Some times when listening to lectures, we get particularly attracted to all the information there is to remember. So we go back to the beginning. Then we are distracted and the recording is left. When our consciousness pricks us that we really should be studying, we go back to that favourite lecture and start again. There are so many interesting things to remember but as we haven't got writing materials at the moment, we decide to go back to the beginning again.

As a child, I always enjoyed the crisp new pages of a new notebook and painstakingly tried to keep the contents equally neat and clean. When changes came, it was a pity to spoil the neatness of the work and so as I found it hard to correct, I started again. Which meant many books were copied again and again. It was quite a different method of revision but rather time consuming!

Do we become so comfortable with our life as it is at present that we are loathe to introduce anything new to disturb the order we have painstakingly arranged? This is not what is meant to be content with one’s lot!

The one element that is vital for spiritual growth is enthusiasm. Which means we must learn quickly that everything can be turned upside down in a moment and if we bemoan the loss of our order, we are not seeing the potentials that lie in the apparent chaos.

“The path of a spiritual warrior is not an easy one. As we strive for the spiritual maturity to become effective spiritual warriors, we inevitably encounter numerous obstacles. Anyone expecting an undemanding, trouble-free ride should think twice before making a commitment to spiritual life. Once we have committed ourselves, all sorts of difficult challenges arise for us to overcome.

These challenges serve as qualifying tests, to see if we are serious about entering the spiritual kingdom.”

“The opportunity for elevation is always available to us. If we are not serious about spiritual life, tests and obstacles will curtail our advancement. On the other hand, each time we pass a test, our qualifications increase and we are one step closer to becoming our natural, spiritual selves. That is why the tests are more difficult and more frequent at this stage: they are arranged to match the higher level we claim to have reached”

The elevator is the quickest way to the top floor despite the dizzingly fast ride. The stairs still get you there, at some cost of time and exhaustion. And of course en route the many interesting items to attract your attention on each floor level, contribute to your being waylaid. One can get so wrapped up in the items being offered that one can completely forget one’s original intention of getting to the top floor.

Spiritual life is just like this. The main goal can be reached with focused determination and a desire to reach the end with what is known as lauliyum spiritual greed; the only greed worth having. If we are really serious about spiritual life, we have to rein in our senses and stop focusing on how wounded we are by life. Instead we need to take stock of ourselves and turn out liabilities into assets. By constantly rectifying our mistakes we have a chance to have greater insight in the future.

“Something has dropped in the water, in the river. You cannot see the things dropped within the water by agitating the water. Just stand still for some times. As soon as the water is settled up, you’ll see the things as they are. So as soon as our enthusiasm is agitated, it is better to sit down in any temple suitable and chant Hare Krishna. There is no question of being disappointed. After all, we commit so many mistakes. That is human nature. To err is human. That is not a fault. But try to rectify with cool head.”

If one is drifting ever so slightly, skipping past possible danger points and anything resembling a test, one can maintain this course ad infinitum. Until of course you realise that most of your life has gone and you haven't really achieved that much. Then you realise that if you always do things the same way you will always get the same result.

“We are in the midst of a serious shift in global consciousness, and many spiritual warriors will be significant players in this transition. We are moving away from a culture of taking toward a culture of giving. We should revel in the fact that this is a time of spiritual harvest and that many of us are gardeners who will help in this harvest period. As each of us releases our own negative patterns, we advance spiritually and enable our role in this harvesting to expand. On the other hand, if we fail to work out these patterns and remain subject to our lower impulses, we do a great disservice to ourselves and also to the world. We must fulfill our responsibility as spiritual warriors to model new thought patterns and behaviors so that we can help create new communities based on wholesome, natural interactions.”

Why not put yourself on fast forward this year?