Love is grown out of compassion, and that’s what we need to learn before learning to do anything else.

Once we open the doorway to the soul, we can learn to balance our life in the inner and outer worlds. Exploring our soul while fulfilling our purpose in the outer world is an art that we can master.

Spirituality means love in action. It means enjoying our spiritual riches and sharing them with all we meet. We can learn to balance our spiritual practices with our worldly responsibilities, enjoying the fruits within ourselves and sharing our gifts with humanity.

Looking Inward

Looking inward means that we are in a state of inner spiritual bliss. We are conscious of our soul’s connectedness with God and all life. We are strengthened by the fearlessness that comes with identifying with our soul. We live in the knowledge that we are immortal. Just as a computer monitor is connected to the hard drive and can receive the data from it, we are plugged into and receive a continuous stream from the source all wisdom, unconditional love, and bliss. We devote specific time to meditation daily, but even when not in meditation, we are in tune with our soul. Throughout the day, as we go about our work, the bliss pours through us, the knowledge is available to us, the fearlessness and strength sustains us, and we are empowered to act on the basis of spiritual values. The stream sustains us from within at all times, enriching every moment of our life. When we are in love with an earthly beloved, the whole world takes on the colour of love. We see things as rosy and blissful. Similarly, when in a state of bliss from within, it colours the world as bliss. We then see ecstasy wherever we look.

Looking Outward

While we need to invert to find God, we need not be introverted when dealing with the people around us. Looking outward means that we can also be highly attuned and aware of what is happening in our outer environment. We can place our attention where we choose. Our awareness of the needs of others, our concentration, our sensitivity, and our compassion grow along with our spiritual development. The more we invert, we become aware of the needs of others. One sign that we have grown spiritually is that we are less self-absorbed and selfish and more humanity­ absorbed and selfless. The more attuned we are to the soul within us, the greater our love, compassion, and service for our fellow beings.

When we see the outer world through the eyes of our soul, we see the light of God shining even in plants and animals, and we start to live our lives in such a way as to preserve all living things. As we grow spiritually, we become more receptive to others, including animals and plants. We become more giving and caring when we deal with other people and all forms of life.

Looking Inward/Outward

When we examine the lives of the saints and mystics, we find that they devoted their lives to helping others. They were like the swan that lives in water but flies with dry wings. While all the time they are in tune with the Creator, they still live amongst others, participating fully in life.

The Christian mystic, John Ruysbroeck, has said that “the truly inward man should flow out to all in common.” St Catherine of Genoa, born in the 15th century, had a mystical experience in which she was transported to a state of pure and purifying love from God. Her mystical revelation was followed by a life of selfless service to others. She began working to help the sick and the poor. At the age of thirty, she founded the first hospital in the city of Genoa. For the next twenty-two years, she lived in a state of continued consciousness with the divine presence of the Lord filling her with joy, love, and bliss. Yet while she experienced perpetual ecstasy, she continued managing the hospital.

She was punctual and efficient in her duties at the hospital and never let her spiritual absorption keep her from fulfilling her worldly responsibilities. When a plague swept through Genoa, she formed a group to nurse the victims. Thus, she showed her love for God through love for her fellow beings and all forms of life, including plants and animals. It was said of her: “If an animal were killed or a tree were cut down, she could hardly bear to see them lose the life that God had given them.”

In the four stages of ardent love, St Richard of Victor describes the stages of betrothal, marriage, wedlock, and the fruitfulness of the soul. In the betrothal stage, the soul thirsts for God. It has a ruling passion to experience higher reality. The soul is touched by the spirit of God and is bathed in sweetness. This is the stage of the soul’s awakening. In the second stage, the soul is burning with desire for God and is taken as the bride of the Lord. The soul ascends, sees the sun of righteousness, and takes the marriage vows to God. In the third stage, the soul has union with the Lord. The soul is in communion with God, is fully concentrated on God, and caught up in the divine Light. In the fourth stage of ardent love, we find the crux of the life of a true mystic: giving of one’s spiritual wealth to humanity. The union of the soul with the Lord is not a childless union. The soul takes on the responsibilities, duties, and pains of parenthood to bring forth children. The children here are represented by good and noble works in the world that serve humanity. The empowered souls become centers of spiritual energy and are conscious co-workers of the divine plan. They live out their lives spreading spiritual love to all they meet, inspiring and uplifting others by their example.

We, too, can attain this state. By spending time daily in meditation, we can discover the power of our soul, enriching our lives with wisdom, immortality, love, fearlessness, connectedness, and bliss.

The writer is a spiritual leader.

