Muzakra-07

MUZAKRA – 7 RIGHT USE OF GOD-GIVEN FACILITIES SOUL:

Do devotees ever do anything materially useful?

SELF: Do not think that spiritual life means just sitting in the corner chanting on beads or ringing a bell. If you engage in spiritual warfare with no other weapons than those of external devotion, you will not only fail to gain complete victory over your passions, but you will also commit great offenses and blunders. As necessary as it is to avoid eating ‘Haram’, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling, it is also essential to use positively and profitably those things I have given you. Then I can say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” To attain perfection, you must employ positively all the facilities of body and soul in My service. SOUL:

But I don’t understand how to begin.

SELF: Begin with regulating your understanding and will. Because there are two great defects under which you labour, you should first free yourself from these. One of these defects is illusion. Under the influence of illusion, you can never know Me, the Absolute Truth. Therefore, begin by understanding the difference between the body and the soul, matter and spirit. The force that pervades these bodies is spirit; The body will perish, but not the soul in it. The soul is primeval, eternal, unstained, It is not hurt, even if the body be slain. You, My dear follower, are not the body but eternal spiritual soul, a tiny reflection of Me, the Supreme Soul. Never was there a time that I did not exist, or you as possibility in My knowledge. I am eternal. Is that not wonderful? Does that not make you blissful? SOUL: Yes, that’s wonderful, but I’m feeling a little dizzy. SELF: That is because you are still weak and not used to the higher regions. You need to exercise your spiritual muscles. Exercise makes you strong, and spiritual discipline sharpens your eyes, making everything bright and clear. When your vision is fully purified, it will be easy to discern between the material and spiritual, between what is temporary and what is eternal. Then you will know what is merely sense gratification, and what is devotional, true enjoyment for the soul

SOUL: What kind of exercises are you talking about, Lord? SELF: The most important is remembering Me through My Holy Name. By this, even a conditioned soul can experience My presence and power. Then, the more you free yourself from committing offenses in your chanting– especially the offense of disobeying My orders – the more you will realize My presence. Always remember that I am a Self, but not a limited person like you. I am the Supreme Person – omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. No one is equal to Me, greater than Me, or separate from Me. Of course, you cannot comprehend this. Be content to know that I am, and that I delight in My devotees chanting My Holy Name. I also delight in their eager study of My words as contained in the bona fide scriptures (Quran), and their willingness to endure hardship and austerity for My pleasure by following the regulative principles and engaging in devotional service. SOUL: You said that this is the most important. Are there other things also? SELF: Yes, My disciple, chanting is the first and most important consideration. But how will you know what to chant unless you have heard properly? So, hearing is also very important. Hearing and chanting are really two facets of the same jewel – God Consciousness. SOUL:

But how does one know what is proper hearing?

SELF: That is a very intelligent question, My dear devotee, one which brings us to the second point: There must be persistent, serious and diligent exercise of the faculty of discrimination. Every object, every act, and every thought must be analyzed in order to distinguish the good from the bad, or, more precisely, to distinguish sense gratification from devotional service. Sound judgment is not formed on the basis of external appearances, mental speculation, or sensory affinity, or by the standards of an immoral, corrupt world. Truth and righteousness are known by their conformity to Quran and Sunnah. In other words, proper hearing means to hear from authoritative and authentic sources. Who are the proper authorities? First and above all, Quran and Sunnah, then the spiritual masters, saintly persons, and other authentic writings of these masters. SOUL: Then mental speculation isn’t worth much? SELF: How can it be? The conditioned soul has four defects: he makes mistakes; he has imperfect senses; he has as tendency to cheat; and he is living in an illusion. With such fundamental defects, how can he do anything perfectly?

What the world pursues with eagerness and affection is called vanity and illusion. The world’s ambitions and pleasures are like dreams. Unfortunately, worldly life is not only full of all kinds of miseries – like birth, death, old age, and disease – but also its pleasures and ambitions are always temporary and soon shattered. They can give only endless hankering and lamentation. On the other hand, persecution and ignominy suffered by My surrendered devotee for My Name’s sake are transformed into glory and joy. The preacher of My words, even though despised by this world, is to Me most dear. By returning good for evil, he heaps coals of fire on his persecutors’ heads. Verily, I promise you that it is more fortunate to be despised in this world than to be greatly adored. It is more blessed to be the servant of all than to command presidents and kings. The most rudimentary knowledge of the Self surpasses the most profound speculation of material science. In short, he who controls even the weakest of passions for My service is mightier than the conqueror of continents, the possessor of all mystic power, or even the whole material universe. Such is the glory of My pure devotee. And you can be such a pure devotee by chanting My Holy Name: