This is a very common thing that I have seen happen with spiritual teachers, and have also faced it personally. When a spiritual teacher tries to bring about a sense of urgency in the students, the students come up with all kinds of theories (and stories of other people who are supposed to have realized) to argue that it is a 'gradual' thing, and should not be sudden. But what is your idea of being gradual? Never allow any sense of urgency? Always push back whenever someone speaks of it? That is just ridiculous.
Always trying to dwell in the sense of urgency and desperation is the gradual thing to do. Gradualness is not something that you argue for. Your argument should always be for having a sense of urgency. Because, the more you talk of 'gradual', the more you will sleep off. It is just a justification to remain placid. It is an escape, an escape that you try to authorize by using all great names and philosophies. And what is that foolish argument anyway? Should no one ever talk of sense of urgency to us? Then how will it come about even gradually?
If one sees that they do not have the sense of urgency, and do not justify it in anyway, the sense of urgency will come about. But the moment we justify, we snub that possibility also - "Oh I do not have the sense of urgency. But it is ok. It is a gradual thing [sleep off]"
If we just wanted to sleep off in gradualness, and do not want anyone talking about urgency, why did we approach a teacher at all? To find company to sleep with?
Whenever we retort to a teacher that things should be gradual, we have insulted the teacher's time and energy. The teacher is not merely sharing with us some information; he is spilling his energy to bring about a sense of urgency in us. I have seen some teachers trying to fire up the listeners for an hour, and in the end someone very casually says "But it is gradual"! That itself diffuses to some extent the intensity that had built up in the gathering.
The spiritual 'path' is not one of distance or time, it is one of intensity of being. One may muster it in a moment, or not even in a lifetime. One may muster it right here, or not even by going to the Himalayas. And arguing for gradualness is a sure shot way to diffuse intensity.
Therefore following a 'path' is not an endorsement for being gradual. No matter what path one is following, this should ever be kept in mind:
P.S.: Sometimes some teachers talk of things that bring about a sense of impossibility rather than a sense of urgency. It is important to distinguish the two.
Always trying to dwell in the sense of urgency and desperation is the gradual thing to do. Gradualness is not something that you argue for. Your argument should always be for having a sense of urgency. Because, the more you talk of 'gradual', the more you will sleep off. It is just a justification to remain placid. It is an escape, an escape that you try to authorize by using all great names and philosophies. And what is that foolish argument anyway? Should no one ever talk of sense of urgency to us? Then how will it come about even gradually?
If one sees that they do not have the sense of urgency, and do not justify it in anyway, the sense of urgency will come about. But the moment we justify, we snub that possibility also - "Oh I do not have the sense of urgency. But it is ok. It is a gradual thing [sleep off]"
If we just wanted to sleep off in gradualness, and do not want anyone talking about urgency, why did we approach a teacher at all? To find company to sleep with?
Whenever we retort to a teacher that things should be gradual, we have insulted the teacher's time and energy. The teacher is not merely sharing with us some information; he is spilling his energy to bring about a sense of urgency in us. I have seen some teachers trying to fire up the listeners for an hour, and in the end someone very casually says "But it is gradual"! That itself diffuses to some extent the intensity that had built up in the gathering.
The spiritual 'path' is not one of distance or time, it is one of intensity of being. One may muster it in a moment, or not even in a lifetime. One may muster it right here, or not even by going to the Himalayas. And arguing for gradualness is a sure shot way to diffuse intensity.
Therefore following a 'path' is not an endorsement for being gradual. No matter what path one is following, this should ever be kept in mind:
P.S.: Sometimes some teachers talk of things that bring about a sense of impossibility rather than a sense of urgency. It is important to distinguish the two.
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