lessons of practical life

Balanced life

"He who would meditate must first be purified through work. He must learn the lessons of practical life. He must not neglect duty or dharma." - Sadhu TL Vaswani

One of us asked the Rishi: “Master, many speak of work. A few speak of meditation and spiritual life. And we hear, more and more, in these days, of a new order. We feel confounded. Speak to us that we may understand.”

And the Rishi said: Work is essential. Spiritual life is a life of balance. Be balanced—if you would attain. The purpose of life on this earth is to correct and balance oneself. Work purifies and work disciplines us. And he who would meditate must first be purified through work. He must learn the lessons of practical life. He must not neglect duty or dharma.

Krishna tells Arjuna repeatedly to “stand up and do his dharma or duty”. I must not neglect my duty to my family and society. I am linked with them karmically. I must discharge my debt to them. The path of work is the path of purification: and purification precedes illumination.

The world will not be new until we have more men with a world vision and with hearts of love.

Many speak, today, of a New Order and they ask for new laws and new adjustments in society and the state. Many, indeed, idolise the state, the “new state”, as the source of new laws which would make the world new.

The world will not be new until we have more men with a world vision and with hearts of love. What can parchments of parliaments and laws of assemblies do? Wanted men! More men of the right type are needed—men of sympathy and understanding, men of vision and love, men of self-control and self-effacement, men who have not merely “national” consciousness but “whole-consciousness,” who see the “whole” as one, who behold the unity of all life.

They who behold the One in all and all in One, they will rise above the barriers of creed and colour, of country and race. Unto them will be granted the power to build a new order and a new civilisation.

I cannot plead too often, then, in this day of materialism and chaos, on the side of the sages, for meditation and spiritual life.

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