Here I am in Ohio and The Heart of It All just happens to be the slogan for my homeland. My heart certainly feels a deep connection to this beautiful place and I am grateful to have grown up here. I returned to visit my sister and her family, as well as, to surprise my good friend from college for her 30th birthday. It’s nice to have some time to unwind from the fast pace of city life. While I was on the flight up here, I was reading an issue of Self-Realization Magazine. They sent me a complimentary issue because I am enrolled in Yogananda’s Meditation Lessons. This magazine is incredible. It even had a cd in it which I’ve listened to several times since receiving it last week. The cd is entitled Faith: A Cornerstone of Spiritual Living.

I would like to share an excerpt from the magazine with you and I highly encourage you to subscribe, the spiritual insights and teachings will last you a lifetime…

“I would like to share with you the words of a saint. The saint was in an expansive mood. His disciples wanted to know something from him in that sublime mood. They put to him a question. “Master, please tell us about your quest for the Divine. What are the stages you have gone through?” The master said, “God first led me by the hand into the land of action, and there I dwelt for several years. Then God returned and then led me to the land of sorrows, there I lived until my heart was purged of every inordinate attachment. That is when I found myself in the land of love, whose burning flames consumed whatever was left in me of self. This brought me to the land of silence, where the mysteries of life and death were bared before my wondering eyes.”

Then the disciples asked, “Was that the final stage of the quest?” The master said, “No, one day God said, ‘Today I shall take you to the innermost temple-to the heart of Truth itself.’ And I was led to the land of laughter.”

Free from all dualities and delusion, one awakens from the cosmic dream in ever new joy.

Each one of us is going to reach the goal of self-mastery. So we should not expect to be spared of those stages that a master had to go through. And remember: In this story, the stages are given figuratively to illustrate the point; these are not “watertight compartments.” in the sense that one stage ends before the next begins. We find all of them throughout the spiritual journey. There may be many years in the land of action-fulfilling our duties in the world-during which we have repeated experiences in the land of love as well as in the land of sorrow, until we learn the essential lessons of each stage. It is inevitable that we have to undergo both pleasant and unpleasant experiences. That is why perserverance is essential-especially in meditation, which takes us every day into the land of silence, until one day we find we no longer have to return to the land of sorrow, because we have awakened in the land of laughter, eternal joy.

There is a moral here for us. Some people never learn the necessary lessons because they try to grasp at results too soon. Think of it: What are we trying to grasp? God-realization-Brahmajnana-the highest and most difficult attainment there is. Progess comes bit by bit, little by little. Wisdom is not a destination we arrive at suddenly one day. If we try to travel too fast, we will miss the scenery! Spiritual growth is a proces, and all of us must go through that process.

Guruji, said, “The only difference between you and me is that I made the effort.” Saints are not made of any different material than we are. “A saint is a sinner who never gave up.” Let’s not give up. Let’s keep on keeping on, and let us do our best to do our best. One thing we can be very sure of, as Swami Sri Yukteswarji said, “Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now.” -https://www.srfbooks.com/Magazines.asp