How Should We Cooperate?
Cooperation means rising beyond your physical existence, not giving
into the pulls of the lower existence, but rising, with some understanding
of the ecstasy of the spiritual existence, and trying to cooperate with the
higher, up-flowing path, and forgetting that the lower pull is there. This
is where the need for discipline comes that, when food is offered and there
is a sitting, we must naturally
prefer the sitting, not
the food. When we can sleep or alternatively we can listen to a talk on spirituality,
we must instinctively, naturally, spontaneously listen to the talk and not
go for sleeping, because sleep is the pull of lower life, food is the pull
towards the lower existence, and after all we are not asked to be hungry for
twenty seven days. It is for a half an hour or one hour or a couple of hours.
So this is where the need for self-discipline comes. The most important aspect
of discipline is self-discipline.
Cooperation is the first step towards the eventual step of surrender. How
to create cooperation? Take interest. So the first principle of Sahaj
Marg - take interest! As an abhyasi,
take interest in your sadhana,
in your evolution, in your ability to reach the goal. As a preceptor,
take interest in the work that you have voluntarily undertaken.
Master said, "Take interest not in yourself, but in
your work, in your responsibilities, in your evolution."
Because when I take interest in myself, as I am today, it
is selfish. And I, by that very act of taking interest in
myself, put a bar to my advancement, because the interest
is in myself, as I am, and I will continue to be what I
am. Therefore, my evolution is stopped. This is perhaps
one reason why selfishness obstructs all growth. But interest
in the work, interest in the Master, interest in the Mission,
interest in the abhyasis' welfare, it takes away our interest
or self-centredness and projects it outside ourselves. And
it makes for sincerity, for ability, for ultimately the
Ultimate capacity.
If there is complete cooperation, then the work is easy. Suppose I go on
cleaning and the abhyasi
goes on adding more and more grossness, then what can I do? So the abhyasi
must cooperate. He must modify his life in such a way that it is helpful
to his progress. To remove past accumulations is the Master's work. But
the abhyasi should be
alert that he does not add more grossness by his own thoughts and actions.
So, if this process of self cleaning
is followed, then by Master's grace a stage can be reached when the formation
of impressions no longer takes place, and samskara
formation stops. But to arrive at this condition the abhyasi
must cooperate.
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