What To Do?

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Namaste (I bow to That Supreme Light Shining in your Heart)

As you say, everyone has the same identity. That being so, all have been given the same, and truly speaking, all are on an equal footing. God has given His love to everyone equally; that is, He loves all alike and has no preferences or bias. But not everyone experiences that Love the same; in fact, some experience it very little. Why? Because they filter His Love through their mind and ego. In other words, they identify with their small self (personality) or with someone else’s small self; hence, they never experience the Supreme Self (Godhead Personality).

To know the Supreme Self, the Supreme Being, we need to stop being so caught up in our own small self. Anything that enhances our ego (our identification with the non-self) diminishes our experience of the Real Self. Sometimes even so-called spiritual practices can become a trap if they enhance our false identification. You might have heard the story of a disciple of Shri Ramakrishna: the disciple was meditating daily for many, many hours, and he approached his Guru and asked him what he could do to quicken his spiritual progress. The Master told him, "Stop meditating." Upon hearing this, the disciple was very confused, but later understood the reason for this instruction. Sometimes our ‘spiritual experiences’ carry too much importance in our mind. We need to remind ourselves that the only truly spiritual experience is to unconditionally feel His Presence in our heart. This experience needs no confirmation, has no signs (in the form of esoteric experiences), and cannot be conveyed in words. Its presence is revealed by wisdom, power of discernment, compassion, mercy, simplicity, and a complete lack of any desire for recognition or appreciation.

Established in that state of Divine Love, one has no question about what one did before, what one is doing now, or what one should do next. The past, the present, the future. . . these differences in time and place have no relevance to the one who is established in the Supreme State, which is beyond change, which is eternally the same, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent reality.

How do we become established in that State of Supreme Consciousness? We need to stop our preoccupation with our body-consciousness and our mental-consciousness. These two together are known as ego-consciousness. This ego-consciousness is the blockage that is preventing us from having the uninterrupted perception of Reality. In other words, our ego is in the way. Overcoming ego is the only real spiritual practice, and this can be done anywhere, everywhere, anytime, all the time. We know when we are in our ego, and when we know it, we should do something about it. It begins with our attitude. We need to have a humble attitude and realize that we are nothing and nobody, and that God is Everything.

On the path to Liberation (Total Freedom from ego) a spiritual guide is essential. The further we travel on the path, the subtler the ego becomes. We need to remind ourselves that the ego is still there, even though we might not see it. It is impossible to overcome this subtle ego without any guidance. Many persons fall into the trap of subtle spiritual ego and never find their way out.

What do you need to do now? Just be yourself (the Real Self), that’s all. There is nothing else to do. Just be, and be just. To be fair, to be honest, all we need to do is honor the Real Self which is present in everyone, everywhere, all the time. When we become the judge, we can also become the judged. But if we have nothing to prove and nothing to disprove, then we are beyond all feelings of acceptance and rejection. It doesn’t mean that we have no power of discernment. On the contrary, it means that our intelligence is free from all mental images and distortions, that our perception is clear, our determination is firm, and our commitment is unshakable.

Never pollute the mind, memory, intellect, senses, and body with things that will clog your system (mind/body/intellect) and block the perception of the Truth. If you do, it will make you hard-hearted, dull-witted, selfish, and morbid. For example, never eat dead animals, or drink alcohol, or take illicit drugs; never treat yourself or others as an object of lust; don’t be lazy or complacent; don’t waste your time reading useless novels or watching useless television shows; don’t bend your principles to please your ego or anyone else’s ego; don’t fall into the hands of charlatans or make-believe prophets.

Make a gift of your life and give it to God. Once you’ve done that, your life belongs to Him, it’s not yours anymore. So what do you do with it? Just keep it safely for Him, to use for whatever purpose He might have. His purpose is not your concern. This is His life but He has placed it in your hands. Protect it, nourish it, enhance it, and yes. . . share it, wisely. There is no end to God’s Life. It goes on and on and on. There is no end to serving, growing, improving, and learning. With these thoughts in mind, just live everyday a day at a time, without any expectation, worry, or regret.

                                                                                                                   Keep Shining!

                                                                                                                        Mahadev

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