I would like to begin by speaking about the spiritual path we are climbing through yoga. You might say it is an uphill climb. There are ups and downs. We climb up and then once again go down. There is no straight path to the top and there are many obstacles. In some places the road is wide but then suddenly it narrows. We come to almost impenetrable undergrowth and even though we continue, we are not sure where we are going. In the beginning it is all very wonderful: “Ah, yes, I can do asanas and pranayama…”, but then suddenly you are confronted by the undergrowth and you don’t know which direction to take. If somehow you succeed in navigating this, you next come to a swamp! So it is with the spiritual journey. Some students disappear into the mire and never come out. Perhaps they see a beautiful girl or a handsome man and marry—and oh, they want to enjoy their life with children, home and family—once again swallowed by maya, their spiritual purpose forgotten.
These experiences are familiar to the yogi. There is no smooth road to the top. Nevertheless it is possible to overcome these obstacles and reach there. Those who succeed may have come from different directions, having followed different teachers, and on the way the obstacles will differ, but once they reach the top everything is the same, the view is the same. Now you can meditate and enjoy full freedom. No more birth, no more death; you have an eternal holiday! The purpose of the practice of yoga is to give your life a boost, to put your spiritual progress in first gear. Then you may go into second gear and maybe into third gear where you can cruise comfortably after climbing the hills. This is unlike most worldly people who just coast downhill without knowing about brakes, thinking that happiness is somewhere down there waiting for them. They go straight downhill, faster and faster into numerous disasters—cancer, high blood pressure, heart trouble. Soon it is too late and they crash. So even though it may seem very easy, please don’t cruise downhill. We will show you another way.
Do not stop your practice. Lead a moderate and dedicated life. Do not go too fast and then stop the practices because of a counter-reaction. Do not go so slowly that you get discouraged from lack of visible progress. Do not be anxious, constantly thinking of your spiritual progress. There will be ups and downs. It is not a straight path. Be courageous. Climb. There will be so many falls; so many ascents you will have to make; so many ropes to tie. There will be so many camps you will have to pitch: base camp, second camp, third camp, fourth camp and finally, no camp at all when you are left alone to reach the final summit. Nobody to help you