I was listening to Br. David's talk - you can still catch it on Madhuban Jewels website - about his experiences before coming into gyan. The part that really grabbed me what the idyllic isolation he experienced in the Kimberly region of Australia. I say idyllic because sometimes I just want to get away from it all. I'm sure what I suffer is not unique - too much noise, too much clutter, too much information. In today's world, everything is at our fingertips and if we want a little distraction, we don't have to go far for it. For Br. David to place himself in complete isolation took courage, but it allowed him to face himself, to learn to listen, to discover, to create. Without the multitude of distractions that we face today, one is able to make quick progress in any area of life. And, for Br. David, it was during this time that he had profound experiences that were to play an important part in his own transformation.
I envy him this opportunity. I wish I could isolate myself for a year or more and really cut out the clutter of distractions - get down to the nitty gritty. But this was not written into the drama for me. My path has a different route and the challenge here is to cut out the distractions whilst they still exist. Br. David mentioned a hermit that he used to visit during this time and gave an example of how disciplined this hermit was with food. He would receive his food pack and figure out how often he would allow himself to eat the 'good stuff' so that it would last until the next food pack, whereas David would eat all the good stuff first, over indulge and then have nothing left towards the end. He was attracted to the discipline of the hermit, he wanted to gain that discipline himself. Hearing him speak of the hermit, I too, wanted to gain this discipline, to learn to live within reasonable means instead of taking and indulging all the time.
Time is short, and distractions will keep us from the work on the self that we need to do. For me, I plan to take a different attitude towards these distractions, be a bit ruthless and find time to be in silence - a sort of internal isolation - so that that work can progress. Discipline comes from making a choice and then sticking with it - repeating that choice again and again - and never forgetting the purpose of that choice.
Om shanti.
my feelings are the same. sometimes i wish i could get out of all the rush all the noise all the intensity to be in solitude for a long time. i know i could benefit the self a great deal. i understand that the frictions are not the same when you are in isolation and when you are in the city. there are many chalanges in isolation but there are more mirors in the city, that if i'm able to look subtly enough with courage. the big secret about spirituality is very simple: just do it! just put into practice whatever golden rule you know and the change is promised. when i feel connected to my spirituality then i can move fast, move accurately and catch the opportunuties around me. when i feel less spiritual then my thinking of isolation come to the front stage. as you wrote time is short so i need to change distraction to jewels no matter what.
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