Is there really a “spiritual seeker”?

The other day we were reading asthavkra gita, yoga vasistha. the one answer that came to our minds was ignorance alone was the reason. How to understand this ignorance. It needs an objective observation or in other words. Sakshibhava. If only we can start looking at everything with that awareness to some extent we were able to see the ground reality. We need to identify first, where do we blunder, where do we misunderstand, where do we miss path.

#Rameshbalsekhar in his book puts in simple words. May be these words could throw some light on this Deepavali day so that our search for truth is on the right path.

Wishing you all a Very Happy Diwali

with prayers

amritham

Is there really a “spiritual seeker”?

What does a spiritual seeker seek? Enlightenment? What does he expect “enlightenment” to do for him for the rest of his life that he didn’t have before? If he gives some thought to this very basic question, he will come to the conclusion that what he expects

ultimately is harmony in his relationship with the “other” and peace with himself.

And what does the ordinary human being want most in life - one who is reasonably comfortable in life and not below the poverty line?

A little thought will bring one to the conclusion that what every human being ultimately wants is also a harmonious relationship with the other and peace with himself.

A spiritual seeker usually has no clear idea of what he is seeking. He may term it as self-realization or enlightenment. What he really has in mind is an experience of ecstasy, something on the lines of a photograph he might have seen of the sage Ramakrishna or a Sufi saint in ecstasy.

He does not realize that any experience is essentially temporary, time-bound – a few minutes or a few hours – and is not what the sage has really got out of his enlightenment. What the sage really has is a deep, ultimate understanding – with or without an experience.

What the understanding has brought him is a deep sense of peace within himself and a sense of harmony with the other, whether the other is a close relative or a total stranger. This is not a temporary experience but a lasting one, the very basis of his daily living.

It is very necessary for the spiritual to understand this fact clearly in order to avoid deep frustration after years of spiritual seeking. 

by Sri Ramesh Balsekar