In tune with the universe
From being down in the dumps, personally and professionally to soaring high in every sphere of her life, Angelique Jurd talks about her enlightening journey that turned her life by 360 degrees. The Publications Editor, Times House Publishing shares her happiness mantra with Farida Master.
Angelique Jurd couldn’t believe her eyes as she saw the car speeding on the opposite side of the road swerve through the yellow line at breakneck speed.
It happened so quickly. The collision of cars on the wrong side of the road. The other car in front turned 180 degrees and came hurtling towards them. For a few moments all the four passengers in the car stopped breathing.
When she finally opened her eyes, she saw that both her children in the back seat and her partner who was in the driver’s seat --- were absolutely safe, without a scratch! Though all the passengers in the other two cars were in a very critical state.
When her daughter who was travelling with Angelique’s parents a couple of cars behind, walked up to her mother, she just collapsed out of shock!
Something had miraculously saved them. Even the serious crash unit, the police and the fire brigade found it difficult to believe that they were the victims in the car that had been completely battered.
Angelique says it was chanting.
Just moments ago all of them had been chanting in the car and the proud mother of three had put her chanting beads beside her when her life passed by in a flash.
Cut to the beginning of the fascinating story how Angelique’s life took a ‘dramatic turn mainly because of the practice. The Publications Editor, Times House Publising says she discovered chanting quite by chance.
It was on her American friend Linda’s recommendation that Angel whose life was a complete mess, took up chanting.
However, three month later she had a little crisis of faith.
“I am the kind of person who needs to see results,’’ she openly admits.
“So I told myself that I wanted a sign in the next one hour. It’s funny that I wanted proof not in a month’s time but in just sixty minutes. I remember I was in a particularly bad mood that morning. At exactly five minutes to an hour, my mobile rang. It was Laura Louise calling from Howick. She wanted to know if I needed any guidance or information. Apparently, Linda had called her from America. I couldn’t believe that I was looking for a sign and I got it. If she’d called ten minutes later, my life probably would have been different, ” she concedes.
That’s how she discovered the practice seven years ago! But it wasn’t as if every thing was hunky- dory right from the start. “The more I chanted for my husband and I to be happy, the worse it got,” she comes clean about being stuck in a bad marriage.
Till one day she happened to be at a Bruce Springsteen show. Caught in the middle of the pouring rain she had a moment. “It struck me that I was really miserable. My life was a complete mess. I had a job I hated and a marriage that just wasn’t working,” expounds the die-hard Bruce Springsteen fan. So she went home and took control. She simply told her husband, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ He said ‘ok.’ They parted!
Angelique was left with a debt, three kids, cats, dogs, a collection of 300 cds of her favourite American singer-songwriter and chanting. To add to the chaos in her life, she got fired from her job.
Though on hindsight she thinks that’s the best thing that happened to her. It helped her to take stock of her life.
“If there was one thing I always wanted to do since I was twelve years old, it was paint pictures in the mind, like Bruce Springsteen did. I always wanted to be a writer,” she traces the very raison d’ etre of her existence.
On most days she chanted `Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo’ half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. Soon, she was very purposefully creating her own destiny.
She met a new man she could easily connect with. His marriage had broken down as well and cupid played its part to the hilt. Now Angel can’t stop smiling as she looks at her beautiful amethyst engagement ring that her fiancé has just slipped on her finger.
The lady who is at complete peace with herself says that her seventeen-year-old son chants out of choice, and funnily enough some of his friends also request him to chant for them. Neither is she a stranger to her colleagues occasionally popping into her cabin and happily asking her to chant for some special results!
On a more serious note, she explains that the core of SGI Buddhist philosophy is the potential of every individual to lead a happy life.
“Chanting is about being in tune with the universe. Whether you chant, meditate, pray, it is about having a spiritual compass and being true to yourself. It’s like devoting yourself to the laws of cause and effect through sound,” she says shedding some light on the laws of the universe.
Talking about her enlightening spiritual journey she says, “Often I’d make a list of things we wanted and then chant as a family. A classic example was of our house. With three kids, cats and dogs, we needed at least four bedrooms, two lounges, two bathrooms, a swimming pool, a spa and a good school zone of course!
Soon enough we got a house that fitted all our requirements. The same went with my job. I made a list of all the things I wanted in an ideal job and six months ago I looked at the list and realised I have it all!
“Of course this doesn’t mean that chanting is like a magic wand,” she points out. “In fact in Buddhism we believe that every obstacle should be seen as an opportunity to make your life better.
“To be honest, it doesn’t matter which path you take as long as you have faith and take a path. A change in a single person can change the whole nation,” she concludes.
