Spiritual Progress ? Beware.
Any boasting about spiritual attainments, I would say is a sure sign of a non-awake being. Beware. I have also heard of wicked people claiming that they have “special” energy and that a spiritual awakening can be attained by becoming their sex slave. Beware. I also know many people who give “diksha” (spiritual energy) as a matter of course on a regular basis to others claiming that they are waking them up. Beware. (Sadly, I have seen some people completely burned out from this behavior.) Eventually these become corrupted and exposed, and we are all aware of the host of fallen gurus. Even with the best of intentions, it is very hard for the ego to not take over the show when admired and praised constantly. Only a being who has erased that ego should be trusted and these are hard to find since they do not brag and there is no waving flag to find them!@
Over the years, I have heard such declarations from many scholars, teachers and pretenders to great spiritual wisdom, and they are so authoritative. I used to be impressed too. I wanted to be wise and have all this knowledge of spirit. I wanted to climb the ladder to their state I thought.
If a person is innocent and vulnerable, if he/she is insecure about being God in human form, he or she may be fooled. If a person thinks he/she is so puny and weak, then that person will project onto these teachers an ideal that is sent out from insecurity and lack of confidence. Anyone who seems to know “more” is to be worshipped, followed and emulated. We even see this with idiotic personalities from Hollywood or pop singers.
The fallacy here is that these spiritual teachers “know” the truth and we do not. Wrong. Spiritual knowledge CANNOT be known with the mind. It cannot be imparted with words or mental concepts. We are spirit in form. The mind is not THAT. The mind occupies the spiritual form, not the other way around. Looking behind the mind, we find ourselves. So there are no “stages of waking up” like we have in our University courses where we learn and build a body of knowledge. Forget all that. It is not about “learning” or “doing.” It is not cumulative. It is THERE all the time, but our task is to keep working away to reach the truth behind the mind.
I have only published my book recently, but already I have noticed people are assuming I am “more advanced on the path”. I quickly debunk that. There is no sequence to this process, no scale of “more” or “less” awake. It is wake up or be unawakened. We are seeing that left brain once more trying to assign control of reality. There is no control of it, no progress chart. It is an unveiling of who you are. It is a RECOGNITION. It will come if you are diligent in seeking it.
How that happens is the process of wiping the mirror clean so the truth shines through; there is the practice. But no one can say when that will happen nor how much is still to be accomplished before it happens. There are some teachers who impart this experience directly such as Gangaji, Ramana Maharshi and Bhagawan Nityananda. This is the kind of teaching that helps clear out the muck. These teachers push you to that space. They do not teach you knowledge. They give you the truth of your being.
There are millions of yogis who have meditated, done penance, tapasya and years and years of effort who do not even glimpse even one glimmer of the light of their true nature. Imagine that. So listen to your own inner guide and keep working away at the mirror; but let not your mind wrap around other people’s claims; do not limit your own opening into your own being; forget your inferiority complex, just one more aspect of the ego; keep working at your own polishing job.
Blessings, Ruth