1
If he is not too proud to begin at the point where he
finds himself rather than at some point where he once was or would now like to
be, if he is willing to advance one step at a time, he may realize his goal far
more quickly than the less humble and more pretentious man is likely to realize
it.
2
The Long Path represents the earlier stages through
which all seekers after the higher wisdom will have to pass; they cannot leap up
to the top. Therefore those stages will always remain valuable.
3
The aspirant for illumination must first lift himself
out of the quagmire of desire, passion, selfishness, and materialism in which he
is sunk. To achieve this purpose, he must undergo a purificatory discipline. It
is true that some individuals blessed by grace or karma spontaneously receive
illumination without having to undergo such a discipline. But these individuals
are few. Most of us have to toil hard to extricate ourselves from the depths of
the lower nature before we can see the sky shining overhead.
4
An intellectual understanding is not enough. These
ideas can be turned into truths only by a thorough self-discipline leading to
liberation from passions, governance of emotions, transformation of morals, and
concentration of thoughts.
5
He has to develop religious veneration, mystical
intuition, moral worth, rational intelligence, and active usefulness in order to
evolve a fuller personality. Thus he becomes a fit instrument for the descent of
the Overself into the waking consciousness.
6
Many a yogi will criticize this threefold path to
realization. He will say meditation alone will be enough. He will deprecate the
necessity of knowing metaphysics and ridicule the call to inspired action. But
to show that I am introducing no new-fangled notion of my own here, it may be
pointed out that in Buddhism there is a recognized triple discipline of
attainment, consisting of (1) dyhana (meditation practice), (2)
prajna (higher understanding), (3) sila (self-denying conduct).
7
It is a fault in most of my writings that I did not
mention at all, or mentioned too briefly and lightly, certain aspects of the
quest so that wrong ideas about my views on these matters now prevail. I did not
touch on these aspects or did not touch on them sufficiently, partly because I
thought my task was to deal as a specialist primarily with meditation alone, and
partly because so many other workers had dealt with them so often. It is now
needful to change the emphasis over to these neglected hints. They include moral
re-education; character building; prayer, communion, and worship in their most
inward, least outward, and quite undenominational religious sense; mortification
of flesh and feeling as a temporary but indispensable discipline; and the use of
creative imagination in contemplative exercises as a help to spiritual
achievement.
8
There is a point of view which rejects the attitude
that destitution and dire poverty are the only paths to spirituality and
replaces it by the attitude that a simple life and a small number of possessions
are better. The poverty-stricken life is usually inadequate and unaesthetic. We
need a sufficiency of possessions in order to obtain efficiency of living, and
an aesthetic home in order to live the beautiful life. How much more conducive
to success in meditation, for instance, is a well-ordered home, a refined
elegant environment, a noiseless and undisturbed room or outdoor spot! But these
things cost money. However much the seeker may saturate himself in youthful
years with idealistic contempt for the world's values, he will find in time that
even the things important to his inner spiritual life can usually be had only if
he has enough money to buy them. Privacy, solitude, silence, and leisure for
study and meditation are not free, and their price comes high.
9
To live a simpler life is not the same as to live an
impoverished life. Our wants are without end and it is economy of spiritual
energy to reduce them at certain points. But this is not to say that all
beautiful things are to be thrown out of the window merely because they are not
functional or indispensable.
10
What earlier scholars translated as "nonacceptance
of gifts" in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, Mahadevan has translated as
"non-possession." The difference in meaning is important. The idea clearly is to
avoid burdens which keep attention busy with their care.
11
What is really meant by renunciation of the world?
I will tell you. It is what a man comes down to when confronted by certain
death, when he knows that within an hour or two he will be gone from the living
world--when he dictates his last will and testament disposing of all his earthly
possessions.
12
It is not the world that stands in our way and must
be renounced but our mental and emotional relationship with the world; and this
needs only to be corrected. We may remain just where we are without flight to
ashram or convent, provided we make an inner shift.
13
There is something crazy in this idea that we were
put into the world to separate ourselves from it!
