By: Yogesh Sharda 
Source: The Daily Guardian 
Dated: October 26, 2024

The spiritual journey is a return journey – it requires patience and maturity, because it takes time. There is a lot to learn, un-learn and re-learn, and when we carry false or limited beliefs about the self it can keep us in a box for years and years. Just like control can be maintained over an elephant, because when it was young it was tethered and could not move further than its chain allowed; it remembers this and stays where it is tethered – even though it has massive strength and could break the chain at any time it chooses. I have to work on my mind and see where I am carrying some erroneous beliefs, so that I may move forward.

Spiritual maturity ensures that we have good wishes for others on the journey, no matter how they are, and encourage the best in others for them to flourish. Let my good wishes be way more powerful than their bad wishes. Respecting the individuality of each one, helps them reach the highest part of themselves. In the same way that a farmer has crops that all grow at different times and speeds, people also blossom at their own time. To acquire spiritual maturity takes time, and we often get things wrong as we start out on the journey. The stages of extremes are damaging, like a storm is damaging to crops. It requires the art of balance. We could say there are three stages on the path to balance:

1. Thesis stage: We understand an idea and run off with it in one direction. We do a lot and we talk a lot and just want to get busy sharing what we have understood. We want to make things happen.
2. Antithesis stage: We expend such a lot of energy that is all about ‘doing’ and not about ‘being’. So, we stop, and decide not to participate in anything, refuse to help out because we just want to ‘be’. This does not make for good relationships and it begins to feel that this too, is not the right way forward.
3. Synthesis stage:  Ultimately the stage of coming together – of being while doing.

We can describe the spiritual journey as research into virtues; as we apply them in our lives we can see when they are out of balance, and which virtue will counterbalance. We learn as we go, and begin to feel we are making progress and our relationships are gently harmonised. We certainly need to be with others to reach our highest stage. The saying goes: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ Sometimes we will get tired, sometimes there will be stormy waters, so we need to understand the different personalities that we come across, especially as they always tell us something about ourselves. We need to invest in our relationships with love and kindness. Sow seeds of co-operation, kindness, love and support and these will reap a beautiful harvest later, just at the right time. There may be moments to come when there is strong disagreement, but if I have invested in the relationship, of keeping everything harmonious and friendly, then in these moments of disagreement we will have a bridge to be able to connect our hearts, and work things out; because people will always forget what you say, but they will never forget the way you make them feel. A journey accomplished alone is of course a great achievement, but a journey undertaken together, where the destination is reached with everyone, through loving encouragement, gentle direction and deep respect, is far, far greater. 

Yogesh Sharda is the National Coordinator 
of The Brahma Kumaris’ services in Turkey.