Note: For the complete lessons, see the AYP Books.

Lesson 12 - The Essential Ingredient -- Desire

From: Yogani
Date: Sun Nov 16, 2003 11:48am

It is common knowledge that if we want to be successful at something,
at anything, we must desire it continuously, and be willing to act to
fulfill that desire every day. Think of the most successful people
you know. Isn't this what they have in common? If we look at their
lives, we see that they have worked long and hard to achieve
excellence in their chosen field. Behind that, an insatiable desire
to succeed in their efforts kept them driving them forward,
overcoming obstacles, working for years toward their objective. It is
like that in yoga and religion, which is working toward divine union.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness, for they shall be filled." He also said, "Seek and you
will find. Knock and the door will open to you."

This is the magic formula -- desire toward a goal, which spawns
action toward that goal. Continuous desire is the fuel. Daily action
is the fire. The word "continuous" is important, as is the
word "goal." Without these two operative functions, desires are
scattered, actions are unfocused, and not much happens. With them,
anything is achievable.

If we cultivate our desire to become continuously focused on a
particular goal, such as the achievement of divine union, we are
cultivating a special kind of desire. It is called "devotion."
Devotion is the continuous flow of desire toward an object or goal.
We are all familiar with the concept of devotion. It is how we
explain the success of great achievers: "Oh, she is so devoted to her
work." Or of great mystics: "Oh, she is so devoted to God." It is no
coincidence that devotion and greatness are found in the same place.
The first invariably leads to the second. The second cannot happen
without the first.

Whatever your concept of enlightenment may be, whatever tradition or
creed you hail from, whatever inspires you in the direction of
spiritual unfoldment, cultivate that. It is the engine of practice.
It is what enables us to sustain daily spiritual practice for as long
as it takes. As we practice, our divine experience grows, and, with
that, devotion grows. Increased devotion intensifies our commitment
to practice, and more dedicated practice yields more divine
experience which in turn increases devotion further. This is how it
progresses -- devotion yielding practice… yielding divine experience…
yielding more devotion… and so on. Devotion sustained at a fever
pitch by every means possible is the spiritual aspirant's best
friend. It is not always an easy life being constantly consumed by
spiritual "hunger and thirst," but it puts us on the royal road to
enlightenment. Intense devotion to transforming our lives through
advanced yoga practices assures that what must be done will be done.

Speaking of what must be done, now let's talk about the next step --
developing the habit of cultivating our eternal silent depths on a
daily basis. Lets talk about meditation.

The guru is in you.

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