Patience and Perseverance Are Required in the Path of Spiritual Realisation

Possibly it is a result of our relatively short span of life during which we are active and capable of conscious observation, insight and action. The period of childhood is mostly involved with development of the body, the vital force and the mind to the point where they can become functional and effective within the life of humanity. Teenage years are very much preoccupied with education, career choices and dealing with the changes to the body and the vital drives that occur and which determine much of the allocation of time and mind at that period. When the individual enters the late teens and into his 20’s he then has to focus on how he fits into the society, how he is to support himself, possibly developing a family life, along with career and addressing the interests he has focused on. Once the individual enters his 50’s or 60’s he begins to concern himself with the physical issues that arise as the body undergoes wear and tear, as well as whether and how he can retire from career, and how he will invest his time as he enters his “golden years”. Thereafter, particularly if the body or mind have suffered from any deterioration, much time is spent in dealing with the limitations one faces. We then have to subtract from the active time of life, when focus could be placed on finding and bringing forward the influence of the soul, time spent in sleep or in purely mechanical routines of eating, exercise, relaxation and entertainment. What is left after all of this is a very short portion of the entire lifetime which can be devoted to spiritual matters, the search for the soul and the empowerment of the soul as the motive driving force in the life.

Of course there are exceptional individuals or circumstances, such as those who are born with a spiritual development far advanced, or who become mature and ready for spiritual growth and expression, who may have some extraordinary shock or experience that moves him into the spiritual life at an early or mid-stage of life, superseding all of the normal interests and activities recounted above. 

However and whenever it happens, the individual is still faced with the need for focused effort and generally he experiences a degree of impatience at how hard, or or long the path is. Milarepa, the great Tibetan ascetic yogi, underwent extreme pressures to reach his goal of attainment of realisation within that one human life and he eventually even fell into a state of deep, suicidal despair at one stage of his seeking. Some individuals have near-death or even recalled-from-death experiences that lead to a new prioritization in their lives and a new intensity of focus. Yet, it still takes time to shift the standpoint, to recognise the voice of the soul, to bring it to a place of mastery over the outer nature and to train the mind, life and body to carry out the spiritual intention in their lives to the exclusion of other motives. During that time, there are the normal feelings of desire to achieve, and periods of desperation when one believes that it is simply not possible and there is no success in sight, what some call the “dark night of the soul”.

Human impatience leads generally either to rajasic vehemence and an attempt to “storm the gates of heaven”, or tamasic depression or despair. Neither of these reactions, however, are especially fruitful or helpful; in fact, they can represent serious delays and setbacks. A sattwic approach, with balance, understanding and patience, coupled with a steady, ongoing and unflagging effort is much more likely to bring about the desired result.

We remain so attached to the specific individual lifetime in this specific body-life-mind complex that we easily give in to these moods. If we recognize the timeless nature of the divine Force and intention, and recognise that progress is not limited to one lifetime, there can be some solace about the lack of progress. It is however necessary to also guard against a too lackadaisical approach that fails to focus the attention and consciousness on what needs to be done, with the idea that it may happen in some future lifetime!

The Mother writes: ”But you must not be in a hurry, you must not be impatient, you must be very persevering. You do the wrong thing ten times for every time that you do the right thing. But when you do the wrong thing you must not give up everything in despair, but tell yourself that the Grace will never abandon you and that next time it will be better.”

“So, in conclusion, we shall say that in order to know things as they are you must first unite with your soul and to unite with your soul you must want it with persistence and perseverance.”

“Only the degree of concentration on the goal can shorten the way.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Our Many Selves: Practical Yogic Psychology, Chapter 6, Some Answers and Explanations, pg. 187