14
The inability to believe in or detect the presence
of a divine power in the universe is to be overcome by a threefold process. The
first part some people overcome by "hearing" the truth directly uttered by an
illumined person or by other people by reading their inspired writings. The
second part is to reflect constantly upon the Great Truths. The third part is to
introvert the mind in contemplation.
15
He must be observant, must understand the heights
and depths of human nature, human motives, and human egoism. He should do this
because it will help him to know both others and himself, to serve them better
and to protect his quest.
16
He who enters upon this quest will have plenty to
do, for he will have to work on the weaknesses in his character, to think
impartially, to meditate regularly, and to aspire constantly. Above all, he will
have to train himself in the discipline of surrendering the ego.
17
Show me a man who is regular and persistent in his
practice of daily study, reflection, and meditation, and you will show me a man
determined to break the bonds of flesh and destined to walk into the sphere of
the spirit, though years may elapse and lives may pass before he succeeds. He
has learned to ask, to seek, and to find.
18
As a preface to this reflective reading, he should
put his heart in an attitude of humility and prayerfulness. He needs the one
because it is the divine grace which will make his own efforts bear fruit in the
end. He needs the other because he must ask for this grace. And however
obscurely he may glimpse the book's meaning at times, his own reflective faith
in the truth set down in its pages and in the inner leading of his higher self,
will assist him to progress farther. Such a sublime stick-to-it-iveness brings
the Overself's grace in illuminated understanding.
19
From the first moment that he sets foot on this
inner path until the last one when he has finished it, he will at intervals be
assailed by tests which will try the stuff he is made of. Such trials are sent
to the student to examine his mettle, to show how much he is really worth, and
to reveal the strength and weakness that are really his, not what he believes
are his. The hardships he encounters try the quality of his attainment and
demonstrate whether his inner strength can survive them or will break down; the
sufferings he experiences may engrave lessons on his heart, and the ordeals he
undergoes may purify it. Life is the teacher as well as the judge.
20
Every act is to be brought into the field of
awareness and done deliberately.
21
The discipline of the self, the following of
ethical conduct, the practice of mystical meditation--all these are needed if
the higher experience resulting in insight is being sought.
22
Aspiration alone is not enough. It must be backed
by discipline, training, and endeavour.
23
He who wishes to triumph must learn to endure.
24
From the intuitions that are the earliest guides of
the seeking mind to the ecstatic self-absorptions that are the latest
experiences of the illumined mystic, there are certain obstructions which have
to be progressively removed if these manifestations are to appear. They can be
classified into three groups: those that belong to the unchecked passions of
man, those that belong to his self-centered emotions, and those that belong to
his prejudiced thinking. By a critical self-analysis, by a purificatory
self-denial, and by an ascetic self-training, the philosophic discipline
generates a deep moral and intellectual earnestness which wears down these
obstructions and prepares the seeker for real advance.
25
The neophyte may stumble and fall, but he can still
rise up again; he may make mistakes, but he can still correct them. If he will
stick to his quest through disheartening circumstances and long delays, his
determination will not be useless. If it does nothing else, it will invite the
onset of grace. When moods of doubt come to him, as they do to most, he must
cling steadfastly to hope and renew his practice until the mood disappears. It
is a difficult art, this of keeping to the symbol in his serene centre even for
a few minutes. It can be learnt by practice only. Every time he strays from it
into excitement, egotism, or anxiety, and discovers the fact, he must return
promptly. It is an art which has to be learnt through constant effort and after
frequent failure, this keeping his hold on the spiritual facts of existence. He
should continue the quest with unbroken determination, even if his difficulties
and weaknesses make him unable to continue it with unshaken determination. It
implies a willingness to keep the main purpose of his quest in view whatever
happens. He must resolve to continue his journey despite the setbacks which may
arise out of his own weaknesses and undeflected by the misfortunes which may
arise out of his own destiny. The need to endure patiently amid difficult
periods is great, but it is worthwhile holding on and hoping on by remembering
that the cycle of bad karma will come to an end. It is a matter of not letting
go. This does not mean lethargic resignation to whatever happens, however. He
has got to maintain his existence, striving to seize or create the slenderest
opportunities.
