A Guided Life
Wednesday, February 15th, 2006The fruit of spiritual practice is the capacity to lead an increasingly guided life. What does this mean?
The more we live in open awareness, free from the constricting tensions of small self, the more fully we express the knowledge, desire, and spontaneous action (kriya) of the cosmic Self.
Those whose human life is most fully expressive of (guided by) the desire, knowledge, and kriya of the world Self are called Self-realized, mahasiddhas, saints, and avatars.
Of course, everything, including the most hardened among us, is already an expression of the freedom of the whole.
So, what is the difference between being any old expression of freedom and one through which the freedom of the world Self shines unimpeded?
The difference is View.
Consider the phenomena of hysterical paralysis and phantom limbs.
In the first instance, a person “knows” some body part is paralyzed even though there is no physical reason for the lack of ability to move. In the second instance, a person feels pain in a limb that has been removed.
These phenomena are neither hysterical nor phantom. Or better yet, they are both, as is all self-limiting life.
In each instance, View is inseparable from a manifestation of so-called physical life. View is non-different from embodied experience. “I can’t move.” “My leg hurts.”
Ask yourself these questions:
Why do I knowingly persist in conduct that is impeding my awareness?
Why don’t I listen to authentic instructions or intuitional guidance?
Why can’t I walk through walls?
The answer in all three cases is View.
View is different from belief, no matter how fervent. With belief, there is always a leap of faith. Belief is essentially dualistic. View is as close to us as our own skin. No leap.
Incomplete View is avidya, ignorance. But it is simultaneously useful to think of incomplete View as limited knowing. We are so convinced, a world is created. This world is real, but it has embedded within it the limitations of our View. So it is a world shaped by ignorance of the Whole. Avidya or limited knowing is the source of all suffering.
For instance, consider the View that “this cocaine will make me happy.” Is this true or false? Well, it is both and neither. It all depends on my View of happiness and the capacity of my small self as it is limited by this View. A realized yogi, established in true contentment, may imbibe mountains of cocaine with no increase in “happiness” or any effect at all. In my body, capacitated by my View, I will experience some phantom happiness and become hysterical once it wears off!
The existence of “my body” and “cocaine” is only valid from a limited perspective.
Let’s go back to the question of walking through walls. Anandamayi Ma has this to say:
A yogi can get something that is on the other side of a wall merely by stretching out his hand. When this is possible, the wall is not there although it exists, . . . Behind the veil lies the thing, but before you is the veil. . . . From a certain standpoint, it is like this.
From a certain standpoint, that is, from a certain View.
Now we can truly understand the difference between View and belief. Having read the above paragraph, you may believe what Anandamayi says: that some yogis can reach their hands through walls. But holding this belief, you will still injure your hand if you attempt to push it through into your neighbor’s apartment!
On the other hand, if you have realized a larger View, your “hand” and the “wall” are no longer bound to be experienced as distinct, solid objects.
Most of us will not become Self-realized in this lifetime. But we may very likely realize an expansion of our View and thus of our capacity to participate in Reality.
And Reality continually sends us hints to show us the way. Adapting and following these hints, rather than digging in and further rigidifying our View, is what is meant by leading a guided life. Of course, the more relaxed we are, the more directly we are guided. The hints become a floodtide. Our very desire for Self-realization is guidance supreme.
Divine guidance comes in many forms. It takes patience, discrimination, awareness, and sincere desire to listen and follow correctly. Guidance comes through our teachers, from satsang, from reading the words of the Masters, from dreams, from oracles, from persistent urgings that seem to run counter to common sense, and from true inner knowledge that flashes forth during sadhana or at other times. Hints often occur in series, the same suggestion oddly coming from multiple sources within a short period of time.
Distinguishing guidance from fantasy is paramount. For this task, it is helpful to know that following cosmic guidance is never without some moments of resistance. It’s not like: “Oh goody, five friends invited me for ice cream! Must be a divine hint!” Following a divine hint is more like a taking a leap into the unknown: a little or a lot scary.
But the more we follow, the more fully we express the true potential of human life. And this is how Self is realized and shines forth for the benefit of all.
OM Shanti,
Shambhavi
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