Writer: Sant Rajinder Singh

Source: The pioneer

Love is grown out of compassion, and that’s what we need to learn before learning to do anything else.

Once we open the doorway to the soul, we can learn to balance our life in the inner and outer worlds. Exploring our soul while fulfilling our purpose in the outer world is an art that we can master.

Spirituality means love in action. It means enjoying our spiritual riches and sharing them with all we meet. We can learn to balance our spiritual practices with our worldly responsibilities, enjoying the fruits within ourselves and sharing our gifts with humanity.

Looking Inward

Looking inward means that we are in a state of inner spiritual bliss. We are conscious of our soul’s connectedness with God and all life. We are strengthened by the fearlessness that comes with identifying with our soul. We live in the knowledge that we are immortal. Just as a computer monitor is connected to the hard drive and can receive the data from it, we are plugged into and receive a continuous stream from the source all wisdom, unconditional love, and bliss. We devote specific time to meditation daily, but even when not in meditation, we are in tune with our soul. Throughout the day, as we go about our work, the bliss pours through us, the knowledge is available to us, the fearlessness and strength sustains us, and we are empowered to act on the basis of spiritual values. The stream sustains us from within at all times, enriching every moment of our life. When we are in love with an earthly beloved, the whole world takes on the colour of love. We see things as rosy and blissful. Similarly, when in a state of bliss from within, it colours the world as bliss. We then see ecstasy wherever we look.

Looking Outward

While we need to invert to find God, we need not be introverted when dealing with the people around us. Looking outward means that we can also be highly attuned and aware of what is happening in our outer environment. We can place our attention where we choose. Our awareness of the needs of others, our concentration, our sensitivity, and our compassion grow along with our spiritual development. The more we invert, we become aware of the needs of others. One sign that we have grown spiritually is that we are less self-absorbed and selfish and more humanity­ absorbed and selfless. The more attuned we are to the soul within us, the greater our love, compassion, and service for our fellow beings.

When we see the outer world through the eyes of our soul, we see the light of God shining even in plants and animals, and we start to live our lives in such a way as to preserve all living things. As we grow spiritually, we become more receptive to others, including animals and plants. We become more giving and caring when we deal with other people and all forms of life.

Looking Inward/Outward

When we examine the lives of the saints and mystics, we find that they devoted their lives to helping others. They were like the swan that lives in water but flies with dry wings. While all the time they are in tune with the Creator, they still live amongst others, participating fully in life.

The Christian mystic, John Ruysbroeck, has said that “the truly inward man should flow out to all in common.” St Catherine of Genoa, born in the 15th century, had a mystical experience in which she was transported to a state of pure and purifying love from God. Her mystical revelation was followed by a life of selfless service to others. She began working to help the sick and the poor. At the age of thirty, she founded the first hospital in the city of Genoa. For the next twenty-two years, she lived in a state of continued consciousness with the divine presence of the Lord filling her with joy, love, and bliss. Yet while she experienced perpetual ecstasy, she continued managing the hospital.

She was punctual and efficient in her duties at the hospital and never let her spiritual absorption keep her from fulfilling her worldly responsibilities. When a plague swept through Genoa, she formed a group to nurse the victims. Thus, she showed her love for God through love for her fellow beings and all forms of life, including plants and animals. It was said of her: “If an animal were killed or a tree were cut down, she could hardly bear to see them lose the life that God had given them.”

In the four stages of ardent love, St Richard of Victor describes the stages of betrothal, marriage, wedlock, and the fruitfulness of the soul. In the betrothal stage, the soul thirsts for God. It has a ruling passion to experience higher reality. The soul is touched by the spirit of God and is bathed in sweetness. This is the stage of the soul’s awakening. In the second stage, the soul is burning with desire for God and is taken as the bride of the Lord. The soul ascends, sees the sun of righteousness, and takes the marriage vows to God. In the third stage, the soul has union with the Lord. The soul is in communion with God, is fully concentrated on God, and caught up in the divine Light. In the fourth stage of ardent love, we find the crux of the life of a true mystic: giving of one’s spiritual wealth to humanity. The union of the soul with the Lord is not a childless union. The soul takes on the responsibilities, duties, and pains of parenthood to bring forth children. The children here are represented by good and noble works in the world that serve humanity. The empowered souls become centers of spiritual energy and are conscious co-workers of the divine plan. They live out their lives spreading spiritual love to all they meet, inspiring and uplifting others by their example.

We, too, can attain this state. By spending time daily in meditation, we can discover the power of our soul, enriching our lives with wisdom, immortality, love, fearlessness, connectedness, and bliss.

The writer is a spiritual leader.

Writer: Sant Rajinder Singh

Source: The pioneer