Last Updated on January 25, 2025 by
After many hundreds of conversations with spiritual seekers over the
last several years, I have noticed a recurring theme. It was as common
in India as it was with Sanatana Dharma devotees in the West: Many
people seem to be waiting for a moment to arrive when they can
completely embrace ascetic practices like keeping sadhana, fasting,
and study of the sacred texts.
In your life, how did that ‘moment’ arrive? Was it the result of a
process, or a sudden realization that you acted upon immediately? What
can one do to till the soil and prepare it for the planting of the
seeds of such an awakening?
In your experience, is there usually any moment when someone makes
a decision, and directs all of their attention to their new goal of
spiritual growth? Or is it a gradual process that occurs over a period
of time?
Of course, as Ramakrishna said: “Jato mat tato path” — As there are a number of beliefs, there are a number of ways. Each of us is unique, and there is no one size that fits all.
I can only talk about my process. When I
met my Guru, I fell in love and felt naturally compelled to learn more. As I started to practice, I felt more at home in my sadhana than I did in worldly interaction. My Guru instructed me to add five minutes a month to my practice. And at the end of the first year, I could sit in one asana for one hour.
That was almost fifty years ago, and I found the more I could increase
my spiritual practice, the less I was required to deal with the world.
I didn’t leave anything. The world left me
Now my sadhana breathes; it inhales and exhales. There are times when
I am called to be efficient in the world, which requires I sit less;
and there are times when the worldly necessities are all organized for a time,
and I expand my asana accordingly.
So far my longest asana was sixteen hours,
but I have recently written a new book,
which I believe will take eighteen hours to complete. I have not yet found circumstances conducive for me to perform that sadhana, but I will!
Everyone, please bless me.
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