Entirely Essential

We are not happy here in this world, which is why we dream of being a butterfly – why the soul dreams of being free. Why would we want to live in the dream of this life when we can awaken to the joy of living eternally in the Dao?
_{Introduction to the Dao}

It takes time and determination to shape our lives according to the teachings of the saints so that we become immersed in spirituality at every moment. As disciples we have chosen to embark on a journey back to our source, and managing our expectations for such a journey is important. Karma is the inescapable reason behind all our actions, where we can expect physical and mental highs and lows. As the requirement is to settle all accounts before we merge into the Dao or Shabd, we may expect a tough and arduous journey back, even though things may seem smooth.

Many prisoners spend their time in prison preparing to reintegrate into society – they further their education, learn new skills, strengthen connections with loved ones and deepen their faith. If they spent their prison stay planning for their next crime upon release, we would consider them foolish. Similarly, if we spend our life sentence in this prison house of transmigration engaging in activities that keep us bound here rather than practising our meditation to secure our eternal freedom, we are none the wiser.

The lifelong struggle of stilling the mind and clearing our karmas can feel exhausting with no respite in sight. Where some may give up, spiritual aspirants surrender. Giving up implies admitting defeat, while surrendering involves going to the edge of our effort and then acknowledging to the Master that now it is over to you. If, as the saying goes, God does not give us what we can handle but helps us handle what we are given, then we can take comfort in the belief that by remaining steadfast in our spiritual practice, we can strive to escape from this cycle of birth and death. Our sincere effort is in the interest of our soul’s progress, as the story below illustrates.

A woman found the cocoon of a butterfly and watched how the butterfly struggled to force its body out of the cocoon. Eventually, the butterfly stopped, seeming to have gone as far as it could and unable to go any further. The woman decided to help the butterfly by taking a pair of scissors and snipping at the cocoon so that it could come out more easily. The butterfly did emerge, and the woman watched expectantly for it to stretch its wings and fly. Instead, the butterfly had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings which couldn’t enlarge and expand to support the body. This resulted in the butterfly spending the rest of its life crawling around, never able to fly. What the woman in her well-intentioned but hasty gesture did not appreciate was that the struggle was required for the butterfly to get through the cocoon’s tiny opening. It was nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom.

Similarly, the Master’s grace is supporting us during the entire process of our spiritual growth so we can be strong enough for our return journey. A life free of obstacles is in fact crippling. The duration and intensity of our struggle is exactly what we need but we cannot see the inner workings of what is accomplished for us. During challenging times, we must appreciate that what is happening is strengthening our wings for our spiritual flight. The whole process is entirely essential.

Two pieces of wood
  when rubbed together ignite;
When kept close to fire, metal becomes molten;
Round things normally spin,
Hollow things chiefly float.
It is their natural inclination to do so.

Hence, when the spring winds come,
  they bring the timely rains;
And the myriad things are produced
  and nourished.
Feathered creatures incubate
  and hatch their eggs,
Furred creatures conceive and give birth
  to their young.
Plants and trees bloom, …
Without anyone ever seeing the actual doing,
  the deed is accomplished.
_{Huainanzi, as quoted in Introduction to the Dao}