The Gift of Lineage

by | 16 Aug, 2017

The Gift of Lineage: Guidance and Inspiration

This arrived in my inbox this morning and I thought it was very good so I am forwarding it on. Illumination does not mean having a trouble free life, it is there to shine a light on our difficulties and inspire us as to how to move through them and re-unite with love, joy, fulfilment, peace and prosperity. If you think it will be plain sailing, perhaps you incarnated on the wrong planet?

Parasurama and Rama, who are mentioned below, are not just spiritual seekers, they were Avatars, and even they had issues to deal with. So, lighten up about your own troubles, and the failures of self and others, and realize that the soul wants us to learn through them, not have a hermetically sealed, pristine, ever happy, always-victorious-in-every-aspect, life. Give yourself a break, cultivate some compassion and look beyond the problems to the changes that will be required to find the promised land, which eventually is to be found internally. Have patience, keep up your practices, and be radically grateful even for the hard stuff. It’s what keeps us growing.

Love to all

Shakti Durga

The Gift of Lineage: Guidance and Inspiration
Irene (Aradhana) Petryszak | July 31, 2017
https://www.himalayaninstitute.org/amrit-blog/yoga-wisdom-worldview/gift-lineage-guidance-inspiration
Yoga Wisdom & Worldview
When we venture into unknown territory, it is reassuring to have a guide. This is what a spiritual lineage offers us. As questions arise and we encounter obstacles along the way, we can turn to those who have gone before us for inspiration and guidance. The great sages of the Himalayas, beginning with the Vedic seers and continuing to modern times, have struggled with the same issues that we all struggle with. And as they overcame the obstacles that stood between them and Self-realization, they mapped the way for those who would follow after them. Passing on the teachings from generation to generation, these sages help lead aspirants to the highest reality.

Mapping the Spiritual Quest
Each of the stories of the sages that we hear or read carries a unique message that will inspire seekers of every level, for they show how even these great realized beings had their moments of doubt and despair—and overcame them. There was Narada, who taught others the art of happiness, only to realize that he was not happy himself. Prince Rama fell into a deep depression and wandered for years in search of inner peace.

When we venture into the unknown, it is reassuring to have a guide.
Parashurama, a great warrior, was consumed with frustration, feeling totally dejected and hopeless. Vidyaranya Yati wondered what was wrong with him because he had not gained direct experience of the truth after more than eighty years of intense practice. Madhusudana Sarasvati, a brilliant philosopher of non-dualism, felt empty inside, and secretly yearned to experience what the devotees did. And Swami Rama kept breaking his practice because he could not always control his anger.

These weary travelers each found the help of a guide who clarified their confusion and inspired them to continue on their spiritual quest. Systematically, step by step, the masters explained how to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way. Be patient, they would say. Train your body, mind, and senses, have faith, study the scriptures, seek the company of the wise, practice non-attachment, meditate. Make all possible effort, and then surrender to divine will. Embrace each moment as it presents itself, seeing it as an opportunity to expand your awareness, until you are fully opened and prepared. Then, when you least expect it, grace will dawn and you will experience oneness with the divine.

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