Theo. – Last time, you explained that we had to maintain that state of equanimity within ourselves. But you will accept, I guess, that sometimes such a balance may be affected, won’t you?
The Elder – And then be restored, of course, by returning to the Presence.
Theo. – Which means by re-connecting. But I thought that connection was irrevocable and could not be lost!
The Elder – You may become unaware of it and start again living out of self-interest, instead of being centered on the Self, on the Lord in your infinite heart.
Theo. – Wouldn’t the beginner find it easier to meditate on atma-chakra (point N° 2) and the more advanced ones to meditate on the thousand-petalled chakra (Point N° 10)?
The spiritual points.
The Elder seemed to be pondering over it for a while and then he answered:
– If an aspirant was permanently focusing on Point 2, he would lose interest in his daily life. I had that experience when I was younger. My Master had allowed me to access the cosmic region. I was out of the world for nine months: I had lost all desire to live downhere. My family life remained good and harmonious, I was doing a good job, my health was very good too, and yet I could only feel like being and staying in the cosmic world, far from this earth where I had become a stranger in a strange land.
Theo. – And how did you leave that condition?
The Elder – With my Master’s help, of course, and also by integrating all that he had given me, spiritually speaking, through and into my heart.
Theo. – That heart you call the ‘great integrator’…
The Elder nodded and continued:
– The chakra of the soul (Point N° 2) will short-circuit the ego and nourish the aspirant with love. If he staid permanently there, the aspirant might be in a persistent vegetative state, and it would put an end to his human and spiritual evolution.
Theo. – I see! You make me think of the two wings of a bird Babuji mentioned: the material and the spiritual ones, which must be well balanced; otherwise, it would just be going in circles, in a material or a spiritual sense. Most of the time, it is in a material sense.
The Elder – Life is all movement. The evolution of the individual soul (jivatman) means that the soul is moving through the chakras and through their spiritual regions.
Theo. – That is exactly what maxim N° 2 means (“Begin your mediation by offering a prayer for spiritual elevation in such a way that the heart is filled with love”). There, Babuji calls on all of us to never stop and be restless until we have attained the Ultimate Goal, our Union with God.
The Elder – So, we must remain balanced, equanimous and keep still in our Centre, while moving on the periphery with the two wings of a bird.
Theo. – As Daaji said, the bird’s tail is what helps maintain the direction.
The Elder – You see, Theo, whatever our creator has given us has a value, and nothing should be spurned.
Theo. (cheerfully) – But falling into place is quite a job, isn’t it?
The Elder – If you do it from the Presence, in all equanimity, it is a fantastic experience. Then everything falls naturally into place and your life becomes harmonious. It takes on its full meaning and is really worthwhile.
Theo. – What will happen if we don’t do that?
The Elder – You know perfectly well. The individual’s tendencies will prevail and his ego and personality will do whatever they want.
Theo. – Some people are quite happy like that, though; a lack of spiritual consciousness does not seem to bother them and their lives run smoothly.
The Elder – Those who live in agreement with themselves (swadharma) and are in tune with nature can be happy. They are equanimous, in line with their own lives, in harmony with their relatives and their environments.
Theo. – Just like some Animists or Shamans are?
The Elder – Or like the persons who live in the ‘flow’, as we saw when we studied positive psychology. They live the so-called optimal experience to the full.
Theo. – I can remember that you suggested we should become an optimal person, a western yogi who would have discovered the key to happiness.
The Elder – The difficulty lies in the sustainability of whatever the experience may be.
Theo. – It is the same for the beautiful experiences I have when I meditate. I wish they would just endure…
The Elder – Yes, but your life, your soul, have to keep moving forward.
Theo. – We are like navigators who make a call at a port and stay in the country for a while in order to visit the place; but the call of the ocean is so strong that they have to be setting sail again.
The Elder – You are becoming a poet, dear Theo! Actually, the atman (Paramatman) is the only existing continuity, the eternal Presence within our hearts. We think it is motionless because it constitutes the centre of our being, but life, our own lives, come from that very Centre.
Theo. – As far as I understand, my mind being in contact with the Presence is what gives me access to the real equanimity, to benevolence.
The Elder – Exactly! The Presence unfolds and expands…
Theo kept quiet and closed his eyes. He could feel the Presence softly unfold in his inner being. Everything was serene within him. He beheld life, his life, very peacefully and with confidence. An inhabited silence was reigning in the room.
Intended for his old friend, his address was a mere breathed out whisper that said:
– I’m longing for a life from the sahaj-samadhi.
The Elder only smiled, in an inward response to his young friend’s restlessness.
Theophile the Elder
An excerpt from Dialogs with Theophile the Elder
Theophile the Younger’s Initiation