O Processo Espiritual

So a question came to me that I hear a lot. So “Why the beings have to do penance when the God has already created them "like that." Like that? What does this means “like that”? Like the way you recognize yourself right now? So many things have passed already and if you’re talking about creation, well, as it seems, this “Like that” was not always like that. It was smaller, clumsier and a lot of adjectives can be put on top of this. So since the body is born, you see a lot of things that can be called penance. Life is nothing but penance. But is this punishment, or is it role-fulfilling? From where you stand and the difficulties you seem to encounter, this seem like penance to overcome them. Because you are identifying with this role, the role. Who is this God? Who is it, but yourself? You see there’s those who say there is creation and those who say that there’s no creation. And both are right. So are identifying with the Story, and it is just A story, you see yourself in the middle of others and look at others and you see that your Story, your individual Story, but you’re not getting the picture. It is just A story. Which really doesn’t exist in the absolute sense, and we will go to that.. But from where you stand, it is just A story, not your story and others’ story. It’s A story with different characters. And as you don’t know who you are, as you don’t know that you are that God that you are referring to in the question and not this character, well, that is the possible perception and those questions are bound to come. When there is the knowledge, when the part of the story reaches a point that it is possible to raise these questions.

 

Because most of the beings don’t even question this, because well. they have no conditions for it. So from the standpoint of this character, he needs to continue to follow its part, it’s inevitable. And these questions of penance, it is about attachments to the Story and not seeing this as a Story, being immersed in the part, you see? But when you start to rise above this Story, in your understanding, in your seeing, still you’ll be, you continue to be compelled by the Story, by the part. And there will be mixed feelings, like now, for example. There’s other objectives, you see, about this Story and it’s not about just a human love. It is also about Divine Love. Which is far more greater, you see? All sorts of love are experienced. There is nothing but Love. Even what you call hate, it is a sort of Love. Very difficult to understand this and to those which is possible to understand, understanding will be there, and to those it is not possible, understanding won’t be there, because you will see when you, the Giant awakens, you see, when you know who you are, you will see, that all that you have been through, could not be possible by knowing who you are. So in a way it is beautiful and it is perfect. There’ s only perfection. So but from where you stand, this cannot be possible, or else, this cannot be seen or the story would stop. It would reveal itself as it really is from the point of you of purpose which is – purposeless. So this story really, really, really, really never happened. And it appears to be always happening but it really isn’t. From the point of that it is happening, it is just a story. Much bigger story than it seems from the point of you, because you’re standing an individual story in the middle of other stories.

 

And it is just A Story, just A Story. You’ll be touch in a way where you need to fulfill your part, you see? And this story, this big story, apparently also has many episodes. And these episodes they go faaar beyond your present memory. So with that little mind it is difficult to embrace the whole story. So just bits and pieces, VERY small little pieces and from this – what can you get? You see? So this question, when this question becomes more mature, “Why the beings have to do penance when the God has already created them like that?”, when this become really mature, no penance is really needed because the understanding is there. So the Story for this individual is getting over. The Story is ending. This play, play. Before that it is kind of a whining, a kind of the need to maintain things which are precious now, which are dear, its difficulty in pursuing, in continuing. So even those high philosophies, these higher understandings, for those who have them, they are meaningless, you see? And this idea of Time and causality, it is not really the way, it is understood. You have to see that understanding is something that changes also, and comes assisting the Story, the Story… And even the answer to this question, or the several views from this question, it cannot be given fully, because it cannot be received fully, you see? So God created them like that. Like that? How? Like you are now? Like you were ten years ago, twenty years ago, two lifetimes ago? When? When are you referring? What is penance? What is penance, you see? For some doing meditation is penance. For others not doing meditation is penance. For some going to raves is penance, for others is very good. No penance at all. So what is, what are these penances?

