Knocking from Inside

Beloved, I would like to speak some words with you about sadhana. What is the meaning of sadhana? Sadhana means the pure spiritual training and practice that each one who is searching for Truth, searching for Self-discovery, searching for what is natural within themself, searching for God...In fact, all true seeking is to find oneself. Again, all true seeking is ultimately to find oneself.

It has been said before, the one who seeks God finds himself, and the one who seeks himself finds God. What is it saying? Is this a kind of blasphemy? No, because in the heart, the very essence, the source of one’s very existence is God.

It is as though, you know, what we conceive of to be our self is connected by some invisible umbilical cord to the Supreme. But this is just an image. In reality, there is not so much this image. The one we take our self to be presently is not the one you will discover yourself to be ultimately. So sadhana is to help you to discover your original nature – that which is totally natural and pure.

Now, listen: It is a misconception in the mind of many beings that they must always be practicing and practicing – always you must practice and practice...and the practice becomes almost the goal itself. But every practice is to reach the very source itself. The source itself is not a practice.

So what I want to remind you, with great joy in my heart, is that as you mature…

Mature means that you practice, you look, you’re contemplating, you pray, you seek. And that will continue to deepen and deepen, and along the way, you find spontaneously that your mind is becoming more peaceful, more light, open, free, I could even say, empty. That you find that you’re not merely your body or your body-mind, which are functions within you and not your ultimate nature.

So it is going to come, first of all – big encouragement to everyone, is that successful practice or the sign of spiritual maturity is that everything becomes more clear, more light, more convincing in you. You see? So you don’t have to be straining so much.

The practice which begins with effort will gradually, gradually weaken, thin away, as you come closer to the truth of what you are.

Now, I want to tell you something else also. What you are searching for, is what you are even now. What you are really searching for is the Truth of what you are – even now! But you are not aware of it, because in front of it is some misconceptions, some distraction, some distraction forces working. And so we’re living in a state of delusion. Some people call it “dreaming”, like that. So you have heard the term, “Awakening”, so it seems more relevant now to say that as you awaken – which means you become much more mature and successful in your practice – the practice itself will fall away as you come into the fullness of what you’re practicing for.

Now, Saint Francis of Assisi, a very great Saint that lived many many hundreds of years ago, he said something that I would like to share with you.

He said, “What you are looking for is already the place you are looking from.”

It feels like an amazing mystery, how can that be?

I invite you now to reflect and look upon that simple statement. What you are looking for actually is your own Self – your own true Self which is synonymous with the God reality. That’s what we are each seeking. But it’s not clear to us, until you… As you mature it becomes clearer and clearer until it becomes obvious. When it becomes obvious, your practice will finish. And you’ll find that your life is not anymore called a practice, it is just a harmony now.

Another great Saint said one time – this Saint is called Rumi, he said, “I’ve been knocking at a door. The door opens suddenly. I realise I have been knocking from inside. Think about it! It means that he was already inside, but he was imagining he was outside. So he had to knock saying, “Let me in, let me in, let me in!” But he was already in. And this is a metaphor, a paradox also, of what life can appear to be.

I want to remind you that also sometimes, you can fall in love with your practice, and then the practice becomes almost like your goal. You forget what the goal is. You’ve fallen too much in love with the journey. So spiritual practice or sadhana, should really – you must remember this – what is it you are practicing for? You see? Because even though you may love your practice, you know, it should not go on forever. Otherwise you miss your goal, and you end up only in love with your practice. That practice is not the goal.

So, even if your practice is sweet, it’s very beautiful, very tasty to you, actually, nothing in the world actually, even the sweetest thing, after a while, you’ll get fed up of it. And it is good, because nothing in the world lasts forever. And only God – only when you discover God, you can say, “Yes”, you’ll feel that you know, “Wow”... You’ll never be bored of God. You will never be tired of God. Everything else – that you’ll become tired of, including your very self, until you find the truth of your Self. Bear this in mind.

I wish that you will continue to search so that when you search with earnestness, Grace will come to you, and Grace will help you to find That which you are searching for.

God bless you.