Then that path is reached, from
which those who reach it never return,
calling : “I seek refuge only
in that Primal Person
from Whom hath come forth this
ancient current of the world.”
– The Bhagavad Gita
Working with a Verse
To work with a verse means to choose a short text with a meaningful inner content, and work with it meditatively. This could be a verse from a scripture, a short poem or prose text, or a spiritual verse created for this purpose. Create time - perhaps five or ten minutes - each morning, afternoon and evening for quiet contemplation of the verse. You can work with the same verse for a period of months or even years. The purpose is not to analyze the verse nor “program” yourself with its content - but to reflect on the thoughts it contains, and that arise in relation to it.
Work with a verse strengthens the human ego. The ego in this sense is our human individuality, our eternal and most essential part. It lives within our body and soul constitution, but can gradually gain independence from them, and from the surrounding world. The ego is unique in each person, and is the part we refer to when we say “I.” By effort, it can develop increasingly free choice, and responsibly direct our lives. But the ego also lives amidst distractions - the desires and dislikes of the soul, fluctuations of our health, the heaviness and solidness of the physical body. It is in many ways a child - the newest and most promising part of our human makeup, but also the most vulnerable.
Work with a verse strengthens the ego in several ways. In the encounter with a lofty, noble content, we live in the higher potentials of our humanity. The effort and activity this entails is also strengthening, in the sense of exercising a muscle. We cultivate inner flexibility, fineness of feeling, exact, steady thought. Work with a suitable verse lifts our values and ideals, and eventually, how we see our whole world.
It also leads us towards self knowledge. As we work with a verse, we begin to notice our own feelings more closely, our own actions and the way we think. We notice more clearly the condition of our life and relationships. Are there things we need to change ? The process asks us for honesty, but is not necessarily discouraging. The means for change are contained in the path itself, and are themselves strengthening.
In working with a verse, we enter a world greater than the world we normally occupy. As we find connections there, our view is enlarged. We come to trust this world – its wholeness, fullness and ongoing presence. We begin to feel we belong to it.
We notice that as we turn again and again to this world of inner thoughts and perceptions, it also draws closer to us. We may develop a sense it knows us, and takes an interest in us. With time, awareness of this spiritual world, accessible to us and which cares for us, can become a source of comfort and confidence to us in all our busy affairs of life.
which those who reach it never return,
calling : “I seek refuge only
in that Primal Person
from Whom hath come forth this
ancient current of the world.”
– The Bhagavad Gita
Working with a Verse
To work with a verse means to choose a short text with a meaningful inner content, and work with it meditatively. This could be a verse from a scripture, a short poem or prose text, or a spiritual verse created for this purpose. Create time - perhaps five or ten minutes - each morning, afternoon and evening for quiet contemplation of the verse. You can work with the same verse for a period of months or even years. The purpose is not to analyze the verse nor “program” yourself with its content - but to reflect on the thoughts it contains, and that arise in relation to it.
Work with a verse strengthens the human ego. The ego in this sense is our human individuality, our eternal and most essential part. It lives within our body and soul constitution, but can gradually gain independence from them, and from the surrounding world. The ego is unique in each person, and is the part we refer to when we say “I.” By effort, it can develop increasingly free choice, and responsibly direct our lives. But the ego also lives amidst distractions - the desires and dislikes of the soul, fluctuations of our health, the heaviness and solidness of the physical body. It is in many ways a child - the newest and most promising part of our human makeup, but also the most vulnerable.
Work with a verse strengthens the ego in several ways. In the encounter with a lofty, noble content, we live in the higher potentials of our humanity. The effort and activity this entails is also strengthening, in the sense of exercising a muscle. We cultivate inner flexibility, fineness of feeling, exact, steady thought. Work with a suitable verse lifts our values and ideals, and eventually, how we see our whole world.
It also leads us towards self knowledge. As we work with a verse, we begin to notice our own feelings more closely, our own actions and the way we think. We notice more clearly the condition of our life and relationships. Are there things we need to change ? The process asks us for honesty, but is not necessarily discouraging. The means for change are contained in the path itself, and are themselves strengthening.
In working with a verse, we enter a world greater than the world we normally occupy. As we find connections there, our view is enlarged. We come to trust this world – its wholeness, fullness and ongoing presence. We begin to feel we belong to it.
We notice that as we turn again and again to this world of inner thoughts and perceptions, it also draws closer to us. We may develop a sense it knows us, and takes an interest in us. With time, awareness of this spiritual world, accessible to us and which cares for us, can become a source of comfort and confidence to us in all our busy affairs of life.
