How shall we reconcile, with the time and energy available: doing our duties, obligations and commitments, and at the same time to grow spiritually?
 

HEN YOU ARE CARING FOR YOUR BODY—let’s say when you are sick—you go to a doctor, take medicine, do exercises, pay attention to your diet, your sleep, etc. all to better your health. Would you call that selfishness, because you are doing something for your body? No, you would say, If I am not healthy, how can I help others? To have a sound mind and body we have to do certain exercises and practices, and to achieve that we have to divide our time and energy in such a way that we balance our life.

This is the key: balance. If you devote part of your time and energy to God—practices, contemplation, relaxation, going within—the rest of life—relationships and work—will not only be successful, but you will feel fulfilled. If you do not meditate or do spiritual practices, how can you remain in harmony, love and unity with others? To avoid quarrels, disunity, misunderstandings, confusion, and selfishness is what spiritual training is all about.

Love, harmony and peace within your family, your neighbors, countrymen and fellow beings is a result of spirituality. But since we have forgotten that, we often ignore spiritual disciplines as if they are not “modern.” To be truly religious at heart you need to keep God before you daily while doing your duties, living with and relating to people. That is awakened religion, living religion, in which God is your focal point.

To achieve this focus or concentration you need practice, and for practices you need time and energy. We have twenty-four hours a day—at least that is how we have divided it. God didn’t make twenty-four hours, He made day and night; He made the sunset and sunrise and in between. We divided that astronomically and astrologically, scientifically, into twenty-four compartments. God has given us each day and night. Can’t you spare even one or two hours daily for spiritual practices? The more the better.

If you had one child or four children, you would still have only twenty-four hours in which to take care of them. How would you do that? You adjust your duties. In other words, we have to balance what we choose to do each day and night. Where there is a will, there is a way.  if we mean to go within, to grow spiritually and awaken the Light within; if we really mean to touch the Feet of the Lord, to be tender in love with God without any reservations, we can do it.

We can do that also without hurting anyone—our children, parents, wife or husband. Some may not like what you are doing, but does everyone agree with what you do anyway? Can’t you tolerate this much for the Lord’s sake? If you are meditating or praying and someone does not like it—they may even tease or taunt you—at the most humbly say: I’m not perfect yet. Please have patience with me, God is not done with me yet. 

• • •

The aspect of my being that contemplates, is that ego too?
 

ES, ALTHOUGH THE EGO ASPECT THAT CONTEMPLATES IS HIGHER than the ego that does mischief. Because it is ego that contemplates, it does not mean you should not contemplate. The ego does other things as well: gratification, attachment, dishonesty; therefore it is better when ego contemplates. Then it becomes purified. There is a distinction between a heavy ego and a finer and finer ego. These are not numerous egos, just the degree of ego. As long as your ego remains heavy, you cannot transcend.

Benefits such as attending Satsang and retreats, meditation, prayer, grace, blessings, yoga, austerities, fasting, eating light food—what we call sattvic living—all make you finer and lighter. You have seen that if your mind is heavy, attached, jealous or negative, you cannot contemplate. Therefore practices are given to overcome this heaviness: “Come ye who are heavy-laden and find rest.” As you rarefy your ego and make it more pure, the point comes when its lightness will make you transcend it. And in that final transcendence, ego vanishes.

• • •

I can’t see any freedom or liberation from this continual “merry-go-round” of my life, as long as “me” keeps cropping up or taking control via ego. Yet I don’t know how to shuffle it off.
 

OU ARE TRYING TO GIVE UP EGO WITH SUCH SERIOUSNESS that it just gets thickened. It’s so light—nothing to be serious about. The more you are serious the more it sticks, even though you want to give it up. Not that you are not sincere but there are other aspects along with it. When we say be sincere we don’t mean everything is done. 

I think You gave the clue when You said, Just concentrate on Light and not the rat holes…
 

HAT ACTUALLY IS THE SOLUTION. All else is just to bring you to this point. All techniques, thoughts, analysis of “I” and “me” and so on, are only to arrive at one decision: that you meditate upon the Light or God.

I know that, but why do I never stick to it?

THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE A MASTER who can give you sensitive training by hammering on your head! I would have given you this lesson on the first day but all these years of preparation were to come to this ultimately: that nothing else matters. What matters is just meditating upon That. All other techniques, processes, going around the world on all kinds of pilgrimages—though they are not bad or wrong—are preparations just to arrive at this decision. This is not an intellectual decision but a heartfelt one: nothing else really matters. 

Just let it go. Be light and laugh; laughter is a good exercise for letting go. Not that you go on laughing like a crazy person; it has to be sensible, as if the world is a trifle and you just laugh at it. But all the while keep your attention on God. 

It seems that the heart has to let go also, and that is one area where I feel I’m closed off.

WHEREVER YOUR HEART IS CLOSED YOU ARE TIED UP THERE. You can’t even leave and go because you are tied up. Who is closing your heart? 

Me.

WHAT IS KEEPING YOUR HEART CLOSED? 

Fear of rejection. 

FEAR AND REJECTION BY WHOM? Not God or the Light? This is beyond the wildest imagination, that God will reject, Light will reject. Or are you rejecting That? 

Maybe that’s it. 

THAT IS IT. And when you reject That, you have the fear of being rejected. Then the heart is closed and you go on like that until old age and death. You keep your heart closed because certain things did not happen as you wanted, so why to open it again and get hurt and rejected? This is the human folly, therefore we apply the same to God and the Light.

“Let go” is the best solution because in letting go you get free. If you are holding on to something, that thing is holding you also. You are not letting go, therefore it is not happening. Feelings of rejection, hurt and being left alone can actually be overcome easily by going to God or the Light. Therefore cling to That which never rejects, never hurts and never fails us.

Edited from the Satsangs entitled The Work of Spirituality, The Highest Relationship and
Opening the Heart, available on CD and audiocassette.

Audio Satsangs of Swami Amar Jyoti

© Truth Consciousness

truthconsciousness.org

More...