Faith and Courage Represent the True Attitude for Facing Life and for Spiritual Progress

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One of the qualities that Swami
Vivekananda emphasized is

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fearlessness.
We may wonder why courage and

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fearlessness are such important
elements in our lives.

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If we live a relatively safe
external life and don't engage

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in extremely risky behaviour.
We may also wonder why they are

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important elements for the
spiritual seeker.

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First, with respect to the
external life, there's really no

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truly safe existence.
If we constantly spend our time

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and energy worrying about
whether we will be able to earn

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a living, whether the food we
eat is healthy, whether we are

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taking care of our bodies
correctly.

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If we can approach other people
and socialize with them without

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being rejected or even made the
butt of humor, we will quickly

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find that we live in a state of
what the existentialists call

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nausea.
This is a state where we are

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constantly afraid, anxious, and
unprepared to deal with the

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situations that arise in our
lives.

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This does not have to go to the
level of life and death

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experiences such as soldiers
face in warfare or dealing with

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a pandemic.
In our town, we're even dealing

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with local bullies who haunt our
schools and neighborhoods,

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threatening violence if we do
not do what they demand of us.

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Yet it might rise to that level
of existential fear,

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particularly if we have not
taught ourselves how to face

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these uncertain or even
dangerous situations.

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Fear tends to call upon us those
things which we fear as we set

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up a vibratory pattern that
attracts the object of our

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fears.
With respect to the spiritual

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seeker, many people believe that
meditation, deep contemplation,

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inward spiritual focus cannot be
a cause of fear and therefore

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they cannot appreciate why
courage is a desired and even a

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required element in the
spiritual practice.

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They imagine spirituality to be
filled with peace, joy and

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well-being.
And of course, there are such

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times that come to spiritual
seekers during the development

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of the sadhna.
But spirituality also requires

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us to confront old habits, face
down tendencies that have driven

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us in the past, and may bring
about tension between the

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spiritual seeker and those
people with whom he has built

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his past external life.
But it can go even further.

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As new energies pour into the
seeker, as chakras open, as new

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insights arise, there can arise
serious imbalances that can lead

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to mental imbalance, emotional
disturbance, vital disruptions

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and physical breakdowns which
can lead to illness or death.

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It is one reason that the
guidance of an experienced

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teacher is highly recommended so
that the seeker can more or less

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safely traverse the inner
landscape and find some kind of

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balance at each stage.
One of the elements of achieving

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fearlessness or courage is the
element of faith in the divine

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power and grace that is actually
carrying out the

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transformations.
The more we can accept that they

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are working for the long term
result we aspire for and are

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there to provide us guidance,
support and protection, the

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easier it is to develop the kind
of fearless attitude needed,

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Sviro Bindu observes quote.
Faith and courage are the true

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attitude to keep in life and
work always and in this

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spiritual experience also in
moments of trial.

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Faith in the divine protection
and the call for that protection

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at all times.
The faith that what the divine

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wills is the best.
End Quote reference Sri Orobindu

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and the Mother looking from
within.

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Chapter 5.
Attitudes on the Path, page 131.