INEVITABILITY OF AWAKENING

Movies, sports events, relationships, etc. excite us, but they are not satisfying in the end because they are fleeting.  They quickly feel second best to us.  What we really want is God, who is eternal, abiding, unchanging, and the experience of which is beyond all other human experiences.

Everyone wants God but most of us are unaware that we want Him.  We know we want something, something more IT than what we’ve got, but realizing what IT is takes time.  This is ironic because we are actively seeking God from the day we are born, insofar as the Atman in us is drawn to its source, the Brahman (God), like a stream to the sea.

As Vedanta puts it, we live many lifetimes, all of which are flowing toward spiritual awakening, toward finding God.  Finding God is inevitable for each of us as this is what we are flowing toward.  This stream we are in is the nature of existence, ultimately of God Himself.  God is bringing us to Him.

Vivekananda stated, “A tremendous stream is flowing toward the ocean, carrying us all along with it; and though like straws and scraps of paper we may at times float aimlessly about, in the long run we are all sure to join the ocean of God.”

Vedanta teaches that there is a way to speed up the awakening process, and it is by steadfast spiritual practice, particularly by meditation.  Like Prabhavananda used to say all the time, “Meditate, meditate, meditate.”  A person must be especially inspired to do so, needless to say.   This is likely someone who is at the threshold, at God’s doorstep already.  All that remains for him is to step through.