I had an insight in meditation a few days ago. I’m sure that these flashes must come to you also when your mind is calm and open. I was trying to deepen my concentration, and failing. This is a common hurdle for all meditators: Even Paramhansa Yogananda’s thoughts were “distributed like leaves in a storm” a few minutes before his guru gave him his first experience of cosmic consciousness. It would be time well spent to read or reread that account in Autobiography of a Yogi.
The insight that came was this: I couldn’t control my restless mind at that moment, but there were many things that I could control. I could control whether or not I sat to meditate, and what techniques I would practice. I could also determine, through a little exertion of will power, how long I would sit, and whether I would keep my body still. I could go on, but you get the point: When the goal is difficult or subtle and beyond your control, don’t give up. Do what you can, and don’t worry about the rest. A journey of a thousand miles is made up of millions of small steps. Take the steps that are within your capacity, always stretching yourself a little so that you don’t get complacent.
We are in Delhi now, and this weekend we’re launching a three-day course: “Living the Gita.” With the help of a great support team, we’ve been preparing for nearly a year. This course represents a whole new direction for Ananda, because it is designed to reach a much broader audience: those who want to improve their lives and circumstances, but are not ready to identify themselves as devotees, or even as potential devotees. Yet they do realize that any lasting change will come from inner transformation and deeper understanding.
During one of the days we’ll present a segment called “The Integrated Person.” It’s designed to help people see themselves as complex individuals with a body, mind/emotions, and a soul. If we really want to improve our consciousness, we must work on all levels of our being. There’s a fun little illustrative video clip below.
As you can see, there are four levels: Physical, Energy, Mental/Emotional, and Spiritual. As a rule, changes are easier to make on a grosser level than on more subtle levels. We start with diet, exercise, sleep, and clean living because everyone can see these things. Energy, mind, emotions, and soul are subtler and generally require techniques that bridge us from the obvious to the more subtle. During the course we’ll work with techniques such as pranayama, energization, affirmation, introspection, and visualization. Why? Because we CAN.
Keep working at your goals. There are divine pearls of love and joy hidden deep within each of us. Yes, we must keep diving. But don’t expect to reach the depths on your first dive, or even on your thousandth. If we just keep doing what we can with commitment and sincerity, we will all reach God’s boundless bliss.
In joy,
Nayaswami Jyotish
View and download your own PDF handout from this course here.
Subscribe to the Touch of Light podcast. Download the audio recording of this week’s blog by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (4:30):
12 Comments
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish Ji,
Thank you for this blog :)
Very useful and at the right time :) “Do what you can, and don’t worry about the rest”
“If we just keep doing what we can with commitment and sincerity, we will all reach God’s boundless bliss.”…. Thank you for these lines in particular.
Profound and Inspiring
In Master’s Love
Prem
These simple little truths that make up this beautiful life. Thank you, for the reminder dear brother
Jai Beloved Guru ?
This new direction reminds me of the SCL Conference at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco many, many years ago! Many blessings for you both!
This reminder comes at a perfect time as I make my way back to deeper and longer meditations.
Wonderful, Jyotish, thanks!
This article was so very helpful!
Do I sense a new book being birthed???!
I have to add my note of appreciation, also, Jyotish. I hear you saying, “Do what you can, but don’t get complacent. Keep growing until you are free . . . “
I was excited to read recently of the scarcely published sixth level in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, above self-actualisation, which was termed “Self Transcendence” which I have also seen explained as “selfless service to others and a cause beyond an individual” and also as “ego-transcendent motivations”.
This is what he said in 1969:
“The fully developed (and very fortunate) human being, working under the best conditions tends to be motivated by values which transcend his self. They are not selfish anymore in the old sense of that term. Beauty is not within one’s skin nor is justice or order. One can hardly class these desires as selfish in the sense that my desire for food might be. My satisfaction with achieving or allowing justice is not within my own skin; it does not lie along my arteries. It is equally outside and inside: therefore, it has transcended the geographical limitations of the self.”
Especially when one learns of this new apex, I think the two pyramind structures are close in concept and inspiring ways to shine a light on how one can progress on one’s journey and maybe to help others along their way.
Thank you dear Jyotish and Devi for working with so much love and willingness to help everyone in the world.
I feel like a little seedling of love you planted long ago that is now a young healthy tree.
With love in God and Guru, bhajana ???
Dear Jyotish Ji,
Very inspiring and insightful … especially we CAN…and million baby steps…
We are so grateful.
Om Guru,
Priya
Aum. Guru
Dear Jyotish,
I read your blog post some weeks ago. This morning I remembered it during my meditation and your thoughts were helpful to me.
Thank you,
Ganesha
Ananda Village