When Ramdas was a young boy, one night he and his Guru, Devadas Maharaj, were meditating separately at different places. It was snowing heavily and the weather was extremely cold. Each one had an open fire in front of him to keep him warm. Ramdas meditated a few hours; then he fell asleep. When he woke up, he saw that the fire was totally extinguished. He was frightened to death, for he knew that his Master would be furious if he went to him to get a few burning coals. But at the same time he was unable to bear the cold weather. Finally he mustered courage and went to his Master for a few burning charcoals.

Devadas Maharaj came out of his trance and insulted Ramdas mercilessly. “Who asked you to leave your parents and your family if sleep is so important in your life?” he shouted. “This is my last warning. If you ever fall asleep again when you are supposed to be meditating, I shall not keep you as my disciple. You do not deserve to be my disciple.”

Commentary:

Spirituality means discipline. Discipline means conscious progress. Conscious progress means the transcendence of nature. Man’s transcendence of his nature is his awareness of his immortal self for God-satisfaction in God’s own way.

Discipline is always indispensable, especially in the beginning of the seeker’s spiritual adventure. Today we call something discipline; tomorrow we call that very thing a natural and spontaneous habit. Today’s forward movement carries us to tomorrow’s door. Once we are at the door, we do not even have to knock at the door. The divine owner opens the door from inside and then takes us inside to introduce us to three most important friends: Eternity’s Beauty, Infinity’s Delight and Immortality’s Light.

Sri Chinmoy