“If you want an easy method for self-transformation, one that brings results, consider self-realization. Self-realization leads to self-transformation, naturally.
What do I need to realize…you may be thinking. Here is what we all need to realise. We are souls, separate from the body. We are children of God, with an originally divine nature of peace and love.
Self-realization BEGINS when our understanding of this BECOMES AN EXPERIENCE. Then it is as if the soul awakens. Truth is awakened. At this point it is no longer about changing ourselves. Instead, we undergo a metamorphosis, in which the soul’s latent beauty simply begins to take over, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
Our original character, our eternal character of virtue and greatness begins to assert itself. To focus our efforts on evoking something lovely, rather than transforming something dreadful, is known as easy effort.
Truly, there is no need to judge ourselves harshly, criticizing ourselves for every mistake. The power to create all the changes we desire lies in the truth of who we are.
We just need to reach that truth and coax it back into being. This will dislodge and replace much of what we otherwise would spend a lot of time trying to change.
HAVING FAITH
All the right thoughts and good feelings you would like for yourself and others already exist within you.
Do you have this faith?
Developing this faith is the real work of those of us on a spiritual path.
Realizing and accepting the highest truth about ourselves is the foundation of spiritual greatness.
It is easy to construct the part of the building that is above ground.
The real work lies in creating the foundation.
There is a gift for you when you do this.
It is called pure pride.
DEVELOPING PURE PRIDE
Pure pride is not ego.
Ego develops from identifying too strongly with the roles we play in the drama of life. Ego weakens truth: we become overly sensitive to other peoples’ opinions and are easily offended. Ego makes us judgmental: it runs an often unconscious mental tape of comments, criticisms, and corrections which distances us from others. If nothing keeps the ego in check, the heart begins to harden, making us more and more selective and prejudiced, closing us off from people and life.
Pure pride, on the other hand, is the result of exploring our spiritual heritage. It is based on the experience of being a soul, a child of God. As peace and love flow from the Supreme to us, souls, His children, the flame of pure pride is re-ignited.
When we operate from pure pride, well-being is internally generated and a new sense of inner security and comfort allows us to be more relaxed in life. We are no longer so easily affected by the moods and opinions of others. There is less effort in being with each other. We find ourselves naturally opening to people, able to accept them as they are, genuinely interested in their well-being. There are feelings of compassion and it is easy to come close. We also become gentle.
When such feelings are again experienced by the heart, and not just simply understood by the head. our values begin to clarify and reaffirm themselves automatically. We are able to discern right from wrong and actually do what is right.
We become free from external influences and behave in a way that reflects the best in us; we are true to the highest truth within.
Pure pride is an experience of self-respect, to a degree that we would, before, never even have imagined possible.
Text borrowed from Spiritual Greatness, a book by the late, great Dadi Janki~Thank you, Dadi!
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