We generally believe that spiritual awakening means we get to realize our deepest longing. Depending on what you currently think your deepest longing is, that may or may not be true. But if you keep practicing, you certainly will encounter many, many moments when you do not get what you want. What is the benefit when your teacher, or life, blocks you from getting what you want?
- You get to watch yourself fume, freak out, machinate and manipulate.
- You get to actually feel how enslaved you are by your attachments.
- You get slowed down, or stopped. This gives you time to notice that, in the speeding drive to get what you want, your View has narrowed. Your ability to empathize and see a bigger picture that includes other people is diminished.
What do you get when your teacher gives you what you don’t want?
- You get to work with the textures and tastes of your resistance to life.
- You get to explore a new situation, one not so controlled by your karmic compulsions.
- If you really let go, you receive an indelible and direct transmission of the quality of the freedom of your own essence nature. Hint: It’s not the freedom of your small, tense, egoic self to do whatever the bleep it wants.
If you have some spiritual practice tools at your disposal, you can apply this natural paradigm to any situation in life, not just those situations orchestrated by a compassionate teacher. The reality is that Guru resides everywhere, in every situation, and she is always busy doing whatever it takes to help you wake up.
Love,
Shambhavi
