Chapter IX
Spiritual Development
There are three stages
of spiritual development: first, the hazy uncertain stage; then, the active
stage of striving; and last, the highest stage. These are the stages of
passivity (thamas),
activity (rajas) and
purity (sathwa).
When growing out of the
first stage into the second, it is unnatural for a person not to improve step
by step.
Three stages of growth
The period from
childhood to adolescence need not be seriously considered. One need not worry
much about it.
1st stage
With the dawn of
adolescence, one enters upon the first hazy uncertain stage and engages in many
fruitless activities.
2nd stage
Later, one attains
ripeness and strength. This is the stage between the uncertain and the
certain.
3rd stage
It is when one has
reached this intermediate stage that one must yearn for the fulfillment that is
possible in the final stage.
In the intermediate
stage, one will have certain natural propensities and tendencies that are not
desirable and have to be eschewed. These are: conceit, mischievousness,
obstinacy, inquisitiveness, lust, greed, shame, fear, vengefulness, disgust,
etc.
If one has these, one
cannot surrender oneself to Siva. These tendencies have to be uprooted
completely, or at least there should be a systematic endeavor to get rid of them.
Such aspirants will have
to be swimming against the current (Vyathireka pravaaha
gathi). Proceeding against the current is the means to reach the
Source, floating with the current means getting farther and farther from It and
losing sight of the Goal.
Of course, swimming up
the river is a bit hard, but every stroke takes you nearer to and not farther
from the goal. To overcome the strain, one must have the raft called
meditation. Through meditation, the weakness of the physical frame can be
overcome, the wayward speed of the mind can be controlled, and progress toward
the seat of grace is made easy; one can attain the primordial divine Force (adimurthi).
Instead, if one cares
more for the ease of the journey and floats along the current, one would be traveling
away from grace, turning their back on it. The primordial divine Force will
gradually become distant and disappear. People who float along with the current
will get lost in increasing misery. And for what profit?
The evil tendencies
mentioned above are the causes for this tragedy. If only they had been
overcome, the divine Source could have been certainly reached. Without striving
for that, all activities will end in failure.
Moreover, the world
loves only good people, people endowed with good qualities; it keeps bad people
at a distance. Exterior charm attracts the animal; internal charm, resulting
from character, pleases the Lord. Do not be tempted by the low tastes of the
world and the cheap regard that people bestow.
Strive for the holy
grace and love of the Lord. The affection that people shower is inconstant, for
it depends on their likes and dislikes.
But the love that the
Lord bears to you depends on your good qualities alone. It can also give you
permanent joy. Those who are enamored of the external will tumble into
disappointment and sorrow every now and then.
Beauty consists in
character, not in anything else. There is nothing more charming than that.
Introspection
Indeed a difficult post!!
In today’s post, Swami has dealt
elaborately with the intermediate stage where mind tries to make us its slave.
The mind is exactly as the thoughts are.
Therefore, anyone who is trying to understand what the mind is will arrive at
the conclusion that the mind is thought. When I look at my mind, I discover it
is a movement of constantly changing thoughts.
When milk is put into the pot, it is
called a milk-pot. When honey is put in, it is called a honey-pot. Similarly,
when you put ink into it, it is called an ink-pot. The pot remains one and the
same.
Similarly, the mind is one and the same,
whatever thoughts are put into it. It is a happy mind when the thoughts are
happy. It is a worried mind when the thoughts are worried. It’s a depressed
mind when the thoughts are depressing. Between the thought and the mind, there
is a relationship; thought alone, however, is not the mind.
On the thoughts propelling mind at the
intermediate stage described by Swami in today’s post, Swami says, “In the
intermediate stage, one will have certain natural propensities and tendencies
that are not desirable and have to be eschewed. These are: conceit,
mischievousness, obstinacy, inquisitiveness, lust, greed, shame, fear,
vengefulness, disgust, etc.”
And what is the prescription to overcome
the above. Swami says, we have to go against the current, we have to fight
against all these tendencies.
For swimming against these evil
tendencies, Swami says, “Through meditation, the weakness of the physical frame
can be overcome, the wayward speed of the mind can be controlled, and progress
toward the seat of grace is made easy; one can attain the primordial divine
Force (adimurthi).”
Once we can achieve this through
meditation and to calm our mind, Swami assures the ultimate gift and says, “If
only they had been overcome, the divine Source could have been certainly
reached.”
And Swami gives moola mantra for all this
in one line,
“Strive for the holy
grace and love of the Lord.”
Love.
