Nisargadatta Maharaj, one of India’s greatest saints and a master of Self-knowledge (jnana yoga), perfectly summed up the meaning of life for a true spiritual seeker when he stated:
“Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything.
Between the two, my life flows.”
Indeed, spiritual life is about finding the balance between wisdom, which gives us the discrimination to discern the truth from the false and develop spiritual maturity, and love, which dissolves the ego (and the delusion of separation) as we resolve past unfulfilled desires and karma.
I experienced this for the first time when I gave birth to my daughter. I had been meditating, repeating mantras, and doing other spiritual practices for both throughout my pregnancy; I also had a group of friends over to chant for hours the week before my due date. So when the day arrived, I was really inspired and ready! I wanted a water birth, and her dad had set up a tub in the living room ahead of time.
When my water broke and I started having contractions, he called the midwife and filled the tub with warm water. The midwife said it would take a few hours for me to be ready. My baby, however, had other plans and was as ready as me. I yearned for the warm embrace of the water and got in the tub.
Then everything simply happened on its own. My body knew what to do, and I mentally stepped aside to become a witness to the whole process. There was nothing for me to do, except opening up to the experience, allowing Divine Consciousness to manifest life. My body was doing all the work and I was just watching while mumbling some mantras.
My body was a vehicle of divine energy, and I was one with what I later learned was called the Inner Witness. I had sensed it before during meditation, and recognized my capacity to step aside to channel healing energy and perceive subtle dimensions beyond the mind, but this was the most powerful and humbling experience of my life!
By the time the midwife arrived, we were almost done. When my sweet child emerged from the water, like a little mermaid, and I held her in my arms for the very first time, I realized being a mother was a desire I didn’t even know I had within me. This was a definite turning point, not just because being a mother changes everything, but also because my perception of life itself was transformed. I was One with Love, and nothing else mattered.
You Are Wisdom and Love
It still took me many years to embrace the path of non-duality, but I think allowing life to emerge by witnessing the process and opening up to the experience was so powerful that it left deeply ingrained imprints in my mind. There was no rushing, no pushing, no doing, no thinking; just allowing; just being. And since there was no mind involved, there was no fear, no resistance, no expectations, and no pain; just the fluidity of the present moment.
Life is your greatest teacher. Wisdom emerges when the ego recognizes its limitations and you accept what is meant to happen as it is. When you surrender to Divine Consciousness, letting things and people come and go as they may, with the understanding that nothing is permanent. When you choose your words and actions carefully and discriminate between ego driven thoughts and those that support your true spiritual purpose.
Then love shows you what a powerful being you are so you may create and transform life by understanding yourself and others with humility and compassion. By acknowledging, accepting, and surrendering to your divine nature, which is the Pure Consciousness in all. Like a good mother, the Divine knows what is best for you, guiding you in spite of how stubborn and proud your ego is. Wisdom yields discrimination and spiritual maturity. Love removes the delusion of separation and leads you back to your true Self. So contact me today to learn to navigate your life gracefully by developing emotional and spiritual freedom!
© 2011 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.
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