Hari Aum.
An inspiring role model can be very useful to stay motivated on the spiritual path. Reading about the lives of saints and their attainment of God gives encouragement to those of us who are walking the spiritual path to keep going.
I have found great inspiration in reading about the life of my Guru, Swami Sivananda, and his disciples such as Swami Chidananda and others. The lives of other saints such as Anandamayi Ma, Ammachi, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda are also a very useful aid in motivating oneself to keep walking the path.
The only risk sometimes is that one can sometimes ignore the message of these great spiritual teachers that we are all divine, and instead put them on a pedestal that is impossible for us to reach. There is no doubt that these are great spiritual teachers who are worthy of reverence and worship. At the same time, we have to remind ourselves that their message to us is that we ourselves are children of the divine, made of the same stuff as them. We are not separate from them, our ultimate destiny is the same as theirs--i.e. to experience the God within us.
Let us remember that these spiritual greats also went through the same trials and tribulations that we go through. They had to deal with difficult external environments and equally challenging internal/mental states. Their minds too revolted at times, they too struggled as we do at times. The spiritual path was not a bed of roses for them just as it is not for most of us.
There comes a stage in spiritual life when we have been walking the path for a while and we just need to keep walking. There is no stopping here. Stopping leads to stagnation and we lose what we have gained. The weary mind has to be gently coaxed to keep up the practice at any cost.
The mind also has a tendency to beat itself up. It may veer between despair that we are not doing enough and a rebellion that it is all too much. The golden middle way has to be found and stuck to.
Sivananda says that regularity is of paramount importance in spiritual life. If one has to choose between doing an enormous amount of sadhana daily for a few months, and doing a smaller amount daily for a few years, the latter is preferable. There is no point in doing a lot for a short time and then burning out.
When it comes to deciding how many malas of japa to do per day therefore, it is better to choose a reasonable amount that one can sustain for several years, rather that a large amount that can only be sustained for a few weeks or months. There is a play-off between quantity and continuity when it comes to japa. The greater the quantity of japa per day, the harder it will be for the mind to do the practice daily for years. A smaller quantity will be easier to continue for years and is more likely to produce better results. Daily contact with the name of God is required for purification of the mind.
When I look back at the last seven and a half years of spiritual practice, I feel there has been some progress. There are times when I feel frustrated that the progress has not been more but then I tell myself to be patient and keep at it. There are no quick fixes on this path. The truth is I do not feel that I really could have done more than I have done- I feel I have given whatever I could to spiritual life in the past seven years so there is no use being frustrated with myself for not doing more. Moreover, I feel I have seen some results. There is some positive change in the character, mindset, and a greater desire for God. Furthermore there have been some dreams that were prophetic in nature and others that were encouraging. I haven't found any scientific explanation for a prophetic dream so have to assume it is something to do with the mantra practice. I see these as hints from the universe that something is changing internally even if it does not always feel obvious and that I should just keep going. And that's what I'm doing.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
An inspiring role model can be very useful to stay motivated on the spiritual path. Reading about the lives of saints and their attainment of God gives encouragement to those of us who are walking the spiritual path to keep going.
I have found great inspiration in reading about the life of my Guru, Swami Sivananda, and his disciples such as Swami Chidananda and others. The lives of other saints such as Anandamayi Ma, Ammachi, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda are also a very useful aid in motivating oneself to keep walking the path.
The only risk sometimes is that one can sometimes ignore the message of these great spiritual teachers that we are all divine, and instead put them on a pedestal that is impossible for us to reach. There is no doubt that these are great spiritual teachers who are worthy of reverence and worship. At the same time, we have to remind ourselves that their message to us is that we ourselves are children of the divine, made of the same stuff as them. We are not separate from them, our ultimate destiny is the same as theirs--i.e. to experience the God within us.
Let us remember that these spiritual greats also went through the same trials and tribulations that we go through. They had to deal with difficult external environments and equally challenging internal/mental states. Their minds too revolted at times, they too struggled as we do at times. The spiritual path was not a bed of roses for them just as it is not for most of us.
There comes a stage in spiritual life when we have been walking the path for a while and we just need to keep walking. There is no stopping here. Stopping leads to stagnation and we lose what we have gained. The weary mind has to be gently coaxed to keep up the practice at any cost.
The mind also has a tendency to beat itself up. It may veer between despair that we are not doing enough and a rebellion that it is all too much. The golden middle way has to be found and stuck to.
Sivananda says that regularity is of paramount importance in spiritual life. If one has to choose between doing an enormous amount of sadhana daily for a few months, and doing a smaller amount daily for a few years, the latter is preferable. There is no point in doing a lot for a short time and then burning out.
When it comes to deciding how many malas of japa to do per day therefore, it is better to choose a reasonable amount that one can sustain for several years, rather that a large amount that can only be sustained for a few weeks or months. There is a play-off between quantity and continuity when it comes to japa. The greater the quantity of japa per day, the harder it will be for the mind to do the practice daily for years. A smaller quantity will be easier to continue for years and is more likely to produce better results. Daily contact with the name of God is required for purification of the mind.
When I look back at the last seven and a half years of spiritual practice, I feel there has been some progress. There are times when I feel frustrated that the progress has not been more but then I tell myself to be patient and keep at it. There are no quick fixes on this path. The truth is I do not feel that I really could have done more than I have done- I feel I have given whatever I could to spiritual life in the past seven years so there is no use being frustrated with myself for not doing more. Moreover, I feel I have seen some results. There is some positive change in the character, mindset, and a greater desire for God. Furthermore there have been some dreams that were prophetic in nature and others that were encouraging. I haven't found any scientific explanation for a prophetic dream so have to assume it is something to do with the mantra practice. I see these as hints from the universe that something is changing internally even if it does not always feel obvious and that I should just keep going. And that's what I'm doing.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
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