Hari Aum.
Like many people, I have been watching some of the events at the Olympics in Rio on television in the last few days. It is no secret that the Olympic athletes have trained for years to come and perform in front of the world in a short space of time to demonstrate their hard-earned skills and talents. The champions make their victory look easy- but underneath the ease of their somersaults, dives, sprints and other sporting achievements lie days, months and years of persistent effort and toil- literally, their blood, sweat and tears. Before the victory, there was much defeat. Many a fall, many an injury. But each time, those who will be champions, got up, dusted off their knees, wiped their tears, gritted their teeth and said "I will not give up" "I will do this. I can do this."
These champions are great examples for spiritual aspirants. One admires their tenacity, discipline, courage, endurance, trust in themselves, trust in their coach, trust in what they're doing.
One needs similar qualities to emerge as a spiritual olympic champion. Only in the case of spiritual olympics, we compete with ourselves, not with others. We seek conquest over our own lower nature, not over others. It is a incredible challenge. A hidden one that is not so obvious to others.
To be a spiritual Olympic champion, in other words, a self-realised being, one needs all of the tenacity, discipline and trust that the athletic Olympians have. May be more - because so much more is at stake here. We seek conquest over ignorance, disease and yes, over death itself. We seek immortality. To know our own immortal nature. We have set ourselves a great task. The sacrifice required must also therefore be great.
One key element here is faith in oneself and faith in one's coach or Guru. Every athlete has a coach who they have absolute trust in. They entrust their valuable athletic career to this person. This person commands them to sacrifice their time, their energy, their all- if they want to win that gold medal. The athlete agrees- is willing to sacrifice. Ideally the coach should themselves be a champion. Many champions go on to coach others and rightly so, because they have been there and done that. They know from experience what getting that Olympic medal takes- the physical and mental qualities that are needed. They mould their students for success.
Similar is the case with spiritual life. The spiritual coach that one chooses, should himself or herself, be a person who has excelled in spiritual life. Someone who has been there and done that. Someone who did sadhana, who knows the sacrifices involved, who knows the pitfalls and the way around them. Someone who is truly experienced. The onus is on the disciple to choose wisely and choose well. So much depends upon one's choice.
Having chosen one's coach, whether in the athletic or spiritual Olympics, one must obey the coach to succeed. When the sports coach says, "Turn up at 6 am today for 2 hours hard training"- the athlete must obey. When the spiritual coach says "Turn up at 6 am today for 2 hours of japa"- the spiritual athlete must obey. There is no other way but the hard way. Training- day after day after day.
The athlete may grumble and whine occasionally but the lure of the gold medal is there and the desire for this forces him or her to put in the required effort. The spiritual athlete may also complain and grumble at times, but the lure of spiritual gold- immortal bliss- is there and the desire for this forces him or her to do sadhana daily.
This is why the scriptures, the manuals of spiritual athletics, state that desire for the goal (mumukshutva) is so important. A burning desire in fact. Without this desire, one will not be able to make the sacrifices and effort required to attain this supreme medal.
The coach stands by watching as the athlete performs in the Olympics and jumps in joy when the athlete excels and wins a medal. Similarly is the case with the spiritual coaches or Guru. Sivananda says that the sages and celestials dance in joy when a soul breaks free of the trammels of samsara and flies free into the spiritual sky.
Let us then, go for gold in spiritual life. Gold in spiritual life is God. For this we need, burning desire for gold, for God.
Let us have immense faith in ourselves. This is the first qualification. We have to believe we can do it. Those who have no faith in themselves, get nowhere- both in material and spiritual endeavours.
Let us also have faith in our goal, our spiritual gold. That this gold we want is worth it. And we feel it is worth it. That gold is God- who represents immortality, wisdom, bliss, truth and freedom from desires, pains and sorrows.
We are tired of worldly toys, we've been here and done this over and over again. It's time to move on (with our consciousness I mean). So let's get moving.
Having decided that we want the spiritual gold, and that we can do it, let us then find a suitable coach (known as Guru in spiritual life) who has attained the gold and ask them to show us how to do the same. There are many such coaches, in all spiritual traditions, we need to find one who resonates with us and then stick tenaciously to their teaching.
Summary of requirements needed to win the spiritual Olympics gold medal:
1. One needs to want the spiritual gold medal. Need to want it enough to make great sacrifices of time, energy and life.
2. One needs to believe that one has what it takes to get this gold. One must be willing to develop within oneself, through hard spiritual training, that which is required to attain this.
3. One needs a spiritual coach, who has been there and done that, who has attained the spiritual gold medal. One then needs to obey the teacher's advice, no matter how tough, to get the spiritual gold medal oneself.
P.S. There are no shortcuts in winning medals, be it the athletic Olympics or spiritual Olympics. Just like an Olympic champion who has won gold, can only show the way to another, but the other has to put in the effort, similarly a spiritual coach or Guru can only show the way. It is up to the disciple to put in all the effort. No room for any spiritual freebies or short-cuts. The Guru cannot and will not just touch someone and give them supreme realisation without the disciple first having done much sadhana and become deserving. So one needs to pick up that mala, or the havan spoon, or stand on one's head, or do whatever sadhana one has chosen and just keep doing it. The results will come with absolute certainty as they have for those before us.
I will conclude with a poem by Walter D. Wintle, who lived in the last century, that I particularly like and which is relevant here:
Title: The Man who thinks he can
"If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't."
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't
It's almost certain you won't."
"If you think you'll lose, you're lost."
"For out of the world, we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind."
"If you think you're outclassed you are;
You've got to think high to rise."
"You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win that prize."
"Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;"
"But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can."
