April 29, 2009 – Difficulties of the Path

Foiled by the world, thou turnest to seize upon God.
If the world is stronger than thou,
thinkest thou God is weaker?
Turn to Him rather for His bidding and for strength to fulfil it.

Sri Aurobindo

(Thoughts and Aphorisms 253)

Difficulties of the Path

(A sincere heart is worth all the extraordinary powers in the world)*

….
I have never said that yoga or that this yoga is a safe and easy path. What I say is that anyone who has the will to go through, can go through. For the rest, if you aim high there is always the danger of a steep fall if you misconduct your aeroplane. But the danger is for those who allow themselves to entertain a double being, aiming high but also indulging their lower outlook and hankerings. What else can you expect when people do that? You must become single-minded, then the difficulties of the mind and vital will be overcome. Otherwise, those who oscillate between their heights and their abysses will always be in danger till they have become single-minded. That applies to the “advanced” as well as to the beginner. These are facts of nature; I can’t pretend for anybody’s comfort that they are otherwise. But there is the fact also that nobody need keep himself in this danger. One-mindedness, surrender to the Divine, faith, true love for the Divine, complete sincerity in the will, spiritual humility (real, not formal) ? there are so many things that can be a safeguard against any chance of eventual downfall. Slips, stumbles, difficulties, upsettings everyone has; one can’t be assured against these things, but if one has the safeguards, they are transitory, help the nature to learn and are followed by a better progress
….

– Sri Aurobindo
SABCL Vol.24 Pages: 1641 – 1642
*(By the sender)

All extracts and quotations from the written works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are copyright Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust, Pondicherry -605002 India
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