nn 1,2

1.4.8 spir. in practice

I will speak today on the practical application of spiritual principals in daily activities. You know, it is very good to love God. It is very good to feel that Parama Purus'a, the Infinite Entity, is always with you, with all people, that that Entity is the source of your inspiration. But what does it mean to apply spiritual perspective in the day-to-day activities of one's daily life?

When one applies spiritual principals to worldly, day-to-day living, their life is transformed into a spiritual function. So, not only is the person living in the material world, but simultaneously they are doing spiritual practice. They are becoming aware that the spirit is everywhere and that the Divine Entity is always with them. If a person applies ideation upon the Supreme during daily activities, sees Divinity in all objects around them, and ascribes all actions to the doing of the Infinite Being-if they see themselves only as a vessel for that Entity- they will gain a different perspective on their daily life. They will begin to feel that they are not so deeply engrossed in the crude material world. They will feel that the material world itself has become a delightful play of spirit, that the material world is nothing but the outer shell, the outer colors, of the Divine Entity in the multifarious, multifaceted dimensions of this expressed universe.

The perspective of a sadhaka who practices this continual observance changes. That person becomes spiritualized in every action they do, every thought they take, and every involvement they have. In actions in which they ascribe Divinity to the objects and people around them and feel the Divine Entity acting through them, they are freed from the reactions of their actions. For they have done actions with wisdom. They have based their actions in reality. They have seen that Parama Purus'a is the only actor, acting the drama of this manifest universe and that the Divine Entity is the only one who exists in all of the multifaceted colors of the universe. So, they are never parted from that divine being. That entity is moving through them, acting through them in the world of form, and that entity is expressing in all of the forms that surround them. Keeping this ideation throughout the day, the person may go about their daily activities in the world, but not of it. They become a person who may be living an ordinary life while being transcendent.

There comes a time in the life of every sadhaka when spirituality cannot be reserved to a few quiet hours of the day set aside for meditative or contemplative practice. Spirituality must become something that is practiced 24 hours of the day, so that there is a continual self-remembrance and the mind stays ever partially absorbed. The action of life becomes only an active expression of the flow of knowledge attained through meditation. The duality between meditative states and daily activities gets smaller and smaller and eventually ceases to exist altogether; whether in deep sadhana, or speaking with another individual, or doing a task, it does not matter, because all are the same. You are surrounded by the Divine Entity. In all instances, the Divine Entity is acting through this body and this mind of yours.

So, whose mind is it? It is the mind of the Infinite Entity expressed in an individualized form. It is the mind of the Infinite Entity expressed in a physical body, and it is the desires of the Infinite Entity playing out in the dance of your life. And to whom does this life belong? It belongs to that Supreme Divinity within, who is the life of your life, the soul of your soul, the heart of your heart. So, the Divine Entity is expressing in the world of colors, through the body and mind that you have perceived as your own. In a charming dance of love, that beloved allows you to glimpse this intimate relationship which you are having to the Divinity within you. And not only is that Divinity within, but all around you, in each object that you come in contact with, in every being whom you meet.

When a spiritualist applies fundamental spiritual observances to day-to-day life, and applies the inner eye of wisdom to the world around them, then ordinary worldly life becomes transformed into spiritual life and the difference between meditation and day-to-day activity becomes nil. Whether sitting or standing, with eyes open or eyes closed, it is the same. Reality comes in the perception of such an individual who has applied spiritual principals to daily life. But before this can be done, the habit of continual remembrance must be inculcated by little reminders throughout the day. What principal must be applied in daily life? The principal that all is the expression and manifestation of Divinity, that all actions are the actions of that Divine Entity. What you perceive as yourself is only the conduit through which that Entity is expressing in the world, and what you perceive outside yourself is only the lovely dance of colors which that Entity is manifesting in the form of pleasure and pain, in the form of opposites, to create a delightful and interesting dance.

Take this perception into all actions, all moments of your day to day existence, and make the mundane transcendent. Make the duality singular so that there is no "I and they." You think "I am inside, they are outside." But if perception is spiritualized, then you may think, "There is no inside, there is no outside. All is the form of the Great Entity. If I close my eyes and go to the non-dualistic state, seeing the blissful effulgence of that Divine one, or if I open them and participate in the play of colors, it is the same. There is no inner and no outer. All is the same because all is the manifestation, the expression of that Divine Entity." Such becomes the perception of a spiritualist, over time, when spiritual philosophy is applied to day to day life.When this happens, a person will develop equanimity of mind. They will see that, though pleasure may strike them and they may be happy, or tragedy befall them and they may suffer and cry, it is only the play of that Great Entity and they are merely acting the part on behalf of that Great Entity. In fact, they are not acting the part, but that Great Beloved is acting through them, crying in the drama, pretending to be the wounded party, then delighting later so that the Great One might enjoy the contrast of pleasure and pain. You are merely serving as the instrument of that Divinity so that the Divine One might have the opportunity to experience these variations in color. You are doing service to that Divine Being by giving opportunity for Him to experience these ups and downs of worldly life. So, even these ups and downs are a service, and part and parcel of your surrender, to the Great.

In this way, a sadhaka humbly gives themselves to the Great Entity, to the Infinite Being saying, "Oh Lord, I exist only to serve you. I exist as your expression to delight you, to allow you to experience the pleasures and pains and all of the delights and colors of manifest experience. I surrender myself to you, oh Lord, that you might be able to enjoy, through this vehicle, this worldly life, and I commit myself 100% to your service, in every breath I take, every word I speak, every action I do. It is yours, my Lord, to delight in." When the sadhaka acquires this type of surrender, the Infinite Being says, "Oh, my sadhaka, I am so pleased with what you give Me, I will surely take delight in your life." And with this, lover and beloved become intimately entwined and the path of devotion is entered.