From being down in the dumps, personally and professionally to soaring high in every sphere of her life, Angelique Jurd talks about her enlightening journey that turned her life by 360 degrees. The Publications Editor, Times House Publishing shares her happiness mantra with Farida Master. ...
From being down in the dumps, personally and professionally to soaring high in every sphere of her life, Angelique Jurd talks about her enlightening journey that turned her life by 360 degrees. The Publications Editor, Times House Publishing shares her happiness mantra with Farida Master.
Angelique Jurd couldn’t believe her eyes as she saw the car speeding on the opposite side of the road swerve through the yellow line at breakneck speed.
It happened so quickly. The collision of cars on the wrong side of the road. The other car in front turned 180 degrees and came hurtling towards them. For a few moments all the four passengers in the car stopped breathing.
When she finally opened her eyes, she saw that both her children in the back seat and her partner who was in the driver’s seat --- were absolutely safe, without a scratch! Though all the passengers in the other two cars were in a very critical state.
When her daughter who was travelling with Angelique’s parents a couple of cars behind, walked up to her mother, she just collapsed out of shock!
Something had miraculously saved them. Even the serious crash unit, the police and the fire brigade found it difficult to believe that they were the victims in the car that had been completely battered.
Angelique says it was chanting.
Just moments ago all of them had been chanting in the car and the proud mother of three had put her chanting beads beside her when her life passed by in a flash.
Cut to the beginning of the fascinating story how Angelique’s life took a ‘dramatic turn mainly because of the practice. The Publications Editor, Times House Publising says she discovered chanting quite by chance.
It was on her American friend Linda’s recommendation that Angel whose life was a complete mess, took up chanting.
However, three month later she had a little crisis of faith.
“I am the kind of person who needs to see results,’’ she openly admits.
“So I told myself that I wanted a sign in the next one hour. It’s funny that I wanted proof not in a month’s time but in just sixty minutes. I remember I was in a particularly bad mood that morning. At exactly five minutes to an hour, my mobile rang. It was Laura Louise calling from Howick. She wanted to know if I needed any guidance or information. Apparently, Linda had called her from America. I couldn’t believe that I was looking for a sign and I got it. If she’d called ten minutes later, my life probably would have been different, ” she concedes.
That’s how she discovered the practice seven years ago! But it wasn’t as if every thing was hunky- dory right from the start. “The more I chanted for my husband and I to be happy, the worse it got,” she comes clean about being stuck in a bad marriage.
Till one day she happened to be at a Bruce Springsteen show. Caught in the middle of the pouring rain she had a moment. “It struck me that I was really miserable. My life was a complete mess. I had a job I hated and a marriage that just wasn’t working,” expounds the die-hard Bruce Springsteen fan. So she went home and took control. She simply told her husband, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ He said ‘ok.’ They parted!
Angelique was left with a debt, three kids, cats, dogs, a collection of 300 cds of her favourite American singer-songwriter and chanting. To add to the chaos in her life, she got fired from her job.
Though on hindsight she thinks that’s the best thing that happened to her. It helped her to take stock of her life.
“If there was one thing I always wanted to do since I was twelve years old, it was paint pictures in the mind, like Bruce Springsteen did. I always wanted to be a writer,” she traces the very raison d’ etre of her existence.
On most days she chanted `Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo’ half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening. Soon, she was very purposefully creating her own destiny.
She met a new man she could easily connect with. His marriage had broken down as well and cupid played its part to the hilt. Now Angel can’t stop smiling as she looks at her beautiful amethyst engagement ring that her fiancé has just slipped on her finger.
The lady who is at complete peace with herself says that her seventeen-year-old son chants out of choice, and funnily enough some of his friends also request him to chant for them. Neither is she a stranger to her colleagues occasionally popping into her cabin and happily asking her to chant for some special results!
On a more serious note, she explains that the core of SGI Buddhist philosophy is the potential of every individual to lead a happy life.
“Chanting is about being in tune with the universe. Whether you chant, meditate, pray, it is about having a spiritual compass and being true to yourself. It’s like devoting yourself to the laws of cause and effect through sound,” she says shedding some light on the laws of the universe.
Talking about her enlightening spiritual journey she says, “Often I’d make a list of things we wanted and then chant as a family. A classic example was of our house. With three kids, cats and dogs, we needed at least four bedrooms, two lounges, two bathrooms, a swimming pool, a spa and a good school zone of course!
Soon enough we got a house that fitted all our requirements. The same went with my job. I made a list of all the things I wanted in an ideal job and six months ago I looked at the list and realised I have it all!
“Of course this doesn’t mean that chanting is like a magic wand,” she points out. “In fact in Buddhism we believe that every obstacle should be seen as an opportunity to make your life better.
“To be honest, it doesn’t matter which path you take as long as you have faith and take a path. A change in a single person can change the whole nation,” she concludes.
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