THE PENETRATING VISION THAT BEHOLDS EVERYTHING AS A BLESSING

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

15. THE PENETRATING VISION THAT BEHOLDS EVERYTHING AS A BLESSING
Worshipful homage unto the supreme Divine Reality, the eternal, universal Spirit Divine!
May the divine grace of that Reality be upon you all. May that divine grace grant that you have the
awareness that this Reality is your own innermost centre now and here. It is not only a
supramundane, supra-cosmic, transcendental reality, timeless and eternal, but it is also an
ever-present reality—not something beyond the reach of the mind and intellect as they say. For, it is
your indwelling reality, the very centre of your being, the very essence of your being. It is nearer
than the nearest thing.
And, in this world of men and things, animals and plants, mountains and rivers, cities and
villages, wherever you go you are dwelling in God, for He pervades this universe. He is in every
speck of space, every atom of matter, everything that exists. He is the essence of all things; He is the
immanent presence; He pervades everywhere.
You can travel to the furthest corner of this world, and you will still be living in Him,
moving in Him, having your being in Him. He will still be filling you from the top of your head to
the tips of your toenails. You live in God; God lives in you. This is the only truth. Your whole life is
filled with Divinity; your whole life is saturated with Divinity.
The entire universe is interpenetrated with the Divine Principle. To live in this truth is to live
in God here and now, not after leaving this body, not in some post-mortem existence. God lives in
you—radiant, resplendent, dazzling with the effulgence of a million suns. That is how they refer to
this indwelling God in you. It is the central truth of your existence now, here.
How can darkness prevail when God indwells your heart? How is it possible to have
slumber in such a light? If you wake up in your consciousness to the fact that you are filled with
brightness, that there is no darkness within you, that there is no night of slumber, that there is a full
day of wakefulness, then you will be spiritually alert, you will be spiritually awake. Your interior
will be in that state which your Upanishadic ancestors wanted it to be: jagrata, uttishthata (awake,
arise).
This is the sadhana that is most pleasing to worshipful and beloved Gurudev: that you all
move about as centres of awakened Divinity, so that everywhere you go this Divinity radiates from
you, this Divinity finds expression through your thoughts, words and actions, through the way you
live your life. And to that end, every now and then, he will give you a push, a fresh impetus to stir
you up—slap you and wake you up, as it were.
He gives you such opportunities in this place where you are living your serene life. He
brings occasions of inundating you with spirituality by bringing to the ashram hundreds of sincere
seeking souls, so that your spiritual life once again becomes vibrant, awake, alert and dynamic.
Why not see it in this way, rather than as an inconvenience? Instead of looking at it in a
negative, non-productive way, why not look at it as a great blessedness? They are not mere visitors.
They are devotees, sadhakas, lovers of God, people striving earnestly like you for spiritual
perfection. So, with eagerness and longing to get away from their secular atmosphere and have a

little period of upliftment in a spiritual atmosphere, they come for a week or two and fill this ashram
with the spiritual vibrations that emanate from their hearts and minds, from their aspiration and
their vairagya and viveka.
They enhance the spiritual vibrations of the ashram by their presence; and, therefore, those
who permanently reside here in close proximity to Gurudev’s spiritual presence receive, as it were,
a feast, a special shower of benedictions during this period. We are given an opportunity of serving
them in any manner we can, of going out of ourselves to be helpful to them, to elevate and sanctify
ourselves by selfless service. The Upanishads tell us that anyone who gives us an opportunity for
paropakara (selfless service) is God. A visitor who gives us a chance to adapt, adjust and
accommodate is our benefactor. Because Gurudev said that adapting and adjusting ourselves is the
highest type of sadhana.
This, therefore, is a positive vision, a creative vision that can enrich your inner spiritual life
through everything that happens to you, everything that you pass through. Everything comes to you
as a plus point if you look at it with this right, positive, penetrating vision. Everything comes to you
as a blessing, an enhancer of your spiritual life and its spiritual quality. It is with this vision that you
should look at things—understand, grasp, and rise higher with its help. After all, you have come
here to lead a spiritual life, not a comfortable and convenient outer physical and material life. You
have come here to lead a life in which penance is an indispensable ingredient.
From the dawn of creation, in the context of all spiritual life, whatever the tradition,
tapasya, austerity, self-control, penance, has never been absent. It has been an invigorating factor. It
has been one of the indispensable ingredients of a genuine and authentic spiritual life—not an
unwise and irrational mortification, but a wise and rational austerity and penance.
All this your life here in Gurudev’s ashram provides for, if you but learn to see it as such,
and learn to take it as such, and learn to recognise it as such, and learn to utilise it as such. Then you
are the victor. You will attain victory. You are a true yogi. You are a true devotee.
It is not the outer atmosphere that is the important factor in the spiritual life, it is the inner
atmosphere which you yourself create. If you can succeed in diligently creating an inner
atmosphere for yourself that is not affected by the outer atmosphere and surroundings, then you
have known the secret of spiritual life. You live in that inner atmosphere—serene, unaffected by the
outer atmosphere. In the inner dimension of your own being, you live in God, you live in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
This, therefore, is to be clearly perceived, and you must engage yourself in creating this one
hundred per cent spiritual inner atmosphere. Your life is in your hands. You create your world; you
create your atmosphere. And the Upanishads have always said: Dwell in the light of the truth that
the Supreme Reality shines in the chambers of your heart as your own reality.
Let your interior be a state of fullest awareness of the Divine Presence shining in your
interior. Never, even for a split second, are you away from God. Not even for a split second is God
remote or distant from you. You live together, move together, have your being together. You live in
God; you are rooted in God.

Thus live this life. What can the world outside do to you? Interact with God every moment.
Do not react with the outside. This is the great example put before us by all the mystics, sages and
seers. And this ashram of Gurudev provides sufficient, adequate opportunity for elevating yourself
to the highest state of spiritual blessedness, if you can see it.
God bless you to recognise your blessedness. God bless you to recognise the immense
wealth and treasure which is already within your grasp. With this clear recognition, elevate yourself
by your own efforts. Reach the highest pinnacle of spiritual perfection and purity and attain the
supreme blessedness of liberation, peace and joy now, here, in this very life, in this very place!