Basanth 2012.
28/01/2012.
Dear associates
in the path,
1.
We are all happily aware these days of Basanth are the
ones when the divine grace flows torrentially from the
Centre. We have been and continue to be in an Ocean of
Bliss since the start of this celebration. In fact ever
since the Master has deigned to enter into our hearts
and make it his temple we were living in the ocean of
bliss consciously sometimes and some other times
otherwise. We all entered into His fold by making a
conscious decision before we started the spiritual
journey. The world is in the throes of a new era.
Materialism is slowly yielding to the paths of spiritual
living. Though some may consider this a tall claim it is
true and for a spiritual person the signs of awakening
are clearly visible.
2.
Spiritual awakening is becoming an increasingly common
occurrence among “normal” everyday people. Once
considered to be the privilege of sages and saints, many
are now seeking, and finding, the goal of their lives.
More and more are yearning to live an enlightened life.
There are many amongst us who live in the higher planes
of consciousness all the time praying to lift humanity
from its rather beastly life. They may not be all that
visible with long beards, torn clothes or silken ochre
robes. But surely they are here and persons who can feel
the vibrations around can convince themselves of it. But
I believe that there is more to the spiritual journey
than just awakening.
3.
Along the way to that ultimate goal, we have the chance,
and the choice, to evolve both our souls and our human
selves. Indeed, we must grow in addition to awakening if
we want to know true wholeness and gain a holistic
perspective of our existence. This is an integral
approach to awakening that does not deny the
inventiveness of our human minds, the desires of our
human hearts, and the expression of our individual
souls. Awakening and enlightenment should naturally lead
us to live a life of equanimity, cooperation and co
existence. Exploitation of other beings on earth based
on distinctions which are totally ill conceived shall
end and we should feel the Beloved all through. Master
sings that” all sing Ram Ram but I sing O Beloved
Beloved.”
4.
It has been our sincere most desire to follow the path
of the Master and evolve cracking the sheaths of egoism
and opening up the realms of identity and finally reach
the root of all existence. The call of the Master is too
great and we all girded up our loins and like mighty
courageous lions are following the regal footsteps of
the Master. Though our base stations appear to be
different by undertaking sadhana in the true spirit we
can and we do become more conscious of the journey to
Infinity we have entered upon.
5.
The call of the Master when he asked us to follow the
ninth commandment namely ‘mould your living so as to
rouse a feeling of love and piety in others’ when
sincerely followed makes us feel that we need not wait
for awakening to happen to transform us. In reality when
we choose any thought, feeling, belief, habit, or deed
that is just a little more noble, a little higher than
the one we had before, we increase our consciousness
just that much. An increased consciousness moves us that
much further along the path. Ultimately, the spiritual
journey is the journey of shifting from a life that is
quite unconscious to a life lived in full consciousness.
It is all about living more fully, more purposefully,
and more joyfully along the way to awakening. This is
the journey of moving from darkness to light, from
suffering to acceptance, from judgment to allowing, from
insignificance to significance, from disease to
wholeness, and from separation to unity.
6.
As we work through each step on the spiritual journey,
we are really making a horizontal move along an
imaginary Scale from left to right within that step,
followed by a vertical move up to the next step and move
in that from right to left. In fact in the game of life
developed by Imperience there are two steps for each
level of consciousness one for moving from left to right
and the other for moving from right to left. As you are
aware the two steps relate to one level of consciousness
depicted more candidly in the book “Towards Infinity’ of
the Master. Such ten steps are to be covered if one
desires to move into universal consciousness. “The
lessons of spiritual life are taught by the Lord very
systematically. As my trainer and father put it “He
loves us so much that every opportunity is provided for
us to grow. When we ask for strength, He provides us
difficulties to make us strong; when we ask for
prosperity, He gives us the brain and brawn to work;
when we ask for courage He causes danger to overcome;
when we ask for love, He sends us troubled people to
help; when ask for wisdom, He gives us problem to solve.
The way of instruction of the Lord is difficult to
understand but when we understand the joy of awareness
of His love has no bounds.”Needless to say the aspirants
may have to be honest and clear while attempting to fill
the forms related to Pind desh questionnaire to evaluate
themselves and their progress in the path.
7.
We work through thoughts, feelings, beliefs, habits and
actions in relation to any given step in order to lift
them all to a higher level. As we achieve mastery within
a step, we propel ourselves vertically to the next step.
At any time, we may move so far from left to right
within a given step that you slide right off the scale
and into full consciousness, the awakened state. Others
find themselves awakening spontaneously, with no
conscious plan to do so. For most of us, however, we
must work to move both horizontally and vertically in
order to make our way on the spiritual journey. However
while moving left or right we find ourselves blocked
with no light in sight. Dependence on the Master is the
only course of action we have and the Master is ever
ready to lead us on the path.
