Fruits of Spiritual Practise

[Guest guest]

If you keep an open mind, you will find that religion is not the dream

of an idle person; it is not "other-worldliness." It brings the "other

world" right into the present world, into our mundane existence. It

has a direct relation to our mundane existence. Real religion brings

heaven down to earth.

 

We have not to wait for death to have an experience of heaven. If that

were so, heaven would not even be worth the attempt. If there is such

a thing as heaven, it must be brought right here. It is not a fact

that heaven is a limited geographical area beyond this world. There is

only one world, one existence, one life. As the Upanishads say, if

there is Truth, it must be realized in this very life, in this very

world, while living in this human body -- otherwise, life is a failure.

Those persons who have realized Truth directly speak in such a bold,

clear-cut-way, with no ambiguity: Truth must be known here and now.

 

....

 

How do we know that what is experienced in that state is real, and not

a hallucination? We know that it is a reality from the life and

teachings of wisdom that fall from their lips. Ramakrishna had no book

learning, but his wisdom put to silence scholars, philosophers,

leaders of society. When he would speak, they would sit silently and

drink in every word that fell from his lips. That is what happens.

This experience is a reality.

 

.... As in ordinary life we find our level, in spiritual life also, according to

our struggle, according to the intensity of our spiritual practice, we shall

find our level. But no one will go hungry if he has real hunger. One will get

one's fruits at the right time. The greater the hunger, the greater the

fulfillment.

 

That is spiritual life.

>From "FRUITS OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE"

By Swami Pavitrananda, head of the Vedanta Society in New York

City from 1951 until his death in 1977.