THE MARK OF AN UNFOLDED MAN?

 

SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL UNFOLDMENT

Spiritual unfoldment has specific qualifications in our daily living life. The qualifications help us tackle the problems of daily living. The ability to turn what was previously un-joyous into joy is a sign of spiritual unfoldment. As we have discussed before, all unhappiness is produced by our worthless sense of attachment. We get so attached to various aspects and facets of life, which, as we said, is non-enduring. So as a man expands, as a man unfolds spiritually, he would seek the actual value not only within himself but also in the environment and finding the actual value within himself and in the environment, he will find it non-separate from himself. That is a sure sign of spiritual unfoldment.

A spiritually unfolded man is more integrated, depending on how much unfoldment has occurred. There are no stumbling blocks to the spiritually unfolded man, only stepping stones. Those things which were stumbling blocks have now been turned into stepping stones, and by knowing that every experience in life is but a stepping stone to lead us up and ever onward, those are the marks of the aspirant, of the unfolding man.

THE REAL SELF WITHIN US IS FOREVER UNFOLDED

When we use the word unfoldment, we are not referring to the unfolded Self within us. The authentic Self within us is forever unfolded, encompassing everything tangible and intangible, animate and inanimate. But when we talk of spiritual unfoldment, we talk about removing the veils of attachments to unenduring values and recognising them for what they are worth. We are slowly, gradually and progressively going beyond all the shackles that tie us down to relativity. There is nothing wrong in being in relativity, but being tied down, bogged down, and weighted down are the things we are trying to uplift. So spiritual unfoldment is also spiritual upliftment.

The light forever shines outside, and we try to draw the curtains. We are opening the curtains to shine light into our daily lives. All the philosophies in life are of no value whatsoever if they are not made practical. The spiritually unfolded man walks on a razor’s edge. He has to be even more careful in his daily living than the un-unfolded man. He has to be more cautious, vigilant, and alert so that he does not slip.

THE UNFOLDED MAN MUST KNOW THE TRUE VALUE OF HUMILITY

There is a story of a guru who had a chela. This chela had implicit faith in this guru, and the faith was so strong in him that by using the guru’s name, he could cross the river and walk on the water. This came to the notice of the guru, and the guru started thinking, “Oh, I am so powerful the I, I, I, that even my name takes the person walking across the water.” So, the guru thought that if the chela could do this with the power of my name, what else could I not do? So, one lovely frosty Friday morning, he thought, let me do it and sank as soon as he started walking across the river. He sank. What made him sink was the spiritual pride that he had gathered unto himself. He was a good man before then, but the pride that developed in him because of certain powers he could exercise brought him down and made him sink.

We find this happening in various movements and with various so-called spiritual people. So, the unfolded man has to be humble. He must know the value of humility, where he can identify himself as a highly evolved human being and, at the same time, identify himself as the meanest worm crawling on the floor.

IN HUMBLENESS, THE UNFOLDED PERSON CAN POUR FORTH GRACE

This identification takes place because he has recognised that divinity exists. He has known the immanent God in everything around him, and by knowing that, he realises that his body and mind are nothing more than instruments. Recognising that the body and the mind are nothing more than instruments and that he plays in the power in the hands of a tremendous Divine force makes him feel insignificant. Yet, simultaneously, he knows the significance of Divinity because Divinity permeates every thought of his, every cell in his body. He knows that divinity can also be described as Grace, and being the instrument of that Grace, he can pour forth that Grace not in haughtiness but in humbleness. Those are the marks of the unfolded man. Otherwise, if he is not unfolded, he is packaged. Throw him in the sea.

THERE IS NO SEPARATION WITH THE UNFOLDED MAN

That is how the world works. That is how spirituality works. The unfolded man would have humility; with humility, there is a total sense of surrender. He becomes very ordinary. I have said before that the unfolded man becomes more ordinary than ordinary, which could be regarded as extraordinary. It is all so simple.

It is all so simple. It is just these few virtues that have to be cultivated in man to find that unfoldment. It is not grown as a facade, as an outward show, but as a real living example of surrender, humility, and love. The unfolded man cries your tears and laughs your laughter because there is no separation. That is the unfolded man.

DIVINE GRACE IS CLOSER TO US THAN WHAT WE THINK

The unfolded man can stand apart from the world and all that befalls, all the strife and turmoil he might have to endure. Jesus went through a lot of suffering. We only know of the sufferings of Jesus, of the surface value, but do we see the inside of Jesus? Outwardly, he seemed to suffer; inwardly, he was at peace because he was one with divinity. He was one with the Father.

In modern times, you can take the example of Ramakrishna, at the end of the 19th century; I would recommend all of you to read his book” The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna,” written by one of his disciples Mahendra, in short. They usually used to call him M. Sri Ramakrishna because he had such simplicity, such devotion and not only devotion to God or something that he felt was higher than him and far away, but the devotion to man, to every creature because that Force, that Divine Grace is closer to us than what we think.

THE MARK OF AN UNFOLDED MAN IS THAT HE LOVES AND LOVES ENTIRELY

Grace is the very life force within us. If we are not just curiosity mongers or want to find readymade solutions overnight, if we are earnest and sincere, then through our meditational practices in that silence, we feel that presence. That presence is not to be got from elsewhere; it is there already, and it is the one that feels like the unfolded man. Like this, we can go on and on describing the various characteristics of the unfolded man, but the main characteristic is that he loves and loves and loves entirely. With that love, there is sacrifice, there is surrender, and there is devotion. A true guru is always more devoted to his chela than a chela is devoted to the guru. That is the mark of an unfolded man.

… Gururaj Ananda Yogi: Satsang UK 1978 – 09