There are many paths to Divinity but the hurdles ahead are much more than we anticipate. It's not always material possessions that stand in the way of our spiritual goals as hurdles. [Read: Old Souls, Going Back Home]
Sometimes, it is we ourselves who are responsible. Why? Because of our stubborn refusal to acknowledge the mistakes we make even though we know deep within that we are doing it all wrong. When it comes to managing relationships, we make bigger mistakes despite spiritual awareness. This often causes disharmony, makes us feel lousy, hurt and angry. Here's my post on 'Messed up Relationships: Three Easy Ways to Tackle It' and 'How to see God clearly'.
For those on the spiritual path, here are some important questions to consider such as:
1. How do we choose those whom we love and those we don't love? Is there a logical pattern to our choices?
2. Do we go with intuition, what the heart says or with the indications of obvious attraction that the body shows towards another person?
3. Can a person on the spiritual path justify feeling these contradictions in the first place? Whether yes or no, what's the way forward?
I found an interesting gem of a perspective in a Buddhist story. It's simple, not rocket science but I found it insightful nevertheless.
The story goes like this: One day, a Buddhist monk visits a Prince. By tradition, Buddhist monks
are allowed to carry only their begging bowl and essential clothes. The Prince
suggests a walk in the gardens. So, the monk keeps the bowl in the palace and
joins the Prince for a walk.
After a while, a servant from the palace comes
running, crying out, “Fire in the palace!”
The monk instantly leapt to his feet
crying out, ”My bowl!” and he ran towards the palace.
Whereas the Prince who
lived in the lap of luxury was detached from the need to run after his
belongings. He simply walked away without any worry about the palace or his belongings.
This raises the question: Who is the wiser, more enlightened one?
The
prince lived in the lap of luxury yet felt no bondage to any of his possessions at the time . The monk, who had renounced the world, showed attachment towards the bowl!
Kannamma - one of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's earliest devotees - says that she had asked Swami for an example to cite what He would consider as absolute/perfect faith in a devotee.
This is Swami's response, "If at any point of time in your life, I appear and ask you to come with me and to abandon everything you have - family, possessions, everything - you should be able to leave it all that very moment and come with me without even a moment's hesitation. That is absolute faith."
We all have that kind of faith and strength within us but often we place it in those people who are as flawed as we are. We trust in fleeting relationships, than in the divien grace that is continuously protecting us. Many of us make the mistake of finding security in expensive possessions - big, big mistake!
Trust in God's divine grace.
You know it within you – all of us, at heart, run back to check on our relationships and belongings because we are attached to all these things that we are accumulating
in this life. We see it as 'ours' without realizing that we can't take any of it back with us - that our first and foremost duty is to grow ourselves first in our quest for eternity.
The day we can let go of self-created bondage in terms of prized possessions or relationships we feel we 'possess,' only then we will learn to progress and to be open and ready to accept God’s will manifest in our life the way it should and can manifest in abundance –
that is when we become true warriors in the realm of spirituality and we will be able to embrace the entire world without being in a state of bondage.
I am a seeker treading the path but I know there are miles to go before I can say I know anything at all.
What are the hurdles you face on the spiritual path or on your path to growth and happiness? I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights on this.
Comments
But, i am Unable to put my spiritual journey in thoughts the way you so beautifully do.
My spiritual journey is full of confusions and i can't release the bondages so easily.
Infact, that is my main hindrance, the other is the ego.
Would love to read from you on this since i can relate to much of what you write.
Hope to keep writing and please don't hesitate to correct me when you feel differently about anything that I write. That would be a great way to engage and discuss about the choices we make on our spiritual journey.