The Path to God

When visiting the Ashram people, I am often reminded of my days in the ashram.

Those were such great years, all carefully constructed to maximize evolution, with great attention to the subtle principles of evolution, while most attentive to what is simply human nature. It is only natural to want to see progress. It is natural to want sudden shifts or powerful and dramatic experiences.

Though there are moments of such phase transition, evolution is more like a tree growing. Purification is like ice slowly melting away. It is a gradual process. My job is to just keep the process moving along. As I have said in the past, it is almost like taking a bubbling caldron and setting it in the corner of the room to give it time to calm down. Of course, in the case of people, that bubbling is often experienced as unrest and impatience. It is natural to “want something to happen.” That is most understandable.

When there are openings, opportunities if you will, to facilitate a sudden shift, I take those opportunities. It is natural to look to me, as the head of the ashram, to provide those moments.

However, the truth is that you are the one who creates those moments naturally as you evolve. I only seize the opportunity when it arises. I must admit that I feel the desire to interact more than I do at times. I would just enjoy the connection with you. However, I remain dedicated to your evolution over and above all else.

It is like a gardener, who simply sees when the plant needs more water, shade, sun, or whatever. However, most of the time, the plant needs to be left alone, allowed to grow naturally on its own. The gardener has already provided the environment (the garden) for that to happen.

In the case of the ashram program, the garden is the ashram. In other cases, it is your meditation routine at home and when you come to retreats and classes. Though moments of focused attention and sudden transformation do occur, by and large, the process is gradual, like ice melting.

This is still another reason why the path of evolution is highly elusive, like traversing a razors edge. Temptations to go for a dramatic experience are all around you. The inclination to give up since nothing dramatic seems to be happening is also there. Yet the genuine longing for true evolution keeps you going.

As Anandamayi Ma said, “The longing for God is, in and of itself, the path to God.” It is most moving to witness those who steadfastly stay on that path.

I must admit: Even though I too dedicated so many years/lifetimes to this, it is incredibly humbling for me to see others do the same.