Thursday, June 6, 2019
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-June 5
Non-attachment is Essential for Spiritual Progress
Just as the parent bird brings up its fledgling under the protection of its wings, the head of the family should extend loving protestion to all members of the family. Sure of such loving concern, a person would not mind his faults and shortcomings being pointed out to him.
A tonic will become actively invigorating when a patient is free from illness, fever or affliction, because the natural metabolism can then work unhindered. Similarly spiritual progress gains momentum when the heart is purified. Spiritual progress demands mental effort, because it involves countering the present habits and tendencies of the mind. Therefore, spirituality is purely a personal pursuit. A sadhaka will realise the benefits comparatively early if he maintains an unbroken awareness of God within the heart, and simultaneously controls and modifies, trains, the tendencies and reactions of the mind. He must ever be cautious lest sensuous desires spy a weak moment or spot and strike. Spirituality therefore needs unremitting vigil over oneself.
Prapancha is not, basically, a rival to spirituality; the two, indeed are as related to each other as the obverse and the reverse of a coin. To conduct prapancha without attachment, and joyfully as a duty, is spirituality. What obstructs spirituality is neither material well-being, nor relatives and friends, but a sense of involvement, of passion and of belonging. Non-attachment does not necessarily mean not having a particular thing, but freedom from mental involvement or sense of belonging. To live happily in the conviction that "whatever is has been given by God and is His, not mine," is real vairagya or true non-attachment. It is this feeling which is a precondition for spiritual advancement.
Knowledge comes by study, skill comes by practice. Today, we do not have constant remembrance of God for want of true devotion; also, devotion will only arise from constant remembrance maintained by purposeful practice. A wise man is he who brushes aside all doubts, at least for the time being, and commences to practise remembering Him. For One who disregards the senses and their desires and pleasures, there is no harm in remaining apparently in prapancha, provided one is always absorbed in Rama at heart.
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Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-June.4
Pride is the Prime Obstruction in Spirituality
The shastras set out in detail the way to succeed in worldly life as well as in spirituality. We, however, treat the former as pressing, the latter as a matter of leisure and convenience. Both require guidance by a knowledgeable person. One capable of giving guidance in spirituality is called sadguru. He alone can be guided adequately who concedes his ignorance. It is personal pride, ego, that prevents us from going to God in submission while, strangely enough, even in petty worldly matters we prefer a 'specialist' in the particular field!
We think that the world in which we live is a real one because it is tangible, experienceable, to human senses and logic, whereas the other, spiritual world is unreal, being only inferable. Isn't it funny that we remain addicted to worldly life discounting our repeated experience that altogether it is far from happy, is indeed, full of misery and disappointment? It is evidently duplicity, then, to plead lack of experience and experimental proof for not taking to spirituality.
'We conduct our life in a very straightforward manner, without deceit, dishonesty, or sin; where, then, is the need to do anything by way of spiritual quest?' This is a question posed by some. It should be understood that however pure worldly life may be, it cannot lead to the divine unless it is completely divested of 'self' or ego, that is, unless all doership is assigned to the Lord. The 'body-am-I' feeling is identical with ego, and rises from desire. He who kills, annihilates desire alone qualifies for divine knowledge.
It is most harmful to be a pseudo-saint; it is by far better to honestly remain a plain, well-behaved householder. Our contentment or otherwise depends on the nature of our outlook on life. What really counts in spiritual progress is, not worldly splendour or prosperity, but the balanced, composed outlook on the world and on life; and the sole way to achieve a steady mind is constant awareness of God.
The 'body-am-I' feeling make's one behave in a very strange manner. Such a person disdains worshipping the tangible image of God as militating against his habit, and a thing out of tune with the times. He decries nama-smarana as being too simple to be effective; and he disapproves of 'anna-daan' as indiscriminate free feeding of the undeserving !
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