In the realm of spiritual practices, diverse paths lead to enlightenment. I once encountered a devoted Buddhist nun deeply immersed in the rigorous discipline of prostration, a practice involving months of repetitive physical movements coupled with mantra and prayer. This act of surrender, a profound offering, resonated with me, sparking a desire for a similarly defined method in my own spiritual journey. However, my guru, Maharajji, guided me toward a different, yet equally potent, path: “Serve everyone.”
This seemingly simple directive, “serve everyone,” initially felt ambiguous and overwhelming. How does one practically serve everyone? The answer, I discovered, lies in attentive listening – discerning how we are meant to serve in each moment and to each individual. It’s not about indiscriminate service, but rather serving something deeper, something fundamental within each person. This understanding is intrinsically linked to remembering God. The mantra becomes clear: “love everyone, serve everyone, and remember God.” The key is maintaining remembrance of the divine while interacting with others. When we truly remember God while looking at another being, our perception shifts; we begin to see beyond the superficial.
What do we typically see when we look at another person? Is it merely their physical form? To fixate on the body is to dwell in desire. Do we focus on personality? That is the realm of attachment. True service transcends these superficial layers. It delves deeper, recognizing the inherent divinity within.
Beyond the physical body, beyond the intricacies of personality, far within the depths of being, beyond all self-constructed identities, lies the true essence of who we are. This is the being we are called to serve.
The essence of service is fundamentally rooted in relieving suffering. This is the core purpose of serving others – to alleviate human suffering in its myriad forms. As compassion deepens within us, we begin to understand the diverse origins of suffering. An individual unawakened to deeper realities, someone solely identified with the material world since birth, often suffers from the lack of sensory pleasures. In such cases, service involves addressing their immediate needs and alleviating their pain. For instance, if someone is hungry, providing food is an act of service.
However, the nature of service is not rigid or formulaic. Consider a yogi on a nine-day fast, who on the fifth day expresses hunger. True service in this context is not to break their fast with a meal. Instead, it might be to offer support and solidarity, perhaps even joining in the fast. Bringing a lavish meal would be counterproductive, not an act of service at all. The appropriate form of service is fluid, dictated by the unique nature of the individual being served and the inner state of the server.
My personal sadhana of “love, serve, and remember God” can be further illuminated through the lens of Southern Buddhist practices. In this tradition, three crucial aspects of practice are chela, samadhi, and punyam. Chela signifies purification, samadhi denotes concentration, and punyam represents wisdom. As one studies these concepts and engages in personal practice, it becomes evident that a degree of punyam, of wisdom, is necessary to discern the path and purpose of our actions. It prompts introspection into the nature of enlightenment, awakening, and illusion, leading to a deeper examination of our current state. We become acutely aware of our desires, cravings, fears, and the incessant stream of thoughts that occupy our minds. We realize the disharmony in our internal and external landscapes, the imperfections in our “launch pad,” and the complexities in our relationships. This realization marks the beginning of chela, purification. Through purification practices, and as we deepen our meditation (samadhi), greater wisdom (punyam) arises. This enhanced wisdom, in turn, reveals further areas needing purification, creating a cyclical and interwoven process.
I came to understand my own spiritual work as primarily purification. It involved clarifying my intentions, loosening attachments, simplifying a life that had become overly complicated, and refining my interactions with others. The aim was to connect with the inherent being within each person I encountered, avoiding entanglement in the dramas and distractions of superficial relationships. This journey of “love, serve, and remember God” is a continuous process of purification, leading to deeper wisdom and more authentic service in the world.
