The feeling of humility

This is an authentic story. There was an extremely great spiritual Master whose sincerity was most admirable. From time to time, he could not meditate to his satisfaction. So, in order to meditate well and reach his own highest height, he did something unique: he used to get up from the place where he was meditating and look for somebody of the lowest caste — a sweeper or cobbler — and then he would go and embrace that person. He himself came of a Brahmin family, which is the highest caste. After embracing that person, he would return to his place of meditation and enter into his absolutely highest meditation.

Sometimes he did something else. He would rise from his meditation spot and find somebody who was very unspiritual and unaspiring. Then he would fall flat at that person’s feet. Afterwards, he would return home and once more have a very deep meditation.

Why did he do this? Because it gave him a feeling of humility. For years and years he had meditated so well that pride had entered into him. His mind had literally become a pride-desert. So, in order to regain his highest meditation-height, either he would embrace a lower caste individual or he would fall at the feet of someone whom he had considered to be undivine to the extreme. He felt that when humility enters into the mind, one’s meditation immediately becomes both high and deep.

This is so true. Here in the West there is no caste system, but there are various other ways to feel humility and to reach your highest meditation.

If you consider someone in your spiritual family to be infinitely less spiritual than you are, then try to feel or think of your Master’s compassion and our Lord Beloved Supreme’s Compassion in tolerating that particular person on the spiritual path. That person, according to you, may be the worst possible disciple. You may absolutely deplore the undivine qualities that he or she embodies. But if you can imagine the Compassion-Tears of the Supreme for that particular person, and if you can become one with those Tears, immediately you will be identified with the Compassion of the Supreme. At that time, you will find that your meditation has once more become very high and deep. Why? Because the Supreme’s Compassion-Tears for that other person, which you are imagining and also identifying with, are also entering into you. They are entering into your mind, which is not aspiring on that particular day, and into your wrong, undivine thoughts.

There is another way which, at one time, Swami Vivekananda tried. That way is to remember your three highest meditations. If you have been following the spiritual path for many years, by this time I am sure you have had high meditations on many occasions. Consciously recall to mind the three times in your life that were absolutely the highest. Imagine the particular day, the place where you sat and how you meditated. Remember what you felt in your heart and in your entire being. Enter into the joy that you are imagining.

Then concentrate on that imagination. Take your imagination as a material object that is right in front of you. Make your imagination into a tennis ball or something small that you can keep right in front of your eyes. You do not have to keep your eyes open; only concentrate, concentrate!

In a few minutes, I assure you, you will be able to reach your highest meditation — but only if you want to. There are many days, even months and years, when you do not want to have your highest meditation. You go to the meditation hall, but you allow yourself to think of other human beings, or what you are going to eat, or what happened on the previous day. Countless times you have not had the eagerness to do your best meditation.

If one day you really want to do your best meditation but, for some reason, are unable to, then you can try what I have said. If you have sincerity and eagerness, then definitely you can bring forward your best meditation with your imagination, for imagination is a reality in its own right.