 

For the seeker of Truth which is… as he talks about penance, a spiritual practice, he is preparing, preparing his nature to higher grounds, for this Divine Love, which is a very important part in Creation. It is the most beautiful, the most beautiful experience, as you experience yourself in this way. so this surrender that is talked about is actually surrender to yourself. But if you know this....experience becomes nothing. But the nice part of this is, that you cannot pretend, it is impossible to pretend. And you may try it, and you will but you cannot pretend… So if you don’t give yourself fully to the part…and even these positions they are quite funny (laugh) and very difficult to finish.

 

“So why the world and us cannot be prefect”, this was the second question, attached to the first one. From the standpoint of the world it is perfect. If you knew ten years ago what you knew now, you couldn’t gone through these experiences that you went through. And even these experiences will be seen as Love, when you know who you are, will be seen as fun, very nice, when you know who you are. There is nothing but gold. Nothing but gold… There’s really nothing but perfection. From the standpoint of the world, perfection has to be achieved. Both are right, in their own way. Story follows its own script and from this script you imagine that you have an individual story, that you can decide things and this and that. And as, as you have this conviction and this conviction goes beyond, far beyond what you call understanding, it is a God-like thing, not just a mental reasoning. As you have this conviction about decisions, then, in a way, yes - you will be making decisions. But not really. As these emotions, thoughts, sensations hold power over you, you can use these higher wisdoms and eventually you will be swayed back again. Because as these sensations, emotions, thoughts are important to you, you will always come under their grip. So these questions they come, but the story continues, you see? And inside the story, story is not a dead thing, this is compelling all the characters. The identity behind the characters, the I, which is the God. This I, you see? To continue to give in importance to the story, compel it, compel the character to do, to pursue and all these.. it doesn’t matter what he is doing, as long as he is giving importance to it from the standpoint of the individual, then it is fine. And the more you will try to awaken from this, the more you will feel the counter force, which start coming to you. And this is the part of the seeker in the middle of the story. And sometimes for some of you these different sentences that are being given together, they may seem like they are countering themselves. And in a way they are because I’m giving you different standpoints, those that you can grasp, those that you cannot grasp. I’m looking from where you looking, and from where I’m looking.

 

So they seem opposite, you see? They are not really opposite, not really opposite. So when you start to do this what you call ‘penance’, this trying to awake, trying to awake from the Story, the story will rebel, you see. So this vision of “let us just flow”, this doesn’t help the seeker not in the Story, of course, not for the character of course. And for those who are saying that they are not a character - look around! You are nothing but a character yet. Look around! So these ideas of, well….. “I’m not a character and there’s nothing to be done”, oh this is the strongest, the strongest affirmation. And if it’s not penance-like, well – you’re awaken already. Or you’re fooling yourself. One of them has to be there. Not both! Just one. Pay attention to this. This is important. So as you who know that you really don’t know who you are yet this rising above the story seems anti-natural. And the world which is so..which seems so like a place where you can decide to participate or decide to leave, which is just there. You will see that the world will suddenly become very interested about you, you see?

 

And that you will feel all the resistance that will come to you so that you stop what you call penances, spiritual penances. You will feel its grip like throwing you back where you are, intensely. And part of you will identify with that urge and will want to go back also. So you have to continue, you see? So these questions are arising because you don’t understand enough yet. And that will almost always be like this. Because there will come a point when understanding will not be there yet also, but the need will not arise. This will become unimportant. But for the seeker of Truth, it doesn’t matter what he understands or what he doesn’t. Just keep working, keep your penance, which seem penance now. It will be seen different later but what matters is where you seem be standing now. For the one who has nothing to do, who holds to this “there is nothing to be done here”, it is true, it is.. but he is not engaging in anything anymore, you see? He has no interest in the Story, the Story has absolutely no interest in him also. And he may be seen, he may seem that he is doing nothing, but if he is not a knower of Truth, then outwardly he is doing nothing, innerly he is intensely engaged, intensely engaged.. Even if it is only the greatest activity, which is Soul Communion, you see? Divine Romance….

 

~ Sriman Narayana