Le Cheminement Spirituel

How is the birth of a seeker of Truth? How does this happen? There are abundant stories of what is called now saints, seers. But a seeker of Truth is usually a disturbed individual. Normal endeavors don't satisfy him. He has these normal pulls like everyone else. Normal needs, whatever that means. But at the same time, all these things, in a way, are tasteless for him. There's something there always disturbing those investments. They are saying that these have nothing. As he matures and understands that the quest for Truth is the only thing that is worthwhile, the weight, the heaviness of the understanding comes because he has the same pulls as anyone else. Decisions will have to be made constantly. Things been letting go, falling behind, falling behind. What is life? What you call human normal life? Is the life where most of you are in this moment. Why are you there in that place, looking at those people and in those circumstances? In a way, making it simple, it has to do about the beliefs you have about yourself and about the world. And with these, the ideas, the images of happiness towards which you are working for.

So it is not about security, houses, power, relationships or affection. It's not about these things. You are going towards a relationship for different reasons. Most of these reasons are not clear, but some are. The main picture is happiness. So you are not going for the relationship, but for the happiness that you believe that comes from the relationship, You're not working for money, for example, but for the happiness that you believe that comes from all the things that it can get you. So everything is about happiness. So as you move from a normal life and you start getting access to these spiritual teachings, it means you're ready for the next level. Eventually, you will perceive this. What life is telling everybody... It doesn't matter if you are having a nice life or a very bad life, or something in between. Pay attention to these "good", "bad" and "in between", it's about the concepts that you have, not about an external evaluation. It doesn't matter, it will not satisfy. The hunger that's there is different. You think that there is a problem with you. And when you solve that problem then that image that you hold about happiness, circumstantial happiness, when all those circumstances are in place, then you'll be happy. Life is telling you: No, I do not have what you are looking for. Over and over again. Even in that subject, there are a lot of things we have to speak up separately, not today. Let's keep it simple. Life is telling you: "I don't have what you think I have." You are persisting, insisting, because that image is very important. It is a salvation. Then the frustration comes by this understanding that it failed again. But then, as this belief subsides, you will renew, a new hope will come, that in a new way you will be able to get to this image of happiness. So, as these images remain, investments in those types of circumstances will continue.

But where do these images come from? You'll go back to the beliefs which you don't know where they came from, also. You'll just be walking in circles. You think that what appears in your intimate space of perception is yours. But it isn't. If you have spent some time in silence, in real silence you'll see that a lot of things cross that space that you don't even perceive in normal perception. Some gain importance, others don't. But nothing there is yours, as you imagine. So, the life where you find yourself in a way reveals, from the most superficial to the most profound, the beliefs that you are carrying. It' not about abandoning everything or not abandoning everything, but it's about abandoning all beliefs. If circumstances follow, whatever. Probably they will, eventually. Because if you understand, really, that happiness is not circumstantial, that it's just distracting your attention from the big game -- from the highest goal, from glory, from the knowledge of who you are -- you'll put it aside. But even this "you'll put aside", it's a wrong understanding because the quest for happiness remains, no matter what.

It only changes the name, it will become quest for Truth. So, by understanding that which is robbing your time and attention, with the same investments that take you to the same delusions and support them, you'll divert your attention to that which helps the quest for Truth, unavoidably removing your attention from the rest. So you're not really turning your back to things, you're just going after, in a more clarified way, what you are really looking for. So in the beginning, not all of you will have so much clarity about the nexts. But fears will be there to help you. They will be pointers. But eventually you'll have to open yourself for guidance. If you're really in a quest for Truth, that will be a need. Your need. So the real birth of the seeker of Truth begins as he starts cutting these investments that are supporting human needs, human goals: security, attention, affection, the need to be accepted, the need to belong, to be a part of something, the need of a purpose, and all these things that will eventually or that promise happiness, circumstantial happiness. Happiness from this world, or any other subsequent world, from the lowest to the highest, or from the grossest to the subtlest. You'll reject all of this happiness, you'll cut its investments. As he starts cutting, and the intensity of this cutting will depen on each one of you, on what is possible, but a small conquest, whatever you can cut, will help you in a very intense way into the next level. As you cut these investments you'll see what is always pushing you into these unnecessary things. Fears, sadness will arise intensely to make you go back to the same investments. Most of the times they will succeed, you will succumb. But if you're really, really sincere you'll ask for help and you'll find it. Even this doesn't solve everything because to find it and to use it, take it are different steps. Eventually, if the quest for Truth is really there, you'll succeed. Cutting these human investments is the end of a story and the beginning of a new one. It is imagined that this cutting is the end, but it's not. Is the end of a worldly story and the birth of a seeker of Truth. The beginning of a new story, a more suitable one for the goal of happiness. But this goal is useless because this idea of happiness is contaminated by these worldly images of circumstantial happiness. Has nothing to do with the Source, with Truth. As you cut these investments, you will start seeing the fire that I've been talking about.

