Physical Discipline-First Step of Spiritual Growth
Physical Discipline--First Step of Spiritual Growth
A flower and its resultant seedpod are the completion of a cycle of expression, which had its origin within the power in the seed from which the plant and flower grew.
In life, spiritual attainment is the result of the fulfilment of individual purpose. The nucleus of all life is the reason for being, which is the motivating power expressing through the form of life to bring about the complete unfoldment of the purpose for the expression of the Reason for Being.
The power in the seed is the central force throughout the entire lifespan of the plant, intelligently causing the unfoldment of natural growth. The beauty of the fulfilment was part of the nucleus; and every stage of growth, a preparation for the final culmination.
Within each person exists a nucleus, or reason for being which, if given full expression, will culminate as a highly developed awareness of mind, conceiving and understanding the power of Consciousness on its universal level. In studentship, we must recognize the understanding of the inner potential (birthpath) as the nucleus of our being, and grasp the ideals of universality which will direct the inner power of life along its path of growth towards its ultimate attainment, that of Universal Conscious expression.
This means that universal ideals are essential to the everyday pattern of living if the passage of time and growth is to result in spiritual attainment. A day, week, or month lived without conscious awareness of the ideal for that time is time wasted, for no inner growth can take place. That is why the knowledge of the Principle is so important! Each day we live out a balanced name can be a day of growth; each day we plan and execute actions according to the cyclic law can be a day of progress; each day we strive to express only constructive, harmonious, principled thoughts can be another step towards our long-term objectives.
The reason for the obscurity of spirituality is that we cannot readily see it as a physical reality. Students who want to skip the physical and mental sections to read first the spiritual section hoping to find some secret solution to their sluggish growth in studentship are disappointed to find no high-toned exposition of how to become a spiritual master in three easy steps.
The key to spiritual attainment lies in the application of the physical and mental phases. To have a beautiful garden, the gardener must till the soil; plant the seeds, water, weed, nourish, and tend the garden through the many (seven) stages of growth before he reaps his harvest (spiritual fulfilment).
There can be nothing more spiritual than the constructive attitudes and habits, which guide and encourage the unfoldment of the inner potential. The day-to-day attitudes direct the slow but steady growth. This is why attitude is so vitally important as well as is the habitual expression of those constructive attitudes.
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