SUSTAINED ENTHUSIASM

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

33. SUSTAINED ENTHUSIASM
Worshipful homage unto the eternal, infinite, all-pervading, supreme, non-dual Reality, the
one alone that exists and whose existence manifests as existence in all things that exist.
The ocean exists. Therefore, waves exist. If there were no ocean, there would be no waves.
The central orb of the solar radiance exists, and billions of rays radiate in all directions. If the sun
did not exist, there would be no light. There would not be one single ray in this universe of ours.
Even so, the existence of all things that exist cannot be separated, cannot even be conceived of, as
distinct and separate from the one, ultimate, supreme, non-dual source of all existence, that which is
Existence Absolute, sat.
Thus, all existence owes its existence to that supreme sat, to that Supreme Being, to that One
alone that exists eternally, beginninglessly, endlessly. To that Supreme Existence which is the
beginning, middle and end, the alpha and omega of all that exists, our worshipful homage!
Loving adorations to the spiritual presence of worshipful and beloved Holy Master Gurudev
Swami Sivanandaji, who thought it fit to impart such insights to sincere seeking souls, to sadhakas
with jijnasa (the desire to know), to sadhakas with grahanasilata, the willingness and readiness to
receive. For this is essential: the willingness to approach, the willingness to ask for knowledge, and
the willingness to receive.
Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.
So, this is the condition preceding any achievement. There should be eagerness to receive. There
should be desire to know. There should be willingness to fulfil all conditions, so that it may be
bestowed and so that it may be received. This is the essence of the quest and its successful, fruitful
culmination—a continuous eagerness to obtain, and a great willingness to fulfil the conditions so
that it may be bestowed. Plus, the patience to work for it and to bide one’s time.
Therefore a sadhaka is called a jijnasu; he has a keen desire for knowledge. There should be
this thirst; there should be this longing. There should be this continuous, keen eagerness to know
and to proceed towards the state of illumination, of enlightenment. In other words, to go on

fulfilling all the minimal conditions that are essential for being a ripe receptacle. They say that you
must be an adhikari, you must be a deserving one.
And if one is to keep up this longing, this keenness, this eagerness, one must have sustained
enthusiasm. If you allow your interest to flag, enthusiasm will wane, and you will be in danger.
Otherwise, where there is this keen enthusiasm and there is keen interest and eagerness, that itself is
an armour, that itself is a power generator that can confront anything, overcome anything, ward off
anything.
Therefore it is that a genuine, authentic positivism is an indispensable requisite of
successful spiritual striving and ultimate attainment—a keen positivism that looks at the positive
aspects of things and exults that God has been so gracious, that rejoicingly moves forward with
enthusiasm, with interest, with eagerness, longing for nothing else, wishing for nothing else, caring
for nothing else, and paying attention to nothing else but this central quest.
This indeed is the sure guarantor, that which ensures the successful culmination of the
spiritual quest, the successful fruition of spiritual sadhana, the successful attainment of
enlightenment and illumination. Be this so in the life of each and everyone of you!