflect on having a spiritual relationship with a our own body, mind, money and time. Spiritual relationships are based on respect. One of the signs of respect is that we do not abuse or waste that which we respect. We need to sincerely think how much of our own body, mind, money and time do we abuse? Let us look at the definitions of good use and abuse. Putting something to good use means using it to create good karma. Abuse on the other hand is defined by wasting something for sensual pleasure and in the process creating a sanskar of dependence.

The security created by dependence is illusory. We may experience the emotions of pleasure, security and power under the influence of certain external factors. But such factors are temporary and so are the emotions experienced in their presence. Good karma alone is capable of giving a feeling of eternal happiness, fearlessness and power.

On assessment, it would be very clear how we abuse our body and mind by eating more than we need, seeing and listening to things that fill our mind with negative body conscious thoughts, how we use our mind to revisit disturbing memories and fill it with thoughts of peacelessness. We waste our time and money in sensory pursuits thereby encouraging corruption and unfair practices in the world by becoming party to it. When we abuse something, we are left with less of it. Using something productively multiplies it while wasting it diminishes its future availability. This is why we hear expressions like you cannot trust your body and mind these days or time and money can fail you any moment. If we really wish to befriend these resources, we need to learn the art of honouring them. Then alone we could be friends for lifetime.