What Is True Wisdom?
True wisdom is attained through sacrifice, devotion and perseverance rather than comfort or shortcuts. Drawing on the teachings of Rabia and Guru Gobind Singh, the article says the path to God requires humility, longing and complete surrender.
Dada J. P. Vaswani reflects on how sacrifice, devotion and longing lead seekers towards spiritual wisdom and God | Representational Image
The spiritual path is not the primrose path of comfortable, easy progress. Wise men have spoken to us of the “steep and thorny way” to heaven. It is a journey that requires intense effort; it is the path of a bruised and wounded heart. This path cares not for those with parched, dry eyes; it only sees the flowing tears of a smitten heart.
Experiencing The Divine
A question was once put to Rabia, a Sufi saint: Do you first worship God and then see Him, or do you first experience Him and then begin your worship?
Rabia’s reply was, “When my tears flow endlessly, when my heart is overwhelmed with emotion, I experience the grace of God. I know then that it is the time to worship God. It is then that I find God standing in front of me, face to face.”
The Path Of Love
Saints and sages have said that if you want to follow the path of love, you must shed tears of longing; you must experience the agony of separation. Guru Gobind Singh, in his sacred verse, says:
First be prepared to die
And renounce the desire to live.
The Price Of Liberation
As I said to you, the path to liberation, the path to God, is strewn with the thorns of sorrow. It is not for those who take life easy; it is not for those who prefer shortcuts.
This deal, this bargain with God, is very costly. You have to sacrifice your life; you have to trade your all for it.
(Dada J. P. Vaswani was a humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader.)
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