Hari Aum Tat Sat
Like many people, I have been watching some of the events at the Olympics in Rio on television in the last few days. It is no secret that the Olympic athletes have trained for years to come and perform in front of the world in a short space of time to demonstrate their hard-earned skills and talents. The champions make their victory look easy- but underneath the ease of their somersaults, dives, sprints and other sporting achievements lie days, months and years of persistent effort and toil- literally, their blood, sweat and tears. Before the victory, there was much defeat. Many a fall, many an injury. But each time, those who will be champions, got up, dusted off their knees, wiped their tears, gritted their teeth and said "I will not give up" "I will do this. I can do this."
These champions are great examples for spiritual aspirants. One admires their tenacity, discipline, courage, endurance, trust in themselves, trust in their coach, trust in what they're doing.
One needs similar qualities to emerge as a spiritual olympic champion. Only in the case of spiritual olympics, we compete with ourselves, not with others. We seek conquest over our own lower nature, not over others. It is a incredible challenge. A hidden one that is not so obvious to others.
To be a spiritual Olympic champion, in other words, a self-realised being, one needs all of the tenacity, discipline and trust that the athletic Olympians have. May be more - because so much more is at stake here. We seek conquest over ignorance, disease and yes, over death itself. We seek immortality. To know our own immortal nature. We have set ourselves a great task. The sacrifice required must also therefore be great.
One key element here is faith in oneself and faith in one's coach or Guru. Every athlete has a coach who they have absolute trust in. They entrust their valuable athletic career to this person. This person commands them to sacrifice their time, their energy, their all- if they want to win that gold medal. The athlete agrees- is willing to sacrifice. Ideally the coach should themselves be a champion. Many champions go on to coach others and rightly so, because they have been there and done that. They know from experience what getting that Olympic medal takes- the physical and mental qualities that are needed. They mould their students for success.
Similar is the case with spiritual life. The spiritual coach that one chooses, should himself or herself, be a person who has excelled in spiritual life. Someone who has been there and done that. Someone who did sadhana, who knows the sacrifices involved, who knows the pitfalls and the way around them. Someone who is truly experienced. The onus is on the disciple to choose wisely and choose well. So much depends upon one's choice.
Having chosen one's coach, whether in the athletic or spiritual Olympics, one must obey the coach to succeed. When the sports coach says, "Turn up at 6 am today for 2 hours hard training"- the athlete must obey. When the spiritual coach says "Turn up at 6 am today for 2 hours of japa"- the spiritual athlete must obey. There is no other way but the hard way. Training- day after day after day.
The athlete may grumble and whine occasionally but the lure of the gold medal is there and the desire for this forces him or her to put in the required effort. The spiritual athlete may also complain and grumble at times, but the lure of spiritual gold- immortal bliss- is there and the desire for this forces him or her to do sadhana daily.
This is why the scriptures, the manuals of spiritual athletics, state that desire for the goal (mumukshutva) is so important. A burning desire in fact. Without this desire, one will not be able to make the sacrifices and effort required to attain this supreme medal.
The coach stands by watching as the athlete performs in the Olympics and jumps in joy when the athlete excels and wins a medal. Similarly is the case with the spiritual coaches or Guru. Sivananda says that the sages and celestials dance in joy when a soul breaks free of the trammels of samsara and flies free into the spiritual sky.
Let us then, go for gold in spiritual life. Gold in spiritual life is God. For this we need, burning desire for gold, for God.
Let us have immense faith in ourselves. This is the first qualification. We have to believe we can do it. Those who have no faith in themselves, get nowhere- both in material and spiritual endeavours.
Let us also have faith in our goal, our spiritual gold. That this gold we want is worth it. And we feel it is worth it. That gold is God- who represents immortality, wisdom, bliss, truth and freedom from desires, pains and sorrows.
We are tired of worldly toys, we've been here and done this over and over again. It's time to move on (with our consciousness I mean). So let's get moving.
Having decided that we want the spiritual gold, and that we can do it, let us then find a suitable coach (known as Guru in spiritual life) who has attained the gold and ask them to show us how to do the same. There are many such coaches, in all spiritual traditions, we need to find one who resonates with us and then stick tenaciously to their teaching.
Summary of requirements needed to win the spiritual Olympics gold medal:
1. One needs to want the spiritual gold medal. Need to want it enough to make great sacrifices of time, energy and life.
2. One needs to believe that one has what it takes to get this gold. One must be willing to develop within oneself, through hard spiritual training, that which is required to attain this.
3. One needs a spiritual coach, who has been there and done that, who has attained the spiritual gold medal. One then needs to obey the teacher's advice, no matter how tough, to get the spiritual gold medal oneself.
P.S. There are no shortcuts in winning medals, be it the athletic Olympics or spiritual Olympics. Just like an Olympic champion who has won gold, can only show the way to another, but the other has to put in the effort, similarly a spiritual coach or Guru can only show the way. It is up to the disciple to put in all the effort. No room for any spiritual freebies or short-cuts. The Guru cannot and will not just touch someone and give them supreme realisation without the disciple first having done much sadhana and become deserving. So one needs to pick up that mala, or the havan spoon, or stand on one's head, or do whatever sadhana one has chosen and just keep doing it. The results will come with absolute certainty as they have for those before us.
I will conclude with a poem by Walter D. Wintle, who lived in the last century, that I particularly like and which is relevant here:
Title: The Man who thinks he can
"If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't."
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't
It's almost certain you won't."
"If you think you'll lose, you're lost."
"For out of the world, we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind."
"If you think you're outclassed you are;
You've got to think high to rise."
"You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win that prize."
"Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;"
"But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can."
Hari Aum Tat Sat
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