069 Posting
Dharmadeva
Signs of progress on the spiritual path
By Ac. Maheshvarananda Avt.
Meditation (Sadhana) is an internal path. We cannot measure our
spiritual
progress with a material yardstick. So how can we know if our
meditation is
working? How can we measure our progress? How can we know if we are
succeeding?
Our path is not ritualistic, with actions prescribed for show.
Therefore, we
also cannot use social measurements, such as attendance at religious
programs or public displays of piousness, as indicators of spiritual
progress.
For example, strings of prayer beads are used in the Hindu, Buddhist,
Muslim
and Catholic traditions. The principle in all is the same: while
fingering
each bead the follower remembers a mantra or prayer or holy word.
Though
using beads may help one to remember God, in public they also foster
pride
and spiritual vanity. Baba encouraged us to silently remember our
mantra as
often as possible, but not to finger beads (rudraksa mala) in public.
The indicators of spiritual progress are internal. Through
introspection and
self-analysis, we can judge our progress and the degree to which we
have
transformed ourselves. For Tantra Sadhana, Baba said, "is the path from
imperfection to perfection." Below I have listed some signs of
spiritual
realization that were given by Baba, and others that were suggested by
senior sadhakas. Let us examine ourselves honestly and rededicate our
lives
to striving for these noble ideals.
Instead of enjoying talk about mundane things, spiritualists are more
interested to discuss spirituality. We seek the company of other
devotees
(satsaung), and are eager to hear devotional stories and participate in
spiritual conversation. This becomes like our spiritual food.
Our actions, words and thoughts become the same. This
straightforwardness
(rjuta) creates a tremendous internal moral force. It creates an
internal
glow on our subconscious.
Spiritualists do not lie to avoid personal difficulties. They fulfill
their
promises. If circumstances prevent us from doing so in time, we must
approach the person or group to whom we made the promise and ask for
more
time or to be released from our promise. Baba once emphasized this by
saying, "Your words should be more important to you than your life."
"Simple and sincere" was one of the highest compliments Baba gave.
Simplicity includes reducing one's expenditure and one's desires. We
must
constantly prevent our mind from running after worldly objects or
indulging
in unnecessary things. We must follow the principle of Aparigraha ever
more
strictly.
Spiritualists overcome personal thoughts of selfishness and greed with
generosity. They look for ways to serve others and try to sacrifice for
the
welfare of others. Here, as with the other ways, we are transforming
our
basic nature from selfishness to selflessness.
Baban - Shrii Shrii Anandamurti - often praised two special qualities
of women: that of ideal mother and nurse. Both ideals imply loving
service and sacrificing our personal concerns for those in need of our
care. We become more introversive and less extroversive. We avoid
unnecessary talk and use our words more carefully to talk about
spirituality and to help others.
We realize that the most beautiful devotional experiences cannot be
expressed in words. Rationality stops where true spirituality begins,
because the intellect cannot function in the higher layers of the mind
(kosas). Creativity, non-attachment, spiritual discrimination and
devotional
sentiment all depend on developed intuition, not logic and reasoning.
We feel happiness at the happiness of others, and pain at the pain of
others
(karuna). It is necessary to overcome our natural tendency to feel
jealous
at the success of others and satisfaction at their difficulties and
problems. The true spirit of service (Narayanacit seva) is that we see
God
in the people we serve, and we feel a real sense of happiness when we
can
help make them happy.
Good people feel happy when they are with a true spiritualist. They
experience joy similar to being in the presence of Baba. Baba once
said, "I
want that all good people should like you. But I did not say
'everyone'. Bad
people will not like you."
An indisciplined person cannot be a spiritualist. We develop ever more
internal discipline for our spiritual practices and we lead a balanced
life.
This is why the Sixteen Points are so essential for our spiritual
progress.
We find less happiness with worldly things and more happiness in
spiritual
practices; so we devote more time to them. Our spiritual success is
directly
proportional to the time we devote to our spiritual and devotional
practices.
We remember our Guru Mantra more times every day. By singing kiirtan
more
and repeating our Ista Mantra more, we can reach the state of constant
ideation (ajapa japa).
We become eternally optimistic, always positive. Both heaven and hell
exist
within the mind. With a positive mind, we can constantly experience
inner
bliss, even in the most difficult and painful situations. Internally we
remain calm even in situations of extreme stress and danger. We offer
solace
and peace to those in anguish. When we suffer setbacks, we must
positively
resolve to redouble our efforts until we make up the loss.
We develop a universal outlook by respecting everyone. See the bright
side
of everyone. The radius of our love expands to other people, animals,
plants
and the whole universe in the spirit of Neo-Humanism.
Baba again set the highest example of this. He showed great respect to
even
illiterate spiritualists and devotees, while remaining unmoved by
selfish
appeals of the rich and powerful. His poignant words in the dedication
of
Liberation of Intellect: Neo-Humanism exemplify this: "To those who
think
for all... Who offer others seats of honor and respect... Who venerate
others,
instead of waiting to be venerated... To them I dedicate this book with
humble
esteem and deepest salutations."
There are also some indications of spiritual progress that we may
experience
in our sadhana. Sometimes we may hear an internal sound caused by our
kundalinii crossing our own cakras. These inner sounds include the
tinkling
of bells, the roar of the ocean, a celestial flute. We might also
notice
beautiful smells like rose or sandalwood arising internally from our
sadhana. We may also have a spiritual experience, or a type of samadhi.
These are Baba's ways of giving us a taste of spiritual realization to
inspire us to continue in our practices.
For example, once while helping at the LFT Training Center in Bali,
Indonesia, I found myself hearing voices singing "Baba Nam Kevalam" in
my
mind. The sound gave me a wonderful joy, and it continued for three
days and
nights without pause. I listened blissfully to this kiirtan while
meditating, while giving class, while eating, while bathing, and even
when I
awoke in the middle of the night. I naturally spoke as little as I
could so
that I could enjoy the sound more. After three days, the kiirtan
stopped as
mysteriously as it had started. Obviously this spiritual experience was
a
miraculous gift of grace from the Lord. It came without reason, yet
gave me
a tremendous inspiration to do more sadhana.
The qualities of the Fifteen Shiilas are some of the best indicators of
spiritual progress: magnanimity of mind, perpetual restraint of
behavior and
temper, forgiveness, etc. For example, Baba asked what would happen if
someone gave one mango to you and another to your friend; and when you
cut
them open you found that yours was rotten inside? You should feel happy
that
your friend received the sweet mango! This, Baba said, is an example of
magnanimity of mind.
We become able to inspire people to transform their lives and become
spiritualists, too. When He explained the four stages of sadhana, Baba
emphasized that when one has reached the final stage of meditation
(Vashiikara), he or she "can inspire millions."
We achieve results in our work for Ananda Marga. This is because the
secret
of organizational out turn is to become an instrument of the Supreme
through
our spiritual practices. For example, the Catholic mystic Saint Francis
prayed, "O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace." When we surrender
our
personal ambitions and purify ourselves through our spiritual
practices,
then the Supreme can work effectively through us.
The desire for name and fame must be overcome by becoming humble and by
giving respect to everyone. Baba also prescribed dancing Kiirtan with
ones'
hands held high to cure ego.
The last, most difficult obstacles are greed, anger and desire. All
these
are biologically based in the vrttis. They cannot be suppressed; rather
they
must be channeled through our practices.
We develop a profound sense of gratitude, a feeling of thanksgiving for
the
Lord. We give up the natural desire for worldly pleasures and comforts.
Instead we want only to please the Supreme. Devotion (Kevala Bhakti) is
the
highest state of spiritual realization.