The Lover, when dreaming of
his beloved, imagines things that have no reality. The mad man too
imagines things that do not exist at all. All hallucinations are to be
avoided in spiritual life. We must try to get a glimpse of Truth by
following a systematic course of spiritual practice. If such a glimpse
comes unawares, and if we are not properly prepared for it through long
and regular training, the reaction may be tremendous and may even
unsettle us for life. We must first learn how to become fit for such
glimpses so that we can then make them our own for good. Spiritual
evolution at first brings great suffering to the aspirant, not
happiness. In the intermediate stages his life becomes very difficult.
Then he has no longer any real interest in what he has in the world, and
cannot yet obtain self-realization which is still his beyond his reach.
It is just like hanging in mid-air without being able to go either up
or down.
The test of Truth is this: whereas in the case of worldly things and worldly relations you can never get any ultimate satisfaction, in the case of spirituality and spiritual life you can get that perfect satisfaction which is not dependent upon anything external. So the great sage Narada says, 'Realizing that (divine Love), a man attains perfection, immortality and ultimate fulfillment.'
The really thirsty man always needs water, but those who are not thirsty can do without it for a long time. The really sincere aspirant will do all he is told, but people are so half-hearted and so little sincere that they are in no great hurry to follow the advice they are given.
And then, we want the purest water, not adulterated water, or water that has become terribly dirty. We should rather feel thirsty but should not go in for anything hat is not good and pure.
Truth cannot be realized without struggle. All life is no doubt a struggle. Everybody is struggling to achieve something or other. But spiritual struggle is a struggle of a higher order. It is a struggle for consciousness. Struggle, struggle, struggle! There is no other way. Let us not be afraid of struggles.
Swami Yatiswarananda
A monk from Ramakrishna monaThe test of Truth is this: whereas in the case of worldly things and worldly relations you can never get any ultimate satisfaction, in the case of spirituality and spiritual life you can get that perfect satisfaction which is not dependent upon anything external. So the great sage Narada says, 'Realizing that (divine Love), a man attains perfection, immortality and ultimate fulfillment.'
The really thirsty man always needs water, but those who are not thirsty can do without it for a long time. The really sincere aspirant will do all he is told, but people are so half-hearted and so little sincere that they are in no great hurry to follow the advice they are given.
And then, we want the purest water, not adulterated water, or water that has become terribly dirty. We should rather feel thirsty but should not go in for anything hat is not good and pure.
Truth cannot be realized without struggle. All life is no doubt a struggle. Everybody is struggling to achieve something or other. But spiritual struggle is a struggle of a higher order. It is a struggle for consciousness. Struggle, struggle, struggle! There is no other way. Let us not be afraid of struggles.
Collected from a compiled book
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