The Presence Of Great Saints

The Presence Of Great Saints :

The great saints are so strong in their magnetism that they can change you by their mere presence. The company you keep plays a crucial role, for the people in our lives are the most important aspect of our environment.

I remember a man who got into a mood and decided he didn’t want to be around people anymore. So for some weeks he avoided all spiritual gatherings. Then, more or less by accident, he ended up in a group at the home of a highly advanced spiritual teacher where a public programme was going on.
Afterwards he told me: “I thought I was doing fine by myself. I thought I could decide what it feels like to be spiritually in tune. But now that I’m back in touch with real spiritual energy, I can see how far I was drifting away.”

When we get away from the consciousness of Spirit, we can quickly forget what that consciousness feels like. There’s no escaping the reality that we must do our individual practices. As a great saint put it, “If you want to find God, you must spend a great deal of time alone. But without the company of other spiritual seekers – satsang, or “fellowship with truth” – we’ll very likely end up keeping company with the ego. Once the ego gets hold of us, it casts a veil over our minds. And the longer we enjoy the dubious comforts of ego-consciousness, the greater the danger that we’ll drift away from the spiritual path.

Om Namah Shivay.