Four Wisdom Pearls For a Life of Spiritual Pursuit. By Manatita

I was lying in comfort on a cosy bed two weeks ago, reminiscing on the joys of Heaven, when the sharp sound of the doorbell entered my most welcomed reverie. That morning I had already completed my worship, my spiritual sadhana, and so one might say I was just basking in the after-effects of a serene and pleasant morn.

Moving quickly down the stairs, I opened the door to a very friendly-looking repairman, who had been sent by the local Council, to repair my kitchen taps and bathroom toilets. I let him in delightedly, (it was about 8.a.m) as I was in fact made previously aware that someone would turn up. The young man proceeded to fix my kitchen taps in the most immaculate way; then unto the bathroom toilet, where he again did a thorough and diligent job on the mal-functioning cistern of the system.

Now comes the inspirational part. Council workers are notorious for doing exactly what they are meant to do, or less if they can. A few also leave one’s place worse than on entering, and this necessitates a tidying on the part of the tenant, when the workman is gone. Not with this workman! He seemed happy with his job and did it professionally and thoroughly. Indeed I even ventured – boldly I must add – to ask him about a problem that I was having with my boiler. He was a Plummer, after all!

The young man, without complaint, immediately continued to my boiler, fixed the problem and proceeded to ‘bleed’ the system for me also. Talk about my gratitude and happiness! I now had new working taps, a working toilet and a working boiler and radiators, all for the price of two! Exciting, isn’t it?

This brings me to the first Wisdom-Pearl of spiritual pursuit. I call it:

Going the Extra Mile.

You see, giving and receiving is the game of life. When we give freely of ourselves, it really comes back to us. It has to. Ask Billybuc on Hub Pages if you do not believe me. He gives his time, support, service and mostly inspiration to so many on Hub Pages! The results are exquisite words of beauty and Light, received by him by God knows how many noble Souls responding on this platform.

The young Plummer offered soulfully to me, and I offered what I had, inner gratitude. Indeed I would have gone further, but he had no need of tea or food, as he was now heading to his customary café.

The Maestro plays and offers his virtuosity to all. We clap, give praise, spend our money and say nice things. He needs this. We, in turn, rely on his great music to satisfy and appease our souls, or perhaps just to have a great night out.

Self-giving expands the heart, and helps us to grow. Mother Earth can teach us this. She bends like a laden tree, and offers us all her fruits in plenty; she yields, while we trample upon Her, yet She never complains.

So what is it like to go the extra mile? What is soulful self-giving? Here is a lofty explanation by my Spiritual Teacher Sri Chinmoy:

“Anything that you do to become soulfully one, devotedly one, unreservedly one; unconditionally one with the Will of the Supreme, is selfless service.” –Sri Chinmoy.

The next Pearl, in no particular order, is:

Receptivity.

In our life of spiritual pursuit, the divine energy will at some point come and enter into our being. Sometimes gently, sometimes forcefully. It is our readiness that allows it to come in. What limits this readiness? God is good and faithful and will inevitably help us all.

Still, there are certain factors or efforts that enhance or augment spiritual growth. Do we feel fear? Are we resentful? What about anger, lack of self-control, jealousy and enmity? Shall we look at the positives? What about good thoughts, loving thoughts, gratitude, purity …. The list goes on.

Receptivity is the inflow and outflow of cosmic energy and cosmic light. God wants us to receive what we call by different names: Love, Grace, Comforter … these are the essentials to transform our lower natures without which the higher experiences will struggle to enter. And so it behoves us to leave our windows open, so that the Light of the sun can emblazon our Consciousness or Spirit, to grant us Joy.

Prayer.

That mighty effort to lay hold of God Itself. The Supreme is always present and merciful. Indeed It is in all we see and are, and simply needs to come to the fore. Prayer and Interior Prayer are processes to awaken this inner Light, this Divine Pilot within. A life of steady discipline, regularity and punctuality of prayer and meditation, is bound to ultimately bring results. Finally, just one more for today:

Assimilation.

This is the ability to hold the Light that God gives us. It comes, and again it goes. The spiritual goal is to be able to hold this Love – by His Grace – forever. Consciously, constantly, and to become inseparably one, to make Him our own. This may be a long way from some of us, but nonetheless, we can gradually learn to hold a fair measure of that Peace or Bliss.

Assimilation is the ability to sustain this inner boon, and for this we need strong inner vessels that will not break, and to acquire this, a certain amount of purity is essential. We also need to watch our diets, exercise as best we can, avoid being gluttons, and watch our thoughts, words and actions.

They carry Karma: Actions and consequences which are not bad in themselves, but simply the results of what we put in. Perhaps as we prepare for 2015, we can reflect lovingly, each with a strong resolution to continue; to go that extra mile, like the Plummer. We can strive for a steadfast life of prayer and meditation; of selfless service to our fellow humans, and all will be well. I bid thee much Love; a courageous and enduring heart. OM Shanti!

-Manatita, 23^rd November, 2014.

Word crafted Wisdom. ~Awakening the Light Within ~