May 20, 2006

 

Spiritualising Aspects of Life

 

   A problem has more than one solution. For example, if one comes to a new town, he needs to get a ration card. For someone who has always done things through others, his first thought will be to trace a colleague in his office who has an acquaintance in the other office. Another person may feel it is his right to get one and would prefer to insist on his right. A practical man would ask what is the mamool  in the case. It has a spiritual solution too. “Let me do my part and God will do the rest,” may be his stand. He would certainly get things done by that attitude. As spirituality offers a solution, spirituality has its grades too.  Doing the duty and leaving the rest to God is a work attitude in the spiritual solution. Prayer is the commonest of spiritualising forces. Japa is another. If one is using a mantra, that will achieve his result here also. Suppose a man is spiritual in his consciousness – calm, patient, silent, cheerful, etc. – he need not resort to any particular method. His seeking the result will bring him the result beautifully and abundantly. In spirit, work succeeds, words come true, even thought becomes a reality. In each of these methods, life introduces grades, the lowest being the minimum result, the highest being an opening through that result to a higher opening in life or even in Spirit.

 

   A devotee has been writing in the New Indian Express about how the computer can be used as a source of income. Someone in the USA who earns $1000 a month has sought his advice to raise it to $3000. His suggestions appear in this issue as another article. This writer has created a website to help job seekers and thousands of people visited the site in the first few days. This is an approach to income creation through the latest technology, i.e. the computer. Taking that as an occasion, I wish to suggest two things:

                1) Spiritual approach to income generation;

                2) To do all-important items of work by spiritualising life.

 

   Spirit at once brings to mind meditation, prayer, Pooja, japa, etc. All this is all right and very much in place, but I do not have them immediately in mind here. Silence, calm, peace, patience, light are some aspects of the Spirit. By bringing these into one’s life, life gets spiritualised gradually. It is a general rule that is powerful. A less powerful one is to bring these aspects into the work on hand. Work has social solutions. Money can accomplish it. To do a thing by one’s capacity is a psychological method. To stick to RIGHT methods is to seek a moral solution. To do all one can do is to persevere. It is the method of the body, a physical process. To exercise one’s resourcefulness and give that benefit to a work is a mental method. To think how others have done a similar work is to benefit by the experience of others. It can be called after a fashion a historically valid method.

 

   I suggest the spiritual method to complete our duty. This means to do the work silently with peace in the heart and light in the mind. It is usually done by remembering God or repeating His name. The work proceeds on uncommonly smooth lines. That is a usual spiritual method. Its highest version will be to receive the work in the inner consciousness, grow inwardly in Silence and Peace and when they are able to saturate us inwardly, to consecrate – dedicate – the work to the Divine. It fetches not only work results but spiritual results. Work result in writing an exam is to pass the exam. Spiritual result there is to grow in faith as the work results issued by the Spirit.

 

   To move in life to the centre of the soul using each work as a stepping-stone is to spiritualise life. Some expressions of it:

·         The determination to bring more and more aspects of life into the Spiritual centre;

·         To treat each work as a means of reaching God;

·         To explore each human relationship for opportunities to make a spiritual progress;

·         When someone abuses you, to have the patience and penetration to see that that abuse is God’s coming to you in that undesirable form;

·         To know every touch of life as God’s Touch.

·         To see that no problem of our life is left unsolved.

·         To consider whether problems can be converted into opportunities.

·         To do work with such enthusiasm that at the end the funds of our energy increase.

 

   Essential characteristics of spiritual life and how to cultivate them in our daily life. Two columns of what we are and what we should be will explain these aspects.

 

Human Life

Higher Spiritual Life

We rely on our capacities.

We must solely rely on Grace.

We think with our mind.

We must see with our souls.

We react to our negative circumstances.

We must take it as the reflection of our inner makeup.

We put up a social outer behaviour

We must BE, be sincere to our true inner spiritual feelings.

Often we are cross or dull.

Always we must be cheerful and expansive.

We work with our outer personalities.

We must work inside in our emotions.

Often tension and uneasiness collect.

Calm, patient inner poise is needed.

We voice others’ defects.

We must appreciate others’ strong points.

We speak what is suitable to the occasion.

There is no compromise about Truth. Speak it always.

We act from the surface.

Go in, collect yourself and act from inside with seriousness.

We want to fit into the society around us.

We must be sincere to God.

Life of ignorance is easy.

Life of truth is exacting.

We choose what is easy

We must choose what is RIGHT.

 

  One may say these things are easily said but not practised. We have a vast fund of knowledge of the Spirit and we believe it. That knowledge is an asset. Try to act from that knowledge. Life will show all the above is possible gradually. One may be intimidated by speaking the utter Truth always. If Man decides to speak the Truth, God never gives him the occasion to lie. Also it is a mental progress to learn to put our ideas truthfully. Should you attempt that exercise, you will see that Truth does admit to be spoken out. We have to acquire that skill. In fact, our readiness to lie is greater than our willingness to stand by truth. Reverse it, you will be able to be truthful.