Why we do not progress in spirituality- Let us introspect

Dear All,

The very fact that we do our regular prayers, we attend bhajans, visit temple, take part in some spiritual activists here and there is enough to prove that we do have the subtle craving inside our heart to grow spiritually.

Why is it then, we are not able to progress in the spiritual path? Excerpts from an Article by Swami Yatiswarananda, without any addition/modification  by the author, is given below.

Why Do We Not Make Progress? (Swami Yatiswarananda)

Sri Ramakrishna had a great disciple, Saint Durgacharan Nag - Naga Mahashaya as he used to be called. His father was very much attached to him, and again the old man used to do a lot of `Japa'. Once when he was told, `Your father is a great devotee', Naga Mahashaya replied, `What can he achieve? He is so much attached to me. An anchored boat does not move'. 

There is a story behind this saying. Some drunkards, one moonlit night, took it into their heads to go on a boat ride. They went to the Ghat, hired a boat, sat at the oars and started rowing. They rowed and rowed and rowed, the whole night. Early in the morning, when the effect of the drink was gone, to their surprise they found they had not moved an inch. `What is the matter? What is the matter!' they asked. They had forgotten to raise the anchor.

I hear constant complaints from people, `We are doing our spiritual practice, but we do not make any progress'. 

The reply is here. At the time of your spiritual practice, are you able, at least to some extent, to free your mind from worldly matters and give your purified mind to God? That is the point. 

Whatever path one may follow, one needs discipline, proper training of the mind and creation of the proper mood. If the mind is trained and the mood is created, one can carry on one's spiritual practice with great success.

Our trouble is: in worldly matters we may follow some method, but in spiritual affairs we are like children. I have seen grown-up people and big officials talking like children. So an inner personality is to be built up. Many of us are persons but have no personality. We are individuals, but have no individuality. 

Through moral practice, through fulfilment of duties, through regular worship, a spiritualized personality is to be built up. It is then that our spiritual practice becomes fruitful. Our prayers and meditation will prove to be a source of great blessing. I repeat, in all the paths, in all of the Yogas, disciplines are necessary. 

If I follow Karma Yoga, my mind must be comparatively calm. I must try to be detached from the things of the world and from the fruits of my Karma. I must try to dedicate the work to God.

If I follow Bhakti Yoga, I must have a great yearning for God. It is a spiritual hunger that cannot be appeased by anything in the world. Through prayer, through Japa, through meditation and ultimately through Divine contact, the spiritual seeker appeases this spiritual hunger and finds Peace and Bliss in Divine realisation. 

Many want to follow Jnana Yoga, but the mind is to be trained so that it can follow the path of extreme self-analysis - `I am not the body; I am not the mind; I am not the ego nor the senses; I am the spirit.' Our teachers of Jnana Yoga say: one must have perfect dispassion for enjoyment, dislike for any future life and power to discriminate between the real and the unreal. 

One must have mental discipline. One must have infinite faith (Sraddha) in the Supreme Spirit. One must be able to practise concentration. "

LOVE

PS- From time to time, this topic shall be dealt in these posts, in a easy and understandable manner.

Surrender - Part 17

Revered beings,

Now, we are reaching the climax in the process of ultimate surrender and we shall get deeper into the last 3  stages mentioned in the flow, together. The stages are " Supreme love of God & His creation, experiencing unity in creation", " Atma nivedanam or total surrender of SELF" & " Samadhi / absolute freedom/ supreme bliss".

Supreme love for God and His creation, Surrender/Atma Nivedanam

When God possesses you, you cease to be yourself.

The energy, the power, the consciousness, the form of God has entered into you and taken possession of the whole structure of your being.

When you act, It acts. When you speak, It speaks. This occurrence is sometimes called avesha – the super abundance of being possessed by the deity. You can be possessed by anything if you love it deeply.

To love God, you have to love everything. This also follows as a consequence of the love of God.

"Yo mam pashyati sarvatra sarvam ca mayi pashyati" (B.G. 6.30) is a line from the Bhagavad gita: "When you see Me in everything, you also see everything in Me". 

The presence of God in every nook and cranny of creation makes you feel a divine presence in everything in the world.

The lover of God – the true lover of God – transcends the realm of shame. When you love God, you may become something which will not be understandable to society, the public of people.

Nobody could understand Mira, the queen of a kingdom, dancing in the streets. What did the king feel about it? "My wife, the queen, dancing in the streets like a crazy lady?.

"Log Kahe Mira Bhanvari, Nath Kahe kul nashi re, Mira Kahe Prabhu Giridhar nagar", sang Mira (The entire world of beings considers Mira as lunatic, even her husband accused her as a curse to his clan, Mira, unmindful of creation and its taunts, knew only one thing, sang only one thing- Giridhar  nagar!!!!!!)

When true love emanates from the personality of a person, the difference between the lover and the beloved ceases.

In as much as you have to accept that the Presence is in all things – accept His omnipresence – loving such a thing is loving the entire creation at the same time.

To be continued.....

Love.