(… continued)
“Spirituality
Without difficulty
Is an absurdity.”
– Sri Chinmoy
We commenced this series on Finding Your Spiritual Path, by stating:
“There are only two essential tasks in life –
a) find your spiritual Path; and
b) follow it.”
Having found our spiritual Path, only one task remains: FOLLOW IT!
We follow a spiritual Path to reach and attain the highest Goal –Enlightenment, Illumination, God-realisation or God-satisfaction – the Goal that subsumes and transcends all quests and aspirations. Clearly we are now a long way from this Goal, so following the Path must involve radical transformation of our consciousness along the way. The limited, ignorant parts of our being – with which we presently largely identify – must be surrendered, and traded for our infinite, illumined Self.
Reaching and attaining Infinite Bliss is anything but a bed of roses. On the contrary, giving up my cherished ignorance, my present apparent identity, is perilously difficult.
Our present Nature must first be brought under our control and command. To this end, every spiritual Path requires discipline. Without discipline, nothing significant can ever be achieved in life. Until we can control our own thoughts and passions, we remain their slave, impotent to direct our progress toward any worthwhile goal.
Everything in Nature fights to preserve its own dominion and existence – including our own ignorance, weaknesses and limitations. To tread the Path to illumination, we must be ready, willing and eager to wage war against our own puny and proud ignorance-ego.
The obstacles to overcome are predominantly found not in the world around us: they are within, cradled and coddled by our own indulgence. Doubt, Fear, Insecurity, Pride, Impurity, Inertia – all we have built; all we must now dismantle.
To follow your Path, be ready to fight … for fight we all must.