SELF-REALISATION – UNFOLDMENT

The process of Self-realisation is taking place all the time and the process takes place consciously or unconsciously. Many of us feel disappointed that we might not be evolving, but that is not true. Every breath we take, every experience we have in life is for the purpose of evolution and as I said in other lectures, that we are propelled in this force and there is nothing we could do to stop that force. So, we are forever moving onward. But what happens is, that in that movement onward there might come a time where we are not proceeding vertically, there might be a time when we are just on the horizontal plane, and because of our actions, we are not moving to the next step.

Now, for example to Self-realisation, if there are 10 steps. Those steps all require some time to be on. You can remain in standard one for 1 year, you can remain in standard one for one month and the teacher finds that this child is very brilliant and he should be promoted to standard two. So, from standard one, you can go to standard two within one month or one year or you might have to spend three years in standard one, but that does not mean re-progression.

EVOLUTION IS ALWAYS PROGRESSIVE

In evolution, there is always progression. In other words, we believe in progressive evolution. Fine, what happens is that by our thoughts and actions – thought, word and deed – we might just run around in that particular stage. Good, and those experiences are necessary too.

Necessary to pass over to the next stage. If the child fails standard one, then the next year in standard one he will be gaining more experience and learning more, so that he could at last pass. But one thing is sure, that once he has reached standard one, he is not going back to kindergarten.

So, evolution is always progressive. There are certain beliefs or religions like the Hindu people, they believe, that if you live a bad life you will be reincarnated as a dog or a cat or a mouse or whatever. In a lower form, in a lower species, which I do not agree with. Because every experience in life – be it conducive to our environment and to ourselves or be it not conducive or pleasant – it is still an experience, whereby certain things are gained.

UNFOLDMENT IS THE PATH TO SELF-REALISATION

Spiritually, we don’t develop, but spiritually we go through a process of unfoldment and the unfoldment is the path to Self-realisation. Good, what is Self-realisation? Self-realisation is when a person’s mind, body and spirit work in unison, work as an integrated entity, work as a totality, that is Self-realisation. Now, when a person functions as a totality, you will find, that the Spiritual Self will dominate more. It will dominate mostly, because every action performed by the mind and the body will be enforced or stimulated or empowered or engendered by the spiritual value within us. So, we reach that Divinity within us and what we do, we bring Divinity down, back to practical living.

Every man is a Divine entity within himself, therefore in our movement, we don’t call it “spiritual development”. The spirit does not require developing, it is there, every being is a realised being within himself because Divinity is there in its entirety.

….. Gururaj Ananda Yogi: UK 1977 – 17.