| 1 | | Grace | This is one of the most enticing oriental words in the field of religion and spirituality. It is termed enticing because, most people assume that without much of initiative and diligence on their part, something mystical will "descend" into them and bring positive features in their life! They term it as 'Grace descending'! In reality, the state of the recipient of grace has to be free from personal will and volition, but has to be with initiative and diligence. This seems a paradox. In actuality, water flows from the higher to a lower level, things fall from higher place to a lower point. There is also yet another factor playing a key role in conveying 'forces' from higher potential to the lower potential, i.e., 'Resistance'. Notwithstanding the realm of physical forces, in the domain of 'Consciousness' this factor of Resistance plays the pivotal role. As the mode of movement in the physical realm is 'Conveyance' (transfer), in the level of 'Consciousness' the mode of movement is by 'Communion'. Let us not overlook the fact that 'Communication' is a very limited facility, which at best can mechanically transfer informative data. This cannot bring transformation in the recipient. Data based accumulated knowledge is denoted by the Vedic culture as 'Lower-knowledge' ('Apara-Vidya'). In respect of spiritual realization, Vedanta views that the lower-knowledge is in fact only 'Ignorance' ('Avidya')!
Communion is the only path for GRACE to reach us. Communion is not a routine religious ceremony, carried out with a deadened spirit. This is an inner state of 'availability'. The only hurdle in this path is one's sense of EGO. The 'ego-eddy' of humankind is the worst "resistor" for the transmission of 'Grace'. When a true sense of humility floods our BEING, the ego-hurdle gets dissolved, thus the state of availability with complete sense of inward openness happens. LIFE always brings before us opportunities, which is known as 'Grace'. Each such opportunity is a lesson to learn the TRUTH, which is hidden from our view due to our egoistic outlook. Even the hardest hitting lesson in our life, is not able to uproot our ego. Thus the rain of grace, which each day brings into our life, gets evaporated by the searing heat of our ego-desert. It can also be said that, for most of us, 'Grace' is like a un-encashed check! Hence, it is very essential to pay attention to the fact that, while there is really no dearth for 'Grace' in LIFE, not all of us are able to BE the worthy recipients! Initiative free of will and diligence free of volition, can surely transform us into worthy recipients.
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