Journey to Enlightenment Part 01

Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Chetana Catherine Florida, Nirmala Hanke, Raksha Penni Helsene
Publisher: Create Space

Page 113

So, we continue slowly and very gradually purifying ourselves till our heart becomes a shrine, where love resides. Sometimes when negativity influences us, just watch without feeling guilty about it. Just let it go. Un-cleanliness is seen because there is a lot of dirt around. There are particles of dirt moving everywhere. Even with closed windows your apartment will become dirty and you have to keep cleaning. Every day we have to clean. Somebody asked me, "How long do I have to practice meditation?” and I said "As long as you live.” If you want to live, you have to clean. Meditation is a cleaning process. Every day, take a few minutes to process. Every day, take a few minutes to clean. Take a good bath. The physical bath is for the body. Meditation, the spiritual bath is for the heart, the mind, and the psyche.
As we continue our development, we learn to give up many things. We become like fragrance-giving flowers who do not have attachments to what they have. They do not collect; instead they share. Then we become aware and objective. We reach a height, and from there we touch divinity. For a moment we feel we are with ourselves. And when we are with ourselves, we are with the higher self. Before we reach this height, we learn to deal with the four main binding and polluting elements: anger, ego, deceit, and greed.
Negative Emotions
Anger
Anger is to be mad. Anger is one letter closer to danger. Anger comes because our desires are not fulfilled. We get angry because we had an expectation. So when an expectation is not fulfilled, it turns into frustration and that frustration gives birth to ugly anger. But if we do not have any expectations, then we do not get angry. But when we build expectations, we become angry with ourselves and with others. And when we are angry, we lose our peace. So, to understand the cause of anger, we ought to look into our desires and expectations.
Ego
We also need to understand our ego. What is ego? It is good to be recognized, to receive certificates, to get trophies – they give a boost of some kind. But if we go on collecting certificates and collecting trophies, there is no end to it. We put the trophies on the shelf, and we still have to live with ourselves. Instead of depending on the trophies, titles, approvals, and favors for our importance, we have to learn to appreciate what we have and what we receive and say, “Thank You.” We learn to appreciate the time others spent thinking of us, their feeling toward us, and their love and appreciating. When we appreciate their appreciation, we need no shelves to store any objects. Instead, we cherish the feelings being the gift, store them in our hearts, and let them become part of our lives.
114 - Journey to Enlightenment