THE PRIMAL IMPORTANCE OF ONE-POINTED PRACTICE

The heart is forever expanding. The core of the human personality has that ineffable luminosity, forever shining. It is we, because of our actions, who build a wall around the heart. Therefore I tell meditators throughout the world: Be regular in your practices. Your practices are specially designed for you for a particular purpose. If the wall is very thick you use a bigger hammer; if the wall is thin, use a smaller hammer. The practices that are given to you are very carefully weighed and evaluated to bring about the maximum result in breaking down your wall. Regularity, regularity, regularity – you could make a song of it; Regularity, sincerity, and oneness of purpose are all important.

There is a lovely little story of Ramakrishna’s where there was a little bird sitting on the mast of a boat. This bird wanted to reach the shore. It flew to the south but got tired of flying when it couldn’t find the shore. So, it came back and perched on the mast. It flew to the north and got tired of flying and came back. It flew to the west and to the east, but the same thing happened because the shore was far away. Finally it decided, “Look, this ship must reach shore, so instead of flying around and wasting energy let me stick to the mast;” And surely the ship reached shore.

What this teaches us is one-pointedness. Stick to the boat, be regular, and you will surely reach home. We must reach – it is our nature to reach Divinity because Divinity is within us. And the full power of love can only be experienced when we dive deep within ourselves and get bathed in the light of love and God.

The principles we have spoken about apply to every facet of life and to every situation. Principles, if they are sound, must contain a certain amount of flexibility. Love is always flexible, though one-pointed, and it meets every contingency for betterment.

….. Gururaj Ananda Yogi: “From Darkness to Light.”