When you are fast asleep at night, somebody may be talking in your room, but just because you are asleep, you don’t know about it. Similarly, you think that you had no difficulties before, but that is just because you were in another world. Once you enter into the world of reality, which is the world of spiritual aspiration, you will become aware of these problems, which you simply were not aware of in your unconscious life.
But this is a great opportunity for you to make progress. In the spiritual life you immediately know who your enemies are, who is standing in your way. Immediately you get the opportunity to face them, to fight them, to transform them. In the ordinary world, when you were leading an ordinary life, you had all these difficulties, but just because you were unconscious, you did not know it. You were not aware of the existence or the importance of those difficulties. Now that you are conscious, you are seeing all the difficulties — not necessarily as outer enemies, but as your own imperfections. The more you run toward the Light, the more you will see the slightest darkness within yourself, and feel it pulling you away from the Light. When you are consciously trying to be perfect, just a slight imperfection will disappoint you. If you came here at one minute past three and you told me that you would come at three o’clock, immediately it will bother you. “Oh, I told my Master that I would be there at three o’clock. How is it that I am late by one minute?” The nearer you are to the Light, the greater will be the importance you give to Light, and also the more clearly you will see what is darkness and what is light.
This is the greatest opportunity. Now you are seeing your difficulties face-to-face. When the enemy is hiding in the dark you don’t see him. If you don’t see the enemy, how are you going to fight him? How are you going to chase him away or capture him and transform him? But in broad daylight you can clearly see your obstacles. Then you must have aspiration. This aspiration brings down the highest Light, the highest Power for you. In you it acts, through you it acts and for you it acts just because you are aspiring. If you are not aspiring, this divine Grace, divine Power, will not descend into you. All these obstacles will remain in your life for many, many, many incarnations.
In this incarnation, however, you have accepted the spiritual life consciously, devotedly and soulfully. Now you can make wonderful progress. You have received the greatest opportunity to overcome all difficulties, and you should be happy that you are now aware of the obstacles and can fight them out and transform them. It is your aspiration that will solve all your problems. You have that aspiration. When you did not have aspiration that was the real problem. Now the problems that you are seeing can easily be conquered on the strength of your sincere aspiration.From:Sri Chinmoy,AUM — Vol.II-5, No.11,12, November-December 1978, Vishma Press, 1978
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