Finding GOD as a whole and sole and one’s beloved is practiced by many schools and yogis. The entire cycle is between feeling the need to fulfillment. Nothing but ONE is the felt requirement and expressed need. Living becomes a pursuit. As explained by Gitacharya, one in thousands may have such a desire and one of those who have the desire and practised may find ONE. Others remain as also-rans but the grace flown gets accumulated and one may have better “initial conditions” in the next possible opportunity.
The basic question is what triggers the quest in this lifetime? We often find child prodigies who at an unbelievable age master certain acts/practices. An example of such a gift can be reciting the entire Bhagavadgita at a tender age or mastering the Puranic stories at a very young age. It appears an almost impossible task. Their siblings are brought up in the same ecosystem but may be no comparison to these gifted children. Then the possible explanation can be in terms of “initial” conditions. The same explains the reason behind the quest for the divine in a few and less in others – the initial conditions.
The thirst for the divine takes one in search of the search. The paths one gets exposed to and try may result in partial or satisfactory results. Here the act of practicing matters. For practice to happen to the perfect level, alignment is important. Any incoherence may result in sub-optimal results. In fact, the best outcomes happen when the practice appears and is “Sahaj”, the natural. Here, if meditation is the chosen path for practice, meditation shall not be an isolated act at a designated hour but all acts need to become meditations. Here is the story of the Zen monk who got spotted in a busy tea place by the seeker who identified the monk by the meditative glances and gratitude with which the monk was sipping his tea!
Sincere practice leads to progress or recalibration of the path one is following. This shall ensure maximum return on the precious input one is offering - one’s own life and time. Thus, the quest followed by practice shall take one to fulfillment. Rest becomes blissful witnessing.
Dr S Ainavolu is a professor at VPSoM, DYPU, Navi Mumbai. Views are personal. You can read more at https://www.ainavolu.in/blog
