‘Spiritual Attitude’ & Confusions Encountered During Its Development

Question::

Answer:

(Extracted from Meher Baba’s literature, which is a copyright of Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust(©AMBPPCT), Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, Bharat/India)

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The entire ‘spiritual process’ should never be regarded as one that can be described in intellectual terms, grasped by the mind and followed as a personal discipline.

In many ways, it constitutes the abandoning of all the ‘previous-means’ by which the individual had thought to achieve ‘lasting peace’.

In other ways, it is the ESSENTIALIZING and ENLIGHTENED use of those same methods, but with a new sense of their utility.

The ‘spiritual attitude’ represents nothing essentially new in the ‘material life’ of the individual, but is rather a “reorganization” and “reinterpretation” of all that has existed in his life, and an infusion of NEW MEANING into the ‘present’ and ‘future’. In achieving this ‘reorientation’, the aspirant often finds himself temporarily confused.

1)       

One of these points of confusion concerns his attitude towards intellectuality, science and technology. If the ‘spiritual quest’ is to be real, it cannot be deflected by an obsession with this viral nerve network of modern civilization. In some way, the aspirant must place it in proper perspective with the totality of human development, and thereby be neither hypnotized nor repelled by it.

“Intellect” is reserved, so to speak by nature for man. To have intellect one must be a human being. Regardless of how ‘keen’ and ‘quick’ that intellect may be, though, it will always remain just one of the stepping-stones to

• wisdom,
• inspiration,
• illumination,
• knowledge, and at last,
• realization of truth.

To keep playing on the stepping-stone, however polished it may be, is like sitting tight on a heap of hoarded treasure.

Like everything else, ‘intellect’ can be used as well as misused. The deeper the intelligence, the greater one’s responsibility to discriminate between

• essential and non-essential,
• service and disservice,
• progress and retrogression.

The task of the aspirant is to use ‘intellect’ as a TOOL, not to be overcome by it.

2)

Often one hears in religious discussion of the opposition between ‘matter’ and ‘spirit’. There is no fundamental opposition between matter and spirit.  

Like the closely knit elements of ‘life’ and ‘form’ in a person, the ‘spiritual’ and ‘material’ aspects of human life are CLOSELY UNITED.

Realization of this would eliminate erroneous contrasting concepts such as God and man, one and many, light and darkness, etc., all of which spring from all the illusion of duality

The fundamental link between ‘spirit’ and ‘matter’ can be seen in the necessary connection between ‘ideas’ and ‘deeds’. Mere playing with ‘spiritual ideas’ without putting them into action is as unproductive as emphasizing the ‘material’ at the expense of the ‘spiritual’. The simplicity of the real solution to all problems makes that solution increasingly baffling.

The real solution lies in the elimination of all self-interest; this makes man ‘practical’ in the truest sense of the word, and gives him strength to face the facts concerning ‘body’ and ‘soul’.

The aspirant need not worry about the opposition between ‘spirit’ and ‘matter’, but should rather concern himself with the PROPER USE of the one as the vehicle of the other. Then he will realize the ‘higher ideals’ which relate to the “actions” of everyday life. The ‘living spirit’ behind love, service, and brotherhood then blossom out in accomplished deeds, and is no longer ’empty words’ and ‘academic theories’ reserved for armchair practice.  
   God’s infinite beauty, power and bliss are experienced with full consciousness in art, science, literature, nature and all walks of life.

3)

Although the unconscious slavery of modern man to the ‘industrial age’ is a serious matter, the emancipation of mankind from ‘physical’ and ‘economic’ slavery is a comparatively easy affair.

The real slavery, because it is the most cruel and destructive of all, is the ‘intellectual bigotry’ which claims to possess an exclusive monopoly on all truth.

It is people obsessed by such a belief who, when they happen to be in a position of ‘material power’, hasten the downfall of a laboriously built civilization or the disintegration of a living religion.

Man can be redeemed from all types of bondage- physical, mental, spiritual, social, political, moral sooner or later. But

the redemption of man from the self-imposed shackles of intellectual self-sufficiency, uncritically accepted ideals, and a dry religious heritage is a task which is well-nigh super-human.

HERE IS THE REAL TASK OF THE ASPIRANT: to pierce through his own layers of SELF-IMPOSED “self-sufficiency” and “insensitivity” so that he may expose a layer of ‘vital awareness’ to the world about him, which would teach him if it could.