26
The Quest is not to be followed by studying
metaphysically alone or by sitting meditatively alone. Both are needful yet
still not enough. Experience must be reflectively observed and intuition must be
carefully looked for. Above all, the aspirant must be determined to strive
faithfully for the ethical ideals of philosophy and to practise sincerely its
moral teachings.
27
Even though he learns all these truths, he has only
learnt them intellectually. They must be applied in the environment, they
must be deeply felt in the heart, and, finally, they must be established as the
Consciousness whence they are derived.
28
Make it a matter of habit, until it becomes a
matter of inclination, to be kind, gentle, forgiving, and compassionate. What
can you lose? A few things now and then, a little money here and there, an
occasional hour or an argument? But see what you can gain! More release from the
personal ego, more right to the Overself's grace, more loveliness in the world
inside us, and more friends in the world outside us.
29
It is not merely undesirable for others' sake for a
man to engage in spiritual service prematurely and unpurified, but positively
dangerous to his own welfare.
30
The only authentic mandate for spiritual service
must come, if it does not come from a master, from within one's Higher Self. If
it comes from the ego, it is then an unnecessary intrusion into other people's
lives which can do little good, however excellent the intention.
31
When he came down into reincarnation, he came with
the responsibility for his own life, not for other people's. They were, and ever
afterwards remained, responsible for their own lives. The burden was never at
any time shifted by God onto his shoulders.
32
To understand the mysterious language of the
Silence, and to bring this understanding back into the world of forms through
work that shall express the creative vitality of the Spirit, is one way in which
you may serve mankind. (20-4.262)
33
He must examine himself to find out how far hidden
self-seeking enters into his altruistic activity.
34
It is futile for anyone who has muddled his own
life to set out to straighten the lives of others. It is arrogant and
impertinent for anyone to start out improving humanity whilst he himself
lamentably needs improvement. The time and strength that he proposes to give in
such service will be better used in his own. To meddle with the natural course
of other men's lives under such conditions is to fish in troubled waters and
make a fool of himself. Only when he has himself well in hand is there even a
chance of rendering real service. A man whose own interior and exterior life is
full of failure should not mock the teaching by prattling constantly about his
wish to serve humanity. Such service must first begin at the point nearest to
him, that is, his own self.
35
If he can keep his motives really pure and his ego
from getting involved, he may find the way to render service. But few men can do
it.
36
It is not that he is not to care about other people
or try to help them, but that he is to remember that there is so little he can
do for them while he is so little himself.
37
Help given, or alms bestowed, out of the giver's
feeling of oneness with the sufferer, is twice given: once as the physical
benefit and once as the spiritual blessing along with it.
38
Philosophic service is distinguished by practical
competence and personal unselfishness.
39
I must cut a clear line of difference between
helping people and pleasing them. Many write and say my books have helped them
when they really mean that my books have pleased their emotions. We help only
when we lift a man's mind to the next higher step, not when we confirm his
present position by "pleasing" him. To help is to assist a man's progress; to
please is to let his bonds enslave him.
40
The seeker must live primarily for his own
development, secondarily for society's. Only when he has attained the
consummation of that development may he reverse the roles. If, in his early
enthusiasm, he becomes a reformer or a missionary much more than a seeker, he
will stub his toes.
41
If he begins to think of himself as the doer of
this service, the helper of these people, he begins to set up the ego again. It
will act as as barricade between him and the higher impersonal power. The
spiritual effectiveness of his activity will begin to dwindle.
42
Because the ultimate issue lies with the grace of
the Overself, the aspirant is not to prejudge the results of his Quest. He is to
let them take care of themselves. This has one benefit, that it saves him from
falling into the extremes of undue discouragement on the one hand and undue
elation on the other. It tells him that even though he may not be able, in this
incarnation, to attain the goal of union with the Overself by destroying the
ego, he can certainly make some progress towards his goal by weakening the ego.
Such a weakening does not depend upon grace; it is perfectly within the bounds
of his own competence, his own capacity.
43
Such inward invulnerability seems too far away to
be practicable. But the chief value of seeking it lies in the direction
which it gives to thought, feeling, and will. Even if it unlikely that the
aspirant will achieve such a high standard in this present incarnation, it
is likely that he will be able to take two or three steps nearer its
achievement.