nn 1,2

1.4.3 spiritual liberation

"There are those who desire enlightenment, keavalya. But how seriously do they want it? Are they willing to be stripped of all illusions? Are they willing to undergo the necessary trials? Are they willing to surrender everything at my feet? Most are not. Most desire to hold to attachments. The true path is no bed of roses. If it were, many, many souls would rush to enjoy. But it is not. It is a difficult road. It requires absolute dedication, absolute surrender of all desires, all personal preferences. The true sadhaka must sacrifice. Sacrifice is not a popular word. In Western culture, it is confused with martyrdom. Martyrdom is not the true meaning of sacrifice. To sacrifice one's ego, one's attachments, one's dreams and desires, to subjugate one's own will to the will of the Supreme is not martyrdom. It is not self-diminishing. It is self-enhancing. But it is misunderstood.

"So this is not a road for everyone. Even of those who tread a true spiritual journey, few really desire this all-encompassing self-surrender. But on occasion, a soul becomes earnestly attracted, earnestly desiring this kavalya. Now what becomes of such a soul? The internal desire draws them in proximity of the Brahmic influence. Guru appears. Kavalya is attained when the desire for proximity becomes so intense, the heat from this yearning burns all other desires. There is absolute single-pointed intent.

"Do not confuse this with leaving the world and becoming a recluse. Such persons are not single-pointed. They carry the seeds of desire latent in their minds. Given opportunity, the seeds will sprout. The yearning I speak of is not an artificial, external phenomenon. It is a condition of the heart. The heart must ripen. Moks'a does not come to a divided heart.

"If a soul desires to know the Supreme Entity, to taste Him in the very core of their being, they must be willing to surrender personal life, personal desire, personal opinion. Such a sadhaka must be willing to give all personal concerns, to sacrifice themselves before the Supreme. The sadhaka who holds even to the smallest personal identity is divided of heart. There should be no division. Heart should be singular. Then and only then will the full bounty of Supreme Love be reaped."

Q: In Ananda Marga philosophy, the experience of happiness or suffering depends on whether one performs good or bad deeds. In the Supreme Command, great suffering seems to be decreed for those who do not do sadhana. What is the proper understanding of the Supreme Command on this point?

In Ananda Marga philosophy it is said that both good and bad deeds are the cause of further suffering. If deed is bad the reactive momentum will produce a comparable reactive force. Now if a deed is good, again a reactive momentum is set in motion, only results are more pleasing. Whether the chain is of gold or of iron, it is none the less a chain which binds a living being to mundane existence. So what is the solution to this? It is sadhana. Through sadhana the reactive momentum of past samskaras is burnt and the potentiality of development of new samskaras is reduced and eventually burnt.

So, you see it is through sadhana that the wheel of life, death and rebirth is broken. Good deeds alone will never do this, it is attachment to the results of one's actions, be they great or evil which causes the endless cycle of rebirth. This is the cause of human suffering. It is only sadhana which will release the living being from this endless cycle and bring them to the feet of that most Blessed Entity from which true happiness emanates. So the happiness of good deeds is nothing but worldly pleasure without ideation upon the Supreme. But when the Supreme Entity is seen in all actions, when all actions are ascribed to that Entity, and the darkness of self-delusion is removed, the vision of the Sublime enters the mind. So good deeds alone will not make you great, will not bring lasting happiness. For this you must do sadhana.

Those who do not pursue ideation upon Supreme are bound to find themselves endlessly caught in the struggle of worldly existence. Though it may look attractive on the surface, it is ultimately a path of great suffering. Better for a human being to leave behind the dazzling attractions of the expressed creation and find his true nature through ideation upon Parama Purusa. So, in the Supreme Command it is said that those who perform sadhana will be saved from these torments, due to their ideation upon the Supreme.

It is sufficient.