The purpose of our spiritual life is union with God and this cannot be achieved without a transformation of our very being. How this is to be brought about should be the most pressing and urgent question of our life. God has shown us the way how it should be done through the centuries down from the creation of the world. Until Jesus Christ came on the scene, all the revelations of God through various means were preparations for the ultimate resolution of this problem. Jesus announced the good news of the arrival of God's Kingdom on earth. All of us are invited to co-operate in building up this kingdom the foundation of which has been laid in and by Jesus Christ.
The very first requirement to enter God's Kingdom is to receive God's life from above to recognize and accept which we are required to turn back from our present ways of life. This is called repentance or conversion from our usual habit of looking outward to the world turning back to ourselves to find there the image and likeness of God in us ( Matthew, 4:17; Gen.1:26). All our actions and reactions in life proceed explicitly or implicitly from the inner powerhouse enshrined in our soul and we are called to make the same process conscious. This is why the wise people from both the East and the West constantly insisted on the maxim: 'Know Thyself'. Without the consciousness of who we are essentially if we start interacting in the world, we are going to be sucked into the whirlwind of the external world where we are likely to be drowned. Reflection and meditation on our essential nature keeping which upfront as our standard-bearer is the sure shot method to live happily and peacefully in this world.
That we are governed ordinarily by our apparent and false self overshadowing our real and true self is a fact of life. Our body through its five senses merrily goes on interacting with the world forgetting all about the soul that is the source of its energy. Our forgetfulness of the source of our energy results in its dissipation in the objects of the world through false attachment. Since we have to interact in the world for our daily life, it is necessary to transform our life through proper detachment from objects in the world. While our true happiness resides in the soul, we are deceived by the seeming attractions of the objects in the world in thinking that they are the source of our happiness! The result is a nagging sense of dissatisfaction and disappointment with our involvement in the world. If only our involvement in the world, even while enjoying sense pleasures, were with a detached attitude, our original energy of the soul would not have been compromised!
Our self-transformation is the sure shot method to achieve this kind of balance needed in our daily life. How shall we attain this self-transformation? St. Paul deals with it in a very palpable manner in his Epistle to the Colossians ch.3, verses 5-17. We must put off what belongs to the earth like fornication, indecency, lust, foul cravings and ruthless greed that is equal to idolatry. In their place, we must put on the garments that suit God's chosen people like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Genuine love for one another should be the crowning glory of our life. Since our mind plays a pivotal role in controlling our life, a transformation of our mind is the basic requirement for our self-transformation. As we live in the world, we cannot avoid facing many life-challenges that come our way. We shall encounter the world by keeping the spirit of the world at bay by exercising self-control whereby our mind is taught to keep its balance (See the next Post on'The Spirit of he World').
This kind of self-transformation is what Jesus wanted from his followers. "Then he called the people to him, as well as his disciples, and said to them, 'Anyone who wishes to be a follower of mine must leave self behind; he must take up his cross, and come with me...'" (Mark, 8:34). It is not for nothing that Jesus demands the fulfillment of these seemingly irksome conditions from his followers. It is the tried and tested method for genuine and perfect happiness for everyone including those who are crushed under the weight of their daily life. "Come to me all whose work is hard, whose load is heavy; and I will give you relief. Bend your necks to my yoke, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble-hearted; and your souls will find relief. For my yoke is good to bear, my load is light'" (Matthew, 11:28-30).
The very first requirement to enter God's Kingdom is to receive God's life from above to recognize and accept which we are required to turn back from our present ways of life. This is called repentance or conversion from our usual habit of looking outward to the world turning back to ourselves to find there the image and likeness of God in us ( Matthew, 4:17; Gen.1:26). All our actions and reactions in life proceed explicitly or implicitly from the inner powerhouse enshrined in our soul and we are called to make the same process conscious. This is why the wise people from both the East and the West constantly insisted on the maxim: 'Know Thyself'. Without the consciousness of who we are essentially if we start interacting in the world, we are going to be sucked into the whirlwind of the external world where we are likely to be drowned. Reflection and meditation on our essential nature keeping which upfront as our standard-bearer is the sure shot method to live happily and peacefully in this world.
That we are governed ordinarily by our apparent and false self overshadowing our real and true self is a fact of life. Our body through its five senses merrily goes on interacting with the world forgetting all about the soul that is the source of its energy. Our forgetfulness of the source of our energy results in its dissipation in the objects of the world through false attachment. Since we have to interact in the world for our daily life, it is necessary to transform our life through proper detachment from objects in the world. While our true happiness resides in the soul, we are deceived by the seeming attractions of the objects in the world in thinking that they are the source of our happiness! The result is a nagging sense of dissatisfaction and disappointment with our involvement in the world. If only our involvement in the world, even while enjoying sense pleasures, were with a detached attitude, our original energy of the soul would not have been compromised!
Our self-transformation is the sure shot method to achieve this kind of balance needed in our daily life. How shall we attain this self-transformation? St. Paul deals with it in a very palpable manner in his Epistle to the Colossians ch.3, verses 5-17. We must put off what belongs to the earth like fornication, indecency, lust, foul cravings and ruthless greed that is equal to idolatry. In their place, we must put on the garments that suit God's chosen people like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Genuine love for one another should be the crowning glory of our life. Since our mind plays a pivotal role in controlling our life, a transformation of our mind is the basic requirement for our self-transformation. As we live in the world, we cannot avoid facing many life-challenges that come our way. We shall encounter the world by keeping the spirit of the world at bay by exercising self-control whereby our mind is taught to keep its balance (See the next Post on'The Spirit of he World').
This kind of self-transformation is what Jesus wanted from his followers. "Then he called the people to him, as well as his disciples, and said to them, 'Anyone who wishes to be a follower of mine must leave self behind; he must take up his cross, and come with me...'" (Mark, 8:34). It is not for nothing that Jesus demands the fulfillment of these seemingly irksome conditions from his followers. It is the tried and tested method for genuine and perfect happiness for everyone including those who are crushed under the weight of their daily life. "Come to me all whose work is hard, whose load is heavy; and I will give you relief. Bend your necks to my yoke, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble-hearted; and your souls will find relief. For my yoke is good to bear, my load is light'" (Matthew, 11:28-30).
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