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Three Stages
Meditators Experience on the Path
by Jyotish & Devi Novak
Swami Kriyananda
has always stressed the importance of finishing a job completely
before going on to the next. In every project there are three stages:
the initial creative inspiration, the hard work of overcoming all
the problems involved, and the joy of bringing it to completion.
When the initial inspiration begins to fade and the challenges arise,
it's easy to abandon a project, rather than put out the energy to
push through to completion. We repeat this pattern over and over
until we learn that success comes only with sustained concentration.
We find that
there is a similar pattern in our practice of meditation. At first,
we're carried along by the initial inspiration and joy of discovering
the spiritual path. Often new devotees are blessed with deep inner
experiences and an ease of achieving depth in meditation that eludes
us later on. Swami Kriyananda has explained that this is God's way
of giving us confidence in our own spiritual potential.
Then we hit
the middle phase when the hard work begins. This period can take
many years as we struggle with desires, attachments, and karmic
tendencies that keep us from allowing the flow of Spirit into our
lives. And we get restless. That's why Master said that the key
to success in meditation is intensity and duration of effort.
To get through
dry, restless periods on the path, it's helpful to bring fresh,
creative approaches to our sadhana (spiritual practice). Try adding
chanting (or learning new chants), or practice walking meditations
in nature, or incorporate a period of yoga postures into your day,
or take a retreat in an inspiring environment. Spiritual perseverance
in the face of restlessness will ultimately lead us through the
period of effort to the third phase of inner joy and fulfillment.
Next: Take
a Long-Term View of Your Meditation Practice
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