We expect everything sooner than at once. We all want to be God-realised souls overnight. It is an excellent idea, a great aim that all of us cherish; but we have to know where we actually stand. To be very frank, some of you are absolute beginners in the spiritual life. I am not trying to discourage you, far from it; only this is just a bare statement of fact. Again, you have to know that he who is a beginner today can easily become an expert tomorrow. But at the very beginning of our journey, if we feel that God-realisation will dawn on us tomorrow or in the near future, it will be a deplorable mistake. We have to go step by step. Before we go through kindergarten, if we want to enter into the university, it will be a ridiculous idea.
God-realisation does not come by hook or by crook. Years of spiritual discipline, iron discipline, are necessary in order to have higher and deeper spiritual experiences. Then, from these experiences, we enter into a deeper region which we call the region of realisation. This region also has to be surpassed in order to enter into the real realisation, the absolute realisation — in other words, God-realisation. I am not throwing cold water on you. I only wish to say that each spiritual aspirant or seeker must have infinite patience, and his patience is nothing but inner light and inner wisdom.
To my sorrow, some of you do not even follow the basic spiritual disciplines. First of all, there is nothing as important as regularity in the spiritual life. Today some of you meditate at six o'clock in the morning, tomorrow at four o'clock, the day after at eleven or twelve o'clock. Then again, there are some who meditate only once a week, or once in a blue moon. This is deplorable. Regularity must be practised. If it is at seven o'clock that you meditate, please try to meditate every day at seven o'clock. If it is at eight o'clock, then every day meditate at eight o'clock. Your inner being will never take any responsibility for you if you are not regular in your spiritual life.
Along with regularity, please try to have purity in your body, vital, mind, heart and soul. It is in purity that God's Breath abides. The purity of the body is of paramount importance in the spiritual life. If physical purity is lacking in a human being, then it is simply impossible for the Divine Being to breathe in that particular individual. Then, along with physical purity, there also has to be cleanliness in the body. I am sure all of you take baths at least once a day. What we call "cleanliness" in the outer world, in the inner world we call "purity." There also has to be purity in the mind. If your mind is roaming here and there, if your mind is cherishing all kinds of undivine thoughts, then purity is just a far cry. So physical purity, mental purity and vital purity are all of paramount importance.
Before you actually start to meditate, no matter what time it is, please wash your eyes, ears and nose. You should use cold water and not hot water or warm water. Then, you have to know that it is always better to meditate in a seated position. Of course, when you are spiritually more developed you can meditate while lying down, while standing, while running, while eating, while talking. But right now, you should meditate at home in a quiet spot. You need not sit cross-legged; you can sit in a chair or you can sit on your sofa. But try to keep your spine erect and straight. These are the basic things that you must know.From:Sri Chinmoy,The hour of meditation, Agni Press, 1977
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