How to Deal With the Feeling of Unfitness for Spiritual Progress When It Arises in the Sadhana

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It is perhaps a virtually
universal experience.

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An individual takes up a
spiritual practice and for a

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time, particularly when Satwa is
in the forefront, he has unique

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insights, experiences and a
sense of progress.

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At some point, however, these
experiences tend to recede and

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the individual is left to
address the need for change in

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his physical, vital and mental
being.

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At that point, things become
more difficult, visible progress

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is sometimes lacking, and
discouragement can set in.

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Milarepa, the renowned Yogi from
Tibet, got to the point of

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despair, even to the extreme of
considering suicide as he felt

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like he was unfit for the yogic
practices he sought, that he had

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accumulated tremendous burdens
of sin and he was not succeeding

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in making progress in his path
towards liberation.

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While not everyone comes to the
point of suicidal thoughts, it

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is clearly a well known
experience to go through a dark

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night of the soul along the way.
The question then arises as to

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the cause and the solution of
this mood.

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First, one must be able to
separate oneself from the

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external being, that is, having
these thoughts and feelings.

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Once the standpoint of the
witness of the nature has been

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established, seeing and dealing
with these changes of mood and

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their consequences becomes much
simpler.

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The vital nature actually gets a
kind of perverse satisfaction

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from raising up these feelings,
as it draws attention and can

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actually be a form of vanity
which the ego personality

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accepts and flaunts.
It is then a seeking for

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attention and a form of drawing
energy from others to

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commiserate and provide positive
support.

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The next step is to align
oneself with the part of the

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being that has the aspiration
for the divine and the spiritual

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growth.
This is the psychic being and

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once one is established firmly
in this connection, the changing

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moods and feelings associated
with the modifications of the

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three gunas become much less
bothersome.

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This allows the Sodic to
experience peace and hold a

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smiling attitude towards all the
circumstances and vicissitudes

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of life, even while undergoing
challenges, facing obstacles and

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dealing with these dark periods
that come along with any attempt

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to address and effectuate
changes in human nature.

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Sri Orobindo notes quote.
Why do you indulge in these

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exaggerated feelings of remorse
and despair?

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When these things come up from
the subconscious, they do not

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help and make it more, not less,
difficult to eliminate what

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comes.
Such returns of an old nature

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that is long expelled from the
conscious parts of the being

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always happen in Sadhna.
It does not at all mean that the

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nature is unchangeable.
Try to recover the inner

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quietude.
Draw back from these movements

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and look at them calmly,
reducing them to their true

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proportions.
Your true nature is that in

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which you have peace and ananda
and love of the Divine.

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This other is only a fringe of
the outer personality, which in

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spite of these returns, is
destined to drop away as the

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true Being extends and
increases.

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There's no reason to be so much
cut down or despair of your

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progress.
Evidently you have had a surging

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up of the old movements, but
that can always happen so long

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as there is not an entire change
of the old nature, both in the

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consciousness and subconscious
parts.

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The one thing to do is to quiet
yourself and get back into the

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true consciousness and poise.
End Quote Reference Sri Orobindo

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and the Mother Looking from
Within, Chapter 4, Ordeals and

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Difficulties, page 96.