THE HEIGHTS OF REALIZATION

 
One time someone asked Baba why, if He could give us all Realization in an instant, and if this was our eventual goal, did He not do so?

Baba replied by talking about the mountains, how beautiful the Himalayas are. "Have you seen them?" Baba asked.

"Yes, Baba, they are indeed beautiful," the man replied.

"What if, after seeing them, you became full of the urge to climb those mountains, to scale them yourself? And you set out and you struggled and sweated and slaved and finally you succeeded, you conquered them and were at last at rest on the very summit. How would you feel?"

"Exhilarated, Baba. Exalted."

"Wouldn't all of the effort that went into scaling the peaks seem worth it?"

"Yes, Baba, definitely."

"But now," Baba asked, "what if, instead of climbing the mountains yourself, you got into a helicopter and were whisked to the very top in no time and you climbed out and had the same view. Would it feel the same?"

"No, Baba, there would be no sense of triumph, the exhilaration would not be there."

Baba nodded and gestured, "That is why I do not simply take you to the heights of Realization; you would not have the same sort of appreciation, or satisfaction, as you would if you scaled the peak yourself."