These last two weeks, I have spent some time thinking about what it truly means to be humble and the importance of humility in making spiritual progress. And in so doing, I have come to realize that the first step in cultivating humility is honesty. It is necessary for one to be completely honest with oneself about where they stand in their level of spiritual understanding, surrender and devotion and their willingness and ability to serve. For if we do not first assess how much we are lacking in our abilities and how much farther we need to travel, how can we even chart ourselves a plan? If one were to even begin to undertake this path of transcendence, it will become clear that the road is rather long and that one has a ways to go. A spirit of submission and the desire to seek the truth and continuously improve ourselves, therefore cannot arise, if we delude ourselves by our vanity. In other words, as
V once observed, if we are not honest, then our pride and ignorance cloak our spirits entirely in darkness and prevent it from reflecting the higher qualities of God.
The second prerequisite- a recurring motif, and one I cannot emphasize enough, which must form the foundation of all our actions if we are to make any progress: detachment from the notion of 'ownership' of actions and the consequences thereof. The process of surrendering doer-ship to the Lord is, after all, a process of recognizing that a power mightier than ours, a being more exalted than we can know, and a spirit more glorious than can be defined is in fact the life force behind all our actions. And understanding of our role as an instrument of service to humanity, also means an understanding of the equal if not greater importance of the role of every other being in this calling. Where then can there be room for pride or superiority, if we are all but cogs in a much greater wheel, a much higher purpose than our individual actions?
The third step in cultivating humility, a most surprising aspect for me: was making the distinction between acknowledging and knowing our abilities and taking pride in them or boasting of them. In other words, being humble does not mean having a low self-esteem. Rather, it means having an awareness of our abilities so we may use them to the fullest extent in service. But it also means having an awareness of our limitations and hence the need for improvement and learning. Having the self-awareness, however, does not allow one to be self-righteous and arrogant about it. Neither does an acceptance of a limitation require one to be self-flagellating. As
C put it, spiritual progress is a journey and a process that is ongoing. Hence, it is important that we dovetail all actions to enable us to proceed a tad further along the way. Yet, it is just as important to be patient with ourselves as we do so.
There is much to think about and assimilate as I try to imbibe this virtue and explore its depths, but I shall leave you with some ideas I found useful and thought-provoking
here.
