Progress in spiritual cultivation cannot be measured, and it must not be measured. There are no physical signs that one has made any attainment, though a subtle improvement in one’s attitude may be felt or observed. The Way to Purification is slow and long. Patience must be exercised, or it will be impossible to keep at it.
What kind of reward does one expect from practising goodness? If there is a desire for heavenly rewards, if there is any kind of bargaining for the effort expected, then there has been no cultivation. In such a case, the mind’s understanding will not be clear; it is only the building up of the Ego. It is the lowest level of cultivation—the pursuit of self-gratification. It is base, and it is ignoble!
16-May-1984 (1)