Follow The Right Path: Begin From The Beginning

[Guest guest]

Again the Master said, `One must follow the right path.' Suppose I am

thrown in the wilderness. If I follow one path, what happens? I enter

the wilderness more and more. If I follow another path, I come out of

it. I am reminded of an American story. A motorist was driving at

break-neck speed. He wanted to reach a certain place. He asked a

schoolboy who had studied a little geography: `My son, if I go this

way, shall I be able to reach the place?' `Yes Sir,' said the boy,

`You will reach it.' `How far is it this way?' asked the motorist.

`Sir, you will have to go 25,000 miles,' replied the boy. `If I go

the other way?' `Then only two miles' was the answer. Do you follow

the idea? By one path, you have to come round the world to reach the

place. If you go the other way just two miles. Through proper mood,

through proper attitude, if you follow the proper directions you

reach the goal soon, progress is quickened. A tremendous change takes

place within you. But don't try to quicken your steps too much. Go

slow, but with determination, along the right path. Gradually you

shall reach the highest truth. But, as I said in that illustration of

climbing the snow-capped mountain, proceed step by step.

 

So in our spiritual practice, first comes `Pratima Puja', i.e.

worshipping the Lord in some aspect with the help of a form, a

symbol, a picture, or an image. Next, the repetition of the Lord's

Name, thinking of Him and singing of His glory. Later on as I said,

the mind gets a little absorbed; you feel the Divine presence. That

is Dhyana, and Dhyana leads to the highest goal, the highest

realisation. In order to move, we should proceed step by step. So the

Master says, `Go forward, step by step; from the sandalwood, come to

the silver mine, come to the gold mine and then come to the diamond

mine'. Similarly, if we sincerely follow the spiritual path and begin

from the beginning, we will reach the Truth. But, if we begin from

the end, we reach nowhere. Some want to practise Advaita sadhana. I

tell them, `I know nothing of Advaita sadhana: go to some other

teacher.' But if you want to begin from the beginning, I can tell you

something of it.

 

So, first of all, begin with the form-aspect. I have body

consciousness, I am an embodied being. I am a person amongst persons.

How can I think of the Infinite Spirit? I can't. So let me begin as

Maruti said. Hanuman was asked by Sri Rama `How do you think of Me?'

Hanuman said: `Lord, when I consider myself as a personality, as an

embodied being, I think of myself as Your servant and You as my

Master; and Lord, when I think, I am a soul distinct from the body

and mind, I consider myself as a part and You as the whole. But at

other moments, my Lord, when I rise above all limitations I think You

are myself and I am Thyself.' So let us begin from the beginning.

 

Sri Ramakrishna is very practical. He speaks to us of three types of

ananda: vishayananda i.e. the ananda that comes to us through the

contact of the senses with the sense objects; bhajanananda, the

ananda that comes to us through bhajana, through Japa, through

Dhyana; and then finally comes brahmananda as the result of the

realisation of the Infinite Spirit. In spiritual life let us have as

much bhajanananda as we can. It is within the reach of all of us. The

ananda that comes to us through Japa, through Dhyana of the Blissful

Form of the Lord - let us have that. And as we have it, let us try to

share this Ananda with our fellow spiritual seekers. That is why,

when devotees with such a spiritual outlook meet together, they

repeat the Lord's Name, sing His glory. At least for the time being

they forget the troubles of the world. The mind is transported to a

higher plane, something of the ananda of the Supreme Being, something

of the peace of the Supreme Spirit comes into our soul, but as I

said, we should not stop with that. Our great teachers used to tell

us always, `as you advance, you help others to advance.' One who is

illumined can alone be the real teacher; but in order to be of

service to others one need not be at the beginning fully illumined.

Now, I may be a student of a senior class and when teachers are

lacking I can take one of the lower classes, I can be of service to

those who are in the lower class. Let us not wait for fullest

illumination. At every stage it is possible for us to be of service

to our fellow beings.

 

The highest ideal, as Swami Vivekananda has said, is this: First let

us ourselves be gods and then help others to be gods. If we advance

to some extent, we can help others also to advance. Here comes the

ideal: `To work for our own illumination and spiritual emancipation

and at the same time to render service to others.' As we improve, we

also help others to improve. There is a wonderful prayer. We have it

in the Universal Prayers: `Let the wicked become virtuous and the

virtuous attain peace - tranquillity. Let the peaceful and tranquil

attain illumination and freedom. Let the free help others to become

free.' Let us do it in our own humble way. As we do our spiritual

practices, as we progress in our spiritual path, let us try to be of

service to others. So, my own individual spiritual practice and

service to others - these are the two-fold ways which will help me to

attain inner purity, which will help me to attain Divine Presence,

Divine Love, Divine Bliss. There is the whole of this ideal before

us, and let us proceed, each one in one's own way, towards this

truth, step by step; let us be sure of every inch of the ground. And

as we do our spiritual practice, let us not be egocentric. Let us

offer all the fruits of our labour to the Supreme Spirit. Sri

Ramakrishna has said, `If we move towards God one step, He comes

towards us ten steps'. It is a fact to be realised in the world of

Spirit. So proceed. The Lord will protect you. The Lord will guide

you. The Lord, the Supreme Spirit, will fill your heart with Divine

Presence, Purity, Love and Bliss.

 

Let us all offer our salutations to the Supreme Spirit, who dwells in

the hearts of us all. He is the Supreme Principle of Existence, the

Supreme Reality, the Supreme Light and the Supreme Self. Out of this

infinite, all-pervading Spirit we all have come into being; in that

we rest and unto that we return. Let us for a few moments meditate on

the Infinite Spirit. Let us do it each in his own way. Let us try to

feel something of the Divine Presence, Divine Love, and Divine Bliss.

May the All-pervading, All-Blissful Divine Spirit, the Soul of our

souls protect us all. May He guide us all. May He nourish us all. May

He bless us all. May the teachings that we learn become fruitful and

forceful through His Grace. May peace and harmony dwell amongst us

all. Om Shantih, Om Shantih, Om Shantih.

 

Oh! Lord, all spiritual paths are like streams leading to Thee, the

one ocean of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. Thou art our Mother.

Thou art our Father. Thou art our Friend. Thou art our Comrade. Thou

art our Knowledge. Thou art our Wealth. Thou are Oh Lord! our all in

all. From unreality lead us to Reality. From darkness lead us to

Light. From death, lead us to Immortality and Bliss. Reach us through

and through - Oh Lord! May we find Thee in our heart of hearts; May

we discover Thee in all our fellow-beings. May we love Thee and serve

Thee in all. May we thus realise the highest goal of human life.

 

- Swami Yatiswarananda