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Petama Topic April 'Three Stages in Following the Inner Path from Hazrat Inayat Khan: 'Religious Gathekas' |
There are three stages of action through which the sincere followers of the message have to pass, and the difficulty is that each stage has the tendency to keep back the followers of the message from going to the next stage. The reason is that every stage has no end of interest and happiness in it. Another thing is that one stage is quite different from another stage, and therefore each stage is a kind of contrary action to the previous stage. Now these three stages may be called::
1) For a sincere mureed, the first stage can be so interesting that he may think it is never enough. The heart of the seeker after truth is never full of that endless knowledge. Fill it, and there is still a place to fill. We may receive for ages and it is yet never enough. When the receiver of the message is in that stage, then the activity of the further stages remains unaccomplished. 2) The stage of assimilation is most necessary; very few can imagine how long it takes for the spirit to assimilate knowledge of truth. We assimilate it by the power of contemplation, by pondering over the subjects that we hear, by practicing the teachings in our life, by looking at the world from the point of view which has been told, and by observing one thing in its thousand different positions. Many, before assimilating the knowledge, wish to reason with it, discuss it, justify it, and see how it fits in with their own preconceived ideas. In this way they disturb the digestive fire of the spirit, for as the mechanism of the body is always working to help assimilate food, so the spirit is constantly working to assimilate all that we learn through life. Therefore, it is a matter of patience which requires taking life easily without troubling the mind too much and allowing the knowledge which we have received as a food of the spirit to have time to be assimilated. By trying to assimilate knowledge too fast a human being loses his normal health; it is just like taking a drug to help digest food, which is not beneficial in the end. 3) The third process is also necessary; those who care little for the third stage, representing, miss a great deal in life. A person who has seen something beautiful, who has heard something harmonious, who has tasted something delicious, who has smelled something fragrant, alone has enjoyed it, and yet not completely. The complete joy is in sharing our joy with another. The selfish human enjoys himself and does not care for others. Whatever he enjoys, things of the earth or things of heaven, his enjoyment is not complete. In this third stage, following the message is fulfilled, when he has heard and pondered upon it and passed the same blessing to others. The Desire of the Soul is the Wish of God.
Aphorisms (these E-book are free of all charge - use their treasures well!) |
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