Bahala Na

Bahala na. It's a common Filipino phrase, so common in fact that we often say it without thinking. The closest translation is Que sera sera or "Whatever will be, will be." The phrase is usually said when one doesn't know or is undecided about the next step to take or is unsure what the consequences of a certain course of action are. It's equivalent to going with the flow, taking it as it comes and letting fate decide how things will turn out.

This is why among progressives and intellectuals bahala na is almost a dirty word. It's the lazy person's approach to problem solving, a fatalistic surrendering of one's fate to chance. One might even say it's part of what makes Filipino society a "damaged" culture, just like the manana (mamaya na) habit that was supposedly inherited from the Spanish (the mamaya na habit is delaying something that can be done or should be done immediately).

Is Filipino culture really that damaged, that a lazy person's way of thinking has worked its way deep into our thought process and identity? I don't believe that our ancestors were so naive and ignorant as that.

In this age where a lot of things are changing, it is perhaps time to change our consciousness about certain things that have always been taken for granted. So how do we change our understanding of the phrase bahala na? We can start by taking a closer look at the etymology of the word.

"Bahala" is a shortening of Bathala, which in pre-Hispanic times was the term for a Supreme God. Bathala supposedly derives from Bhattara Guru meaning “the highest of the gods.” Therefore, bahala na is properly uttered as Bathala na, or "It is in God's hands." It is similar to the Islamic insha Allah or Inshallah (God willing).

At first look, this new interpretation is not really all that different from the common understanding of bahala na. It still seems that instead of leaving one's fate totally up to chance, one just substitutes "chance" with "God." But following Master Choa Kok Sui's principle that there are always several levels of truth, we can study the phrase Bathala na from a more spiritual or mystic perspective.

Spiritual traditions around the world, even indigenous ones, are consistent in making reference to a Supreme God and the existence of the soul, which is the spark of Divinity, the part of God that is you. Mainstream religion basically says the same thing, though the increasing aversion to dogma tends to overshadow that fact. With the steady resurgence of esoteric spirituality, closer attention is being paid to establishing, nurturing and increasing this connection to one's soul, specifically to one's higher soul.

I already wrote something about why one should be connected to one's higher soul in my other article The Value of Inner Peace, but I'll say it differently here. When we meditate and achieve that state of bliss or contact with our soul, it is often the case that we "come back down" to scenes of argument, bickering and the struggle for daily existence such that the bliss evaporates as quickly as morning dew.

Although we affirm that "I am the soul" there is still a tendency to think of the higher soul as "there" while the everyday self is "here" when in fact there is no separation at all, merely a question of where the consciousness is at. What happens then is that all too often we are unable to bring the bliss and experience of connection that we achieve through meditation into our daily lives. It's like having muscles that can lift heavy weights while inside the gym but not being able to use those muscles to lift a sack of rice.

What does all this talk about the soul have anything to do with Bathala na? When you say "Bathala na" with the proper consciousness, you are communicating with your higher soul and acknowledging that "It is in God's hands." Meaning, it is a willing surrender to the guidance of God through your higher soul. Your higher soul is beyond space and time, so that part of you knows what's coming next and how best to approach a particular problem.

By tapping into that part of yourself, by humbly surrendering all preconceived notions and resistance to your higher soul, you allow your higher soul to act accordingly. You may find yourself being inspired to do something, or a leap of intuition suddenly presents a solution to your problem, or things just fall into place so that you achieve your goals. That, to me, is the proper meaning of bahala na, and the proper way to pray. It's certainly a good way to keep consciously connected to your higher soul in everyday life, instead of limiting this connection to meditation sessions.

This is certainly a lot to say for such a short phrase, but you can often find wisdom in the most unlikely places. We are so focused on being "modern" that it seems we have lost that connection to the wisdom of our indigenous ancestors, a wisdom that has found its way into common usage but with forgotten meaning.

If it seems strange to think that pre-Hispanic "primitives" could have such deep wisdom, just ask anyone who has spent enough time working with or helping the various indigenous tribes in the Philippines. These indigenous people have a raw spirituality that is very attuned with Mother Earth and hence with the cosmic order of things. Esoteric students may be surprised at just how much they can learn by studying the various indigenous traditions.

So what do you do next time you don't know what to do next? Say, "Bahala na." But this time, know that you are praying, so say it with meaning.