8.
You must have by now feeling not comfortable hearing
this as the situations in real sadhana are not all that
simple and we are faced with messy situations often in
our sadhana. Though I said the movement is linear or
vertical many a time the path is a spiral one. We find
ourselves skipping steps and certain times repeating the
steps and relearn the lessons. Certain times we seem to
be on two steps as we all observed in the case of viveka
and Vairagya and devotion and surrender. We fall back
many a time in the path to reassure ourselves that we
are on the right track. Sometimes we seem to move two
steps forward to fall back by a step of three to relearn
the lessons of spiritual life.
9.
It is important to remember that all human souls are on
the same journey to remember who we really are. When
Master says all are moving in the path we find it rather
odd since we have evaluated others by our yardsticks and
call them as either believers or heretics either good or
bad. Master says “The idea may look foreign to you at
first sight, but if you pause a little to consider the
problem (the Destination) you will surely come to the
conclusion that you are sailing towards your own Home,
wherefrom you have been snatched away by the irony of
Fate.” (SDG 118) In reality there is only one Spirit,
and all egos are fictions or illusions. The Vedic
statement “Ekam Sat Viprah bahuda vadanti” is true in
every sense of the term. In the spiritual journey we
have undertaken it is what we do and who we become along
the way to realisation of oneness is what matters.
Ironically whatever we become is illusory and the ever
receding infinite keeps us restless in the path and the
journey is on and on.
10.
As move in the path and near our destination several
godly attributes get conferred on us. The major divine
attributes are all related to sadhana and they help us
move in the path with greater strides joyfully. It is
obvious that as we progress in the path we feel that we
have a separate entity and that others do not feel all
that comfortable with us and vice-versa. I do not intend
to state things which you all know: Vairagya is an
essential divine attribute and that alone keeps us going
in the path accepting things good and bad as we
progress. The next attribute which may appear as
opposite of the first is a sense of belonging or trying
to fit in and love and be loved. This is real viveka and
here we learn the real meaning of our life.
11.
With a mixture of these basic spiritual qualities we
start feeling a sort of identity for ourselves and an
awareness of selfhood starts getting expressed. We think
we are the centre and around us are many clusters of
entities somehow related. Cooperation of inferior type
starts where our advantages are also weighed while
cooperating with others. The pseudo self starts
expressing its rebellious natures and tries to make
changes in the circumstances and environment. Naturally
this is met with relatively less success or many a time
total failure. Then mutual dependence gets understood.
Such a situation naturally compels us to change our
belief systems and we start developing compassion
towards other clusters of entities or beings around us.
Communion among the entities starts while previously
only communication was obtaining.
12.
Then we arrive at the stage of confidence and strength
and consequent authenticity of being devoted to the
pursuit in the path. Love and devotion to the path and
the goal gains importance over and above our own
strength and courage. All this it may be easily
understood is the off shoot of companionships and
camaraderie which is had in satsanghs and other
gatherings. Though we are all in search of the goal and
however steadfast we are in the path we feel lost or
face crisis or find ourselves in search of real guide.
Dependence on the guide which was but nominal in the
beginning throws out many sprouts and all demanding
constant wetting and pruning. Surrender to Master really
develops at this stage only and till this stage whenever
we used the word surrender it is simple loquaciousness
only.
13.
The real Master then connects us to the Lord and we
yield to His will in every sense. Our life breaths then
“Oh! Lord it is not my will but Thine alone will be
done.” Prior to arriving at this condition it would be
considered as a precarious abnegation. In the earlier
stages surrender is ‘Thy will is fine so long as it is
in my interests’ only. Once we have arrived at this
stage there is not even an iota of doubt about the all
pervasive care of the divine in our life and being.
Wounds of life in the physical, vital, intellectual and
suprarational levels all get healed due to the tender
care and loving concern of the Master to his Banda
(slave).
14.
Then we start sharing the divine work with the Master
and this happens when our intuition levels open up and
we start finding an inner purpose of our being. We start
guiding others with confidence in the Master and a
thoroughness that comes along with such faith.
Infallibility of our will is one of the characteristics
though such infallibility is only in the realm of
service oriented activities. Several are the gifts from
the Master at this stage mostly arriving as tools to
serve others and bring change spiritual fabric. We start
participating in creative functions of the Master which
stage Master calls Prapanna Prabhu. Then happens
transmutation where we start Mastering spiritual powers,
laws & forces of the Source. Then there is no awareness
of the petty self and it is the entire Master and His
realm. That is the realm of Unity and we can say we are
Awakened, Enlightened, in The Now. Here we are neither
‘this’ nor ‘that’.
Pranam.