As these investments are being cut, and you are going through the struggles, then the process becomes alive. Before that is just nothing. If you are sincere and you persist, help will come. But you will be tested. Obstacles will be there, your resistances in a very intense way, and other obstacles. But if you're sincere, you'll be unstoppable. If not this time, next time for sure. If not, next time. But you'll not give up. You see? Successes in the spiritual path are a help but they can become also a big obstacle. Failures by the other hand. can become big helps because in the end it's not about what you do, what you've gone through. This is just a process. It is unavoidable. It has to go through. But this is not the thing yet. These failures will keep you humble. Successes on the other hand... To the real seeker of Truth, his works always shows that he knows nothing. Whatever he thinks he knows, he'll see that has no worth. For the seeker of well-being, this takes a very long time. So "I know things" becomes a big wall that keeps him unreachable for anything that could really help him. So the only thing that can help him is suffering which is a big blessing. I'll speak about this also in another day. The process of a seeker of Truth is a living process. It's a very intense process. It doesn't leave room for anything else, really. For those of you, for example, that are coming in touch with spiritual teachings for the first time and are trying to practice certain things, you'll see that to practice meditation, for example, while you are doing meditation it is impossible to do be doing something else at the same time. Choices. Whatever you eat makes a difference in your work. You will see this. Choices. Wherever you go, it will make a difference in your meditation. Choices. To meditate you close your eyes. To the other undertakings you have to open them. Choices. For one to increase, the other has to decrease. In the process of a seeker of Truth, meditation has to increase the time. This is another big subject also because you can meditate a long time and still...

This is a conversation about motivations, right motivations. The seeker of Truth... Those who are in a hurry: "OK, so this is a worldly life, so I'll abandon everything." Maybe this is not your challenge. Maybe your challenge is to be in the middle of that. Maybe your fears are more connected to be in the middle of that. Circumstance. If it's easy, what is the point? Understand that it is the investment, not the thing in itself. Because it is the thing, if it is the form and not the content, what you'll do is to let go off this life or these things, and you'll transfer this to the new life, whatever that means. So nothing has changed. I'll give an example in the next one, probably the next one, about when people move to spiritual places, to ashrams for example. This will give a clearer picture of cutting the investments versus cutting the form and transferring to a new circumstance. This is always happening. It's about paying attention because you have struggle intensely to make this change now. Tomorrow, from inside will come the redirecting to take this old investment that was cut into a new circumstance to give you the impression that you making changes and moving, but the core is maintained, you see? The body -- or body and mind, whatever -- is programmed for survival. If life and individual goals are dissolving by the lack of importance, by the lack of investment, so the food of the individual that which apparently sustains him as you perceive yourself this apparent individual also starts dissolving, dissolving... until it disappears.

As it's programmed to survival in a way you have to earn your freedom. because from inside needs will come. They will come with an intense pain into it. Intense suffering that pushes you to: "no, I have to go back" and you'll feel sorry for yourself. And you'll lose, again and again. If you go through that pain and you stop this investment you will see the nature of all of this. And this is not Truth yet because the last part is like a boat that keeps on sailing, keeps on moving without an engine, without the sails, without any wind, without anything. The last part is of stillness. Stillness... I'll also go into this later. Before this, it's a big epic until you get really established on this silence. With all these afflictions that you're carrying, that makes you invest in a lot of things at the same time, what peace can be there? What truth, what divine love, divine romance? Impossible. So your life, for the majority of you -- for seekers of Truth also -- is still there. Material context, spiritual context, it doesn't make a difference. You will probably recognize those human investments. This is robbing your gold. You're settling for crumbs, so no banquet. For that quest to become serious investments have to be more conscious towards Truth only and not relating with human needs. This world doesn't exist, it's not real. Do you have the courage to see it?

You have to question, question it. It's not about making decisions of "ohh, is this the best, should I do this, should I do that?" You have to question. So things are coming intensely that "I have to do this". Let's see. I won't. There's no point in flying to higher grounds if you don't know how to crawl yet. Silence and stillness are not for the afflicted man that cannot remain in that stillness, in the stillness, in the absence of importance given to whatever. If attention is moving towards these things, no silence, no stillness. If you are afflicted by these needs it's best to just go for a worldly life than to twist things. Honesty is a very important part. So the birth of the seeker of Truth is into a fire pit and this big fire pit is done with your worldly investments, with your human investments, with your human goals. You'll cut them there and you'll put fire to them. You'll cut the investments to them. Your life becomes a blank. No certainties, no projections, no tomorrow, no yesterday. OK. So for an idea, for a vision of the seeker of Truth and how to begin with, you can give small steps, ant steps or you can go for lion steps. Whatever you do, just don't stop. I guarantee you that your fears will tell you that this is useless and will want to grab the old unimportant things, knowing that it's unimportant. All of this will come: "ohh, give up, that is too much". If you pay attention to this you will succumb and you'll never know anything beyond this. If you go through that, through all these turmoils, you'll know glory, you'll know who you are. It's the same. OK.