4)

Often the aspirant is concerned in the early phases of his awakening by his attitude towards established religions and their rituals. All of these have a tendency to encourage the ‘spirit of love and worship’, and as such THEY HELP TO A LIMITED EXTENT in wearing out the “ego-shell” in which human consciousness is caught.
   But, if they are followed unintelligently and mechanically, the inner spirit of love and worship dries up. Then they harden the “ego-shell” instead of wearing it out.

Rituals and ceremonies CANNOT CARRY one very far towards the path and– if they are unintelligently followed, they bind as much as any other unintelligent action.
   In fact, when they are deprived of all “inner life”, they are in a sense, more dangerous than other unintelligent action, because they are pursued in the belief that they help towards “God-realization”. Due to this element of “self-delusion”, LIFELESS forms and ceremonies become a side-track to the path.

Through mere force of habit one can become so attached to these external forms that “intense suffering” may be required to dispel their imaginary value.

5)

Often the aspirant becomes discouraged when he begins to understand how very long and difficult the path is. But these are persons who are concentrating only on jumping to the ‘final goal’ and have not yet been caught up in the absorbing challenges which call for the ‘greatest ingenuity’ at every step of the way.
   When the aspirant meets the CHALLENGE of “life’s game”, it becomes so exhilarating that there is little inclination to worry whether the goal is one or a crore of lifetimes away.
   A ‘healthy approach to life” contains the automatic answer to “pessimism” over the distance to be travelled.

6)

The man of the world believes that– to have understood a thing intellectually is to have learned it. The true lesson in action, though, involves the wearing out of the “sanskaras” and the “wants” they engender. To learn in this sense, it is not enough to comprehend intellectually.

‘Learning’ may be a lengthy process which moves slowly through many, many repetitions of difficult situations.

“Learning” has not been accomplished until one has been freed from all “emotional entanglement”.

This is almost, if not entirely, impossible without the aid of a Master.It is for this reason that when the aspirant realizes the master’s true contribution, he greets the Master with much joy.

7)

All ‘action’ except that which is intelligently designed to attain ‘God-realization’, BINDS consciousness. It is not only an expression of accumulated ignorance, but also a further addition to that accumulated ignorance.
   Sometimes the pilgrim becomes so weary of recognizing that– each ‘act’, instead of unwinding a ‘knot’ in the inner being, has only tightened it harder, that he wonders whether it is wise to continue a ‘life of action’.

In many ways, “inaction” is preferable to ‘unintelligent action’ for it has at least the merit of not creating further sanskaras. Even good action creates ‘sanskaras’ and adds to the complications created by ‘past actions’.

Life strives to UNWIND the ‘limiting sanskaras’ and find release from the mazes of its own making to ensure that its further creations might spring directly from the ‘heart of eternity’ and bear the stamp of the unhampered freedom and intrinsic richness of “being” that knows no limitation.

“Action” that is aimed at attaining God is truly intelligent and spiritually fruitful because it brings release from bondage. It is second only to that action which springs spontaneously from the state of ‘divine knowledge’ itself.
   All other forms of action (however good or bad and however effective or ineffective from the worldly point of view) contribute to bondages of the soul and as such, are inferior to inaction.
   ‘Inaction’ is less helpful than ‘intelligent action’, but it is better than ‘unintelligent action’ for it amounts to the non-doing of that which would have created a ‘binding’.

The transition from ‘unintelligent action’ to ‘intelligent action’ (i.e., from binding-karma to unbinding-karma) is often through “inaction”. This is the stage when ‘unintelligent action’ has stopped because of critical doubt, and ‘intelligent action’ has not yet begun because ADEQUATE MOMENTUM has not been achieved.

This special type of ‘inaction’, which plays a definite part in progress on the path, should not be confused with ordinary inaction that springs from ‘inertia’ or ‘fear of life’.

The state of inaction that springs from ‘critical doubt’ gives way sooner or later to ‘intelligent action’, and intelligent action in turn is dissolved in the final goal of ‘perfect inaction’.

‘Perfect inaction’ does not mean inactivity.

When ‘self’ is ABSENT, one achieves ‘inaction’ in one’s every action, however excessive it be.

Various of the yogas such as Karma Yoga and Dnyan Yoga can be instrumental in achieving the end of all action by practicing ‘inaction’ in the midst of intense activity.

The only way to live a life of ‘absolute inaction’ is to surrender completely to a Perfect Master. Then one dies entirely to oneself and lives only for the Perfect Master, acting and fulfilling the dictates of the beloved one.

–    Meher Baba

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Source::
Listen Humanity, Pg: 174-178
© AMBPPCT, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, Bharat/India