Worldly wisdom tells us that we will be happy when we achieve this, obtain that, reach here, leave there, and so on… That we will be fulfilled by accomplishments.
However, our spiritual work reveals the opposite. Through prayer, study, meditation and the guidance of our teachers we obtain happiness, and this enlightened state of mind and soul enables us to reach the achievements and destinations of our dreams.
As we continue to live the spirit-guided life we find that we make mistakes less frequently, that our behavior is more predictable and controlled, that we have fewer and fewer incidents of personal failure. This trend of personal improvement reassures us of our progress in heart and soul. But we will always make mistakes. We will experience failure. We will know we have let ourselves down, and these defeats, these incidents of misjudgment or misguided behavior are more painful the more rarely they happen. They are, however, the most powerful instructions, and painful though these doorways of insight might be to pass through, they are absolutely necessary for our progress.
The universe we inhabit is limitless and eternal, caused by itself and self-perpetuating, by means of a self-generated energy. It has brought us out of the void, out of the possibility of non-existence, to life. Thus have we been created. Within this infinite reality surrounding us we can perceive patterns and currents of a universal development: light penetrating darkness; matter forming from baser elements; the nurturing and fostering of life; the existence and power of love. Thus does life progress, grow, sustain itself. The synthesis and progress of all this, creation, perpetuation, and the moral principles inherent in it, because we will never really comprehend them, we call God, which is a synonym for “unknowable.” And because as individuals and as a race we are part of it, we are God’s creatures. The sanctity, the holiness, the blessedness of His creation as we experience it is our choice. It is our fundamental personal responsibility. If we see the universe as a sanctified reality we will order our lives to be in harmony with it. We will have God in our life, and a reason for living. If we do not, there is only the void.
The goal of the spiritual life is to improve our relationships with all other people. This is the entire purpose and scope of the work. It is for no other reason that we examine our consciences, pray to our higher power, meditate, read, and study spiritual writings but that we learn to respect, assist and to celebrate our fellow creatures on the earth. So we train ourselves to personify God as love, and love is the one thing which it is our responsibility to spread and enlarge in our lives and in the world around us.
Yesterday I was kind of out of sorts to begin with, and by noon I was in a stressful, agitated, on-edge kind of emotional condition. So I went to the window and, looking out, said the Hail Mary prayer three times. I was immediately in a calmer, happier, more agreeable and productive state of mind. I don’t need to know why this works, or how to explain it. I just know it is relief from anxiety, and that it always works. Thank God.
The spiritual experience is like traveling along a woodland trail which someone has marked or blazed to guide you. It is impossible to say whether you are following in the direction of the marks, say east or west, ascending or descending, only that you are on the path someone else has marked so you wouldn’t get lost. Your experience while you are on the path is yours alone. Although someone else has traveled this way before, the path is only a path; the experience is uniquely yours.
It is sometimes beneficial to assign personal qualities to God, to imagine Him as a compassionate, patient, forgiving, helpful and instructive Supreme Being. This kind of personalization, while limited and incomplete, fosters a feeling of closeness and kinship, an intimate emotional bond between the Spirit of Creation and ourselves. We can feel like children of a perfect parent, guided and protected by a heavenly Father. This can give us a sense of the true comfort of the spiritual life.
Our teachers do not give us the Truth. The guidance and instructions of teachers, fellows and friends are only signposts on the spiritual journey. This is because we can only communicate ideas and thought-patterns, which are not Truth but only hints and subtle indications of reality, of our unique, individual experience. We receive the Truth by following these signs and signals until our own experience becomes something real, something vital. The Truth is a destination of the heart, not the mind.
Seng Ts’an writes: “To compare what you like with what you dislike, that is the disease of the mind.”
This is not to say that disliking something is wrong; what is wrong is to compare the present moment with what could, would, or in our minds, should be. “This is bad and I dislike it,” while perhaps unpleasant, is not the same as “This is bad and I wish it were not happening.” When our claims on outcomes or conditions in life are thwarted is when we are unhappy. If we are constantly grateful all that is, is fine, and we are well.
True love is not just a feeling, not affection, not sympathy. True love is action. So love of God is caring for the things of God’s world. The essence of the spirit-based life is dedicating oneself to assisting, nurturing, fostering His creation. Not just by communicating with God do we attain sainthood, but by realizing that we are His agents and the instruments of His peace and goodness. The evidence of our growth is in our increasing ability to make our own concerns and desires secondary and to make helpful, selfless action our primary goal. This is the real challenge in life.
Nick Hilton - Reflections 