Spiritual Portal

In America everbody is busy, busy, busy..you won't have anytime for bliss.

Paramahansa Yogananda

i will add to this; too busy with what?

Busy on the phone
Busy texting
Busy to get ahead.
Busy to get a house.
Busy to have kids.
Busy to watch the news.
Busy to play computer games.
Busy to listen to music
Busy to vacation.
Busy to have a career.
Busy to go to family reunions.
Busy to see friends...many who distract us from our search.
Busy to go to see entertainment.
Busy to go out and eat.
Busy to go to the cusino.
Busy to see family.
Busy to drink.
Busy to smoke.
Busy to shop and buy more stuff.
Busy to entertain a mate who may have no interest in meditation.
Busy with so many things and therefore always restless and in no shape to sit for any length of time and experience bliss.
Busy watching sports games.
Busy with hobbies.
Busy reading books.
Busy settling disputes with others.
Too busy for the purpose of life and to be around gurus, masters and friends that could help us spiritually.
To busy to even give 20 minutes a day to what we came here for in this life.

So seeing these distractions from the real purpose of life. One may ask what is the "real" purpose of life.

Amma: The real purpose is to experience what is beyond this physical existence.

However, each one looks at life differently. Most human beings see life as a constant struggle for survival. Such people believe in the theory "the fittest will survive." They are satisfied with a normal way of living-for example, getting a house, job, a car, a wife or husband, children and enough money to live. Yes these are important things, and we need need to focus on our day-to-day lives and to take care of our responsibilities and obligations, small and big. But there is more to life, a higher purpose, which is to know who we are.

Questioner: Amma, what do we gain by knowing who we are?

Amma: Everything. A feeling of complete fullness, with asolutely nothing else to gain in life. That makes life perfect.

Regardless of all we accumulated or are striving to acquire, for most people life still feels incomplete-- like the letter "C" This gap, or lack, will always be there. Only spiritual knowledge and realization of the Self [Atman] can fill this gap and unite the two ends, which will make the letter "O". The knowledge of "That" alone will help us feel well-grounded in the real center of life.

Qeustionere: Inthat case what about the worldly duties that peole have to discharge?

Amma:  No matter who we are or what we are doing, the duties we are doing should help us reach the supreme dharma, which is oneness with the Universal Self. All living beings are one because life is one, and life only has one purpose. Owing to identification with the body and mind, one may think "To seek the Self and attain Self-realization is not my dharma; my dharma is to work as a musician or an actor or a businessman." It is o.k. to feel this way. However we will never find fulfillment unless we direct our energy toward the supreme goal in life.

thanks for sharing steve, much appreciated. cheers 

Questioner: Amma, You say that for everyone the purpose
of life is realization. But it doesn't seem like that,  because most people don't attain realization or even seem to strive for it.

will continue...

Amma: This is because most people have no spiritual understanding. That is what is known as maya, the illusory power of the world that covers truth and distances humankind from it. Whether we are.aware of it or not the real purpose of life is to realize divinity within. There arr many things you may not know in your present mental state. It is chilidish to say "they are non-existant because I am unaware of them". As situations open up and experiences unfold, new and unknown phases of life will open up, which will take youwhich will take you to you closer and closer to your own True Self. It is only a question of time. For some this realization may have already occurred, for certain others it will happen at any moment and yet there are others that will learn it at a later stage. Just because it has not happened yet or may not even happen in this lifetime, don't think it is never going to happen.

Within you immense knowledge is waiting for your permission to unfold. But it will not happen unless you allow it to.

To be continued...

Questioner: Who should allow it? The mind?

Amma: Your whole being-- your mind, body and intellect.

Questioner: Is it a question of understanding?

Amma: It is a question of understanding and doing.

Questioner: How do we develop that understanding?

Amma: By developing humility.

Questioner: What is so great about humility?

Amma:  Humility makes you receptive to all experiences
without judging them. So you learn more.

It is not of question of intellectual understanding alone. There are many people all over the world who have enough spiritual information in their heads. Yet among such people, how many are really spiritual and sincerely strive to attain the Goal or even try to gain a deeper understanding of spiritual principles? Very few, isn't it?

Questioner: So Amma, what is the real problem? Is it faithlessness or the difficulty of getting out of our head?

Amma: If you have true faith then you automatically fall into the heart.

Questioner: So it is faithlessness?

Amma: What do you think?

Questioner: Yes it is faithlessness. But why did you call it falling into the heart?

Amma: Physically speaking, the head is the topmost part of the body. To go from there to the heart, one must fall. However spiritually speaking it is rising up and soaring high.

.....from 'Amma's Heart'