We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered! Topic: Overcoming Weaknesses with BabaDear folks of Baba, Most of us, though not all, enjoyed an initial joyous honeymoon with Baba, which sometimes lasted for weeks or months,...
We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered!
Topic: Overcoming Weaknesses with Baba
Dear folks of Baba,
Most of us, though not all, enjoyed an initial joyous honeymoon with Baba, which sometimes lasted for weeks or months, and then Baba began His work of drawing out our strengths and tackling our weaknesses. The struggle with overcoming our weaknesses, our topic, can be painful but thankfully there is a sense of growing inner freedom which is a comforting compensation. In many ways, our weaknesses can give us a feeling of unworthiness, and we can become obsessed with thinking that the whole spiritual journey is about overcoming all our weaknesses. That is not really true. Our aim is to become detached from our weaknesses and not let worrying about them take over our lives. In what may seem paradoxical, Realization comes in the midst of our strengths and weaknesses, not when we’re finally free of weaknesses. In one of Mehera’s favorite quotes of Baba, He says, “Seeds germinate in soft soil. I plant my seed of love, not in your strengths, but your weaknesses.” In other words, weaknesses have a place in our growing love and are not as bad as we might think. Mani, Baba’s sister, who spent most of her life next to Baba, used to quote this line, “I prayed to you for strength to carry out your work. You gave me weakness so I would depend on You.” In my experience, rather than my weaknesses contributing to a low self-esteem, Baba has converted them into empathy and compassion for others, and that has always been an unexpected benefit.
The work of overcoming our weaknesses goes on and on with Baba, struggling to rise above such weaknesses as anger, lust, wanting, backbiting, dishonesty, possessiveness and worry, and we are humbled in the process, for sure. It is an integral part of our obeying Baba. Eruch used to share with us Baba’s method: “Two steps forward, one step back.” When asked why one step back, Baba said that in this way our “pride” of progress is being annihilated as we go along. This is by way of a long introduction to our topic this Sunday: Is there a weakness, large or small, that Baba has helped you work to overcome eventually or at least come to a manageable place with your weakness? To give several examples: has Baba helped you overcome excessive worry about your children, fear of being fired from work, anxiety about public speaking, addiction to alcohol, managing your financial affairs, discomfort in being with large numbers of people, worry about health, a feeling of unworthiness about yourself, loneliness, backbiting, boredom, procrastination, white lies—there are innumerable weaknesses! The weakness you choose need not be large and consuming, and you needn’t share a weakness that makes you feel too vulnerable. What is most helpful is to hear how Baba intervenes in His very personal way in our lives. What we share is always interesting and informative to all of us.
The mandali used to give this analogy of the Master’s work with his disciple: in shaping a clay pot, the potter with one hand strikes the outside of the spinning pot with a flat mallet while his other hand is on the inside supporting the pot’s fragile wall. We are always being supported by Baba’s inner help in the process of dealing with our weaknesses.
In His love, Jeff
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