I Never Have a Bad Day
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The Bible, Matthew 5:3
Evelyn Underhill was a twentieth-century English poet, novelist and author of Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness. In this book she explains that, whilst the end-goal of mysticism is not “goodness” in itself, union with the divine “entails the acquirement of goodness.” Of course, the question that Underhill naturally poses next is, what type of goodness will “best serve the self in its journey towards union with the Absolute?”
Underhill examined nearly a thousand sources looking for virtues essential to the mystical quest. Given the volume of material consulted and its wide-ranging scope, encompassing the work of mystics from different ages and continents, it’s reasonable to assume a definitive response wasn’t discernible. Yet surprisingly, Underhill states, “The mystics of all ages and all faiths agree in their answer.” Virtues that are of highest order, which individuals seeking union with God should cultivate, are detachment, humility, and obedience.
In fact, there is no choice in the matter; the three virtues are a prerequisite to entering into the “kingdom of heaven.” Here, as the writer of The Gospel of Jesus explains, admittance is granted exclusively to the “poor in spirit”; those who, eliminating the ego from within themselves, are humble and devoid of pride.
Spiritual seekers perturbed by the thought of cultivating three core virtues when experience has shown that establishing or eradicating even one mundane habit has proven difficult, should be comforted by the irrevocable link between them. The “three aspects of perfection are really one”, Underhill explains.
Their common characteristic is this: they tend to make the subject regard itself, not as an isolated and interesting individual, possessing desires and rights, but as a scrap of the Cosmos, an ordinary bit of the Universal Life, only important as a part of the All, an expression of the Will Divine.
Together, detachment and humility lead to obedience of the highest kind: surrendering to the will of the Lord. Reaching this level of maturity does not require (as the concept of detachment implies) destitution or a complete renunciation of material goods. Neither should self-contempt or a sense of unworthiness be indulged following a misguided interpretation of what is meant by humility. Rather, what’s expected from spiritual aspirants is a shift in mental attitude. If they focus on giving up those things enchaining the spirit and blocking their union with the divine (be it desires, interests, riches, or habits), humility will follow. No longer will the practitioner feel compelled to react to a perceived injustice, for example. An individual’s sustained effort to facilitate detachment and humility will eventually culminate in: “[o]bedience, that abnegation of selfhood, that mortification of the will … [which indifferent] to the accidents of life … results in a complete self-abandonment.”
Originating with the mystic Meister Eckhart, the following story illustrates the mental shift in attitude necessary to kill our instinct towards sensual gratification and surrender our individuality to the divine. It is taken from Underhill’s Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness.
I never have a bad day
A learned man prays that he may be shown the truth. One day, a voice from God came to him and said, “Go to the church and there you will find somebody to guide you.”
Arriving at the church, the learned man finds a poor, bedraggled man in rags and calls out to him: “God give you good day!”
The poor man responded, “I never have a bad day.”
The learned man, observing the tattered look of the man in the church and wishing to be kind, then said: “God give you good luck.”
“I don’t have bad luck,” replied the other.
“May you be happy!” said the learned man.
“Thank you for your kind wishes, but I’m never unhappy.”
The learned man, flummoxed by the positivity of the man, asked, “I don’t understand your cheery attitude and outlook on life – please explain.”
And the man in the church responded, “You wished me good day, but I don’t have a bad day because, if I’m hungry, I praise God; if the weather is fair or foul, I still praise God; and if I’m despised, I praise God. So, I’m fortunate not to know a horrible day.”
He continued, “You wished God would send me luck. But I don’t have bad luck because I’ve learnt to live with God and know what he does is for the best. Whatever God gives me or ordains for me, I take it cheerfully as best it can be.”
“You wished God would make me happy but I’m never unhappy. I’ve yielded my will to God and my only desire is to live in his will.”
The scholar asked: “What sort of man are you?”
And the bedraggled man in rags said, “I am a king.”
The scholar asked, “So, where is your kingdom?”
“My soul is my kingdom, which is infinitely greater than a kingdom on earth. I’m the ruler of my senses and I control all desires.”
“What brought you to this perfection?”
“My silence, my high thoughts, and my union with God. Before he found me, I was lost and restless. In God, I have found eternal rest and peace.”
Any day when you fail to keep the sacred pledge of giving two and a half hours to your meditation, please try to remind your mind that this most valuable human body was given to you by the Lord simply to afford you an opportunity to return to your original eternal home of peace and bliss. So make a renewed effort to utilize this rare opportunity of having the human form. One should never fail to render unto the Lord what is his due. Also give some time daily to the study of Sant Mat literature besides attending the group meetings that are held near you.
Quest for Light