Aspirants Guide

Author(s): Atmanandji Maharaj
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Sadhna Kendra Koba

Page 70

STUDY OF SELF
another self-realized soul, or carrying out his spiritual instructions, is necessary. Three stages can be considered in the development of the Sadhana of self-study.
1. Obtaining time for study.
2. Careful study of scriptures.
3. Attainment of the supreme state of self-study, by continuously practicing contemplation of the acquired knowledge.
In the first stage, the aspirant requires contact with the noble and learned persons. If his mind gets firm in the conviction that he wants to indulge in self-study, he will, on his own, spare an hour or two from his busy worldly life from business or service or domestic work. He should then put his efforts into the acquirement of knowledge in this spare time, and gradually go on creating greater and greater leisure by resorting to a secluded life and create more and more interest in advancing his scriptural studies.
In the second-stage, study of good scriptures means those that lead to higher spiritual knowledge. If one studies the scriptures in the proper order, as laid down by the experienced and the learned saints, greater benefit will be derived.
During the course of this study, one can constantly or occasionally stay in an Ashram with learned saints. He can also strengthen his knowledge by reading, writing, thinking, memorizing, pondering, and discussing with others. These different methods of studies, when combined harmoniously with success and joy, lead to great advancement of knowledge in a short time. As the knowledge acquired in this way is methodical, purposeful, useful, and blissful; and again, because it has been acquired in the presence of and under the guidance of some enlightened saint, it leads the aspirant to a great height of spiritual progress in a very short time.
In the third and the last stage, further progress is required to be made by practicing in life the principles, which have been learnt so far. This leads to the experience and conviction that soul (Atma) is pure consciousness, and its nature is truth, knowledge and bliss (Sacchidananda). Once this happens, all impure and sorrowful thoughts are discarded. The aspirant realizes that passion (kama), anger (Krodha) and infatuation (Moha) are
SVADHYAYA-SHILATA
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