A common space for harmonic peacemakers

VI: 27

Chapter 6, Verse 27

“When the mind becomes clear and peaceful,

Yogis experience Supreme Joy.

Without blemish,

They become utterly absorbed in God.”

Sri Eknath Easwaran:

When the selfish, agitating desires have been expelled from our minds, what is left is Joy, pure Spirit, of which we have been unaware all this time. Joy is imprisoned within us, just waiting to be released from the jailer, our selfishness. To release It, all we are to do is refuse to act out selfish impulses, while at the same time acknowledging them, as we listen to their songs with a large dose of compassion for the human predicament. This requires sustained effort and patience.

Spiritual Joy can be thought of as a bashful girl who is just waiting to tiptoe up and put her arms about us, while we try to keep her at arm’s length. Our selfish cravings tell us not to let her near, because then they will have to go. We mistakenly believe that selfish urges, which make us miserable, are our real friends. Sometimes it is astonishing to contemplate how we can be so perverse as to do just the things that will make us unhappy. We need to learn to accept Joy as our essential Being. This is what meditation teaches us: to throw open our arms and welcome Joy, which patiently waits for the embrace.

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