DECENT LIVING

 
Questioner: Is "decent living" enough for attaining a "wider consciousness" or is any occult, spiritual or religious training necessary?

BABA: No general rule or process can be laid down for the attainment of the Ultimate Reality, or as you term it, the "wider consciousness." Every individual has got to work out his own salvation, and for that matter, he himself has got to create and choose the 'path', which is mostly determined and expressed by the collective force and momentum of impressions (called sanskaras in Sanskrit) acquired during previous lives.

The panacea the world knows of, the so called religions for the guidance of humanity do not go a long way in solving the problem. As time goes on the founder, the one who supplied the motive force, is thrown and relegated more and more into the background of time and obscurity — the aftermath of his manifestations, either a religion or an organisation gradually loses its glamour and attractiveness and there takes place a mental revolt against the old order of things.

A demand is created for something more tangible, substantial and practical, by contacting through which one may learn to live the true life, the life of the Spirit; and you know that supply is proportion to the demand.

To say that "decent living" is the only way of attaining "wider consciousness" is only giving one side of the picture. What you are today is the result of your decent and indecent living as well. Occult, spiritual and religious training serves merely as means to an end and is a condition precedent to entering the Path, but the moment one has the contact of a Perfect Master no such disciplinary process is necessary.

The only thing required is complete surrenderance to his supreme will and the unquestioning willingness and attitude of mind to suffer and accept things as they come.