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In my previous post (Enjoying Blissful/Pleroma States?) I wrote about blissful states of mind.
I stated that we often cling to Blissful states because ... well, because they are blissful. But clinging is an attachment. Attachment, just like aversion, needs to be removed in order to achieve the unpolarized consciousness. Here I'd like to offer you a variation of my End of Words method, which you can use to clear Blissful states. End of Words for Clearing Blissful States Feel the Blissful state and answer the following questions: 1) What's good in or about this state? 2) What's bad in or about this state? (take a little more time for this question, as your first reaction will most likely be "Nothing") 3) What else needs to be expressed about this state? Notes: - Go through the questions as many times as necessary to clear this state. (You'll know the exercise is complete when there's nothing else to say about this state) - Write all the answers down if you're self-processing.
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Yunus is a cleaner in a Baghdad house.
Every day he sweeps the same yard and hums the same song--it makes the time go faster. Yunus has a lot of children he has to provide for. He always dreams of the day when he'll be free to go to desert and meditate. Many years pass. All his children are married. He's free at last. So off to the desert he goes. He walks and walks under the scorching sun. But nowhere can he find water or shade. Suddenly, there's a cloud of dust on the horizon. As it comes closer, Yunus can see FOUR RIDERS in it. They're approaching quickly. The yard sweeper, remembering stories about desert robbers, is scared out of his mind. The men reach him. Yunus, paralyzed with fear, watches them dismount. But instead of drawing their sabers, they ask him if he cares to rest and eat. Dumbfounded, he nods for yes, and the riders start mumbling something. A familiar feeling washes over Yunus as he listens, but before he can remember... A HUGE TREE GROWS OUT OF THE SAND. In its shade, a table full of delicious dishes and a pitcher of ice-cold water. Yunus, half-starved, eats and drinks to his heart's content. Once satisfied, he asks the strangers: "How long did it take you to master this magic?" "The truth? Less than a day. A friend taught us that magical song. But he'd heard it from Yunus from Baghdad, a great sage disguised as a yard sweeper." Upon hearing this, Yunus bows in all four directions and returns to Baghdad to sweep his yard. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ In the first part of this post I wrote about how we idealize and romanticize, crave and envy... even when it comes to personal growth. I and Others are opposites, and Others always seem to be on a higher rung of the spiritual ladder. But I believe there's a better way to look at this: Instead of comparing yourself to others, compare your present self to your previous self. How much have you grown? How have you improved? Because spiritual evolution is not about becoming someone else. It's about fulfilling your own potential. The work that you do on yourself is much more important than you think. It's leading you to your best Self. Your yard is precious. So go on sweeping it, and humming your song. Return to Baghdad. (I've translated the sufi story Yunus and his Broom from Croatian, changing it slightly -- found it in V. Krmpotic's book "Košulja sretnog čovjeka" (Happy Man's Shirt)) We compare ourselves to others all the time.
We look around and see that they are doing better, are more successful, have what we don't. We compare the level of our spiritual growth to that of others, too. It looks like they have less or no problems, like they never go through crises, like they're initialized into some mystical secrets that are still unattainable to us ... Like we're missing out on some spiritual luxury that others enjoy. What we're not aware of, however, is that others are looking around, too. And some of them most likely envy you for the same reasons you envy them. You don't really know where others are and what they're going through. What is important is that they NEED to go through it. And you need to go through your own experiences. Just as no two people have the same face, so no two people have the same Path. You've chosen your Path yourself. Your True being has chosen it for you, even if you're not aware of it. And It knew exactly what It was doing. Your path is the best path of all ... For YOU. Bloom where you're planted. ~ * ~ * ~ (Next week, in Spiritual Envy II, read an old Sufi story) |
AuthorIvana Mihajlovic Archive
February 2019
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