Consecrating Oneself Entirely to the Divine Life Represents the Way Forward for the Seeker Against All Doubt, Opposition and Negativity

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The spiritual path tends to
breed considerable opposition

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from friends, family and
associates because it takes the

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seeker along an entirely
different line of development

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that does not necessarily meet
the expectations of those

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people.
It is a path less travelled.

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It is not infrequent that
appeals are made to the seeker

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to accept the normal mode of
life of the society.

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Get a career, earn money, start
a family, relate to friends and

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family on the normal superficial
level that focuses on

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entertainment, distraction,
socializing, gossip, and

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comparing oneself on external
factors to others.

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With appeals to following the
family traditions and supporting

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the family.
The seeker is berated for

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declining in favor of spiritual
development.

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In many cases, they are treated
as mentally imbalanced and

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subjected to pressure for
psychological review and

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counselling.
In the more general society,

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spiritual seekers are frequently
treated as odd, out of sync with

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the society and its objectives,
and maligned for the life

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choices they make.
There can be instances of

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bullying, social shaming, et
cetera, for their failure to

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make something of themselves.
If the seeker pays attention to

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all of this negativity, he may
continually experience episodes

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of self doubt, depression, or
concern that somehow they are

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not doing what they should be
doing.

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The seeker's vital nature,
seeking for excuses to obtain

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positive affirmation from the
social world around them or for

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gratification of various
desires, may accentuate these

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doubts to disrupt the
continuity, focus and intensity

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of the efforts.
When a seeker is called to the

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spiritual path, he needs
therefore to become impervious

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to the negative comments and
pressure and remain focused and

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fixed on the spiritual
objective.

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Mixing spirituality with any
other mental, vital or physical

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motive or purpose creates the
opening for these doubts and

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distractions to take hold, the
Dhammapada states Quote.

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As the elephant on the
battlefield endures the arrow

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shot from the bow, so also shall
I patiently bear insult.

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For truly there are many of evil
mind in the world.

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End Quote.
The mother notes quote the verse

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gives some very wise advice.
The war elephant who has been

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well trained does not start
running away as soon as he

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receives an arrow.
He continues to advance and

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bears the pain with no change in
his attitude of heroic

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resistance.
Those who wish to follow the

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true path will naturally be
exposed to the attacks of all

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forms of bad will, which not
only do not understand, but

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generally hate what they do not
understand.

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If you are worried, grieved or
even discouraged by the

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malicious stupidities that men
say about you, you will not

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advance far on the way.
And such things come to you not

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because you are unlucky or
because your lot is not a happy

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one, but because, On the
contrary, the Divine

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consciousness and the Divine
grace take your resolution

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seriously and allow the
circumstances to become a

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touchstone on your way to see
whether your resolution is

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sincere and whether you are
strong enough to face the

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difficulties.
Therefore, if anyone sneers at

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you or says something that is
not very charitable, the first

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thing you should do is look
within yourself for whatever

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weakness or imperfection has
allowed such a thing to happen,

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and not to be disconsolate,
indignant, or aggrieved because

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people do not appreciate you at
what you think to be your true

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value.
On the contrary, you must be

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thankful to the Divine grace for
having pointed out to you the

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weakness or imperfection or
deformation that you must

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correct.
Therefore, instead of being

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unhappy, you should be fully
satisfied and derive advantage,

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a great advantage, from the harm
that was intended against you.

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Besides, if you truly want to
follow the path and practice

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yoga, you must not do it for
appreciation or honour.

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You must do it because it is an
imperative need of your being,

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because you cannot be happy in
any other way.

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Whether people appreciate you or
do not appreciate you, it is of

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absolutely no importance.
You may tell yourself beforehand

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that the further you are from
ordinary men, foreign to the

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ordinary mode of being, the less
people will appreciate you quite

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naturally, because they will not
understand you.

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And I repeat, it has absolutely
no importance.

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True sincerity consists in
advancing on the way, because

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you cannot do otherwise to
consecrate yourself to the

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Divine life, because you cannot
do otherwise, to seek

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transformation of your being and
come out into the light, because

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you cannot do otherwise, because
it is the purpose of your life.

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When it is like that, you may be
sure that you are on the right

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path.
End Quote Reference Srioro Bindu

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and the Mother Looking from
Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on

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the Path, pages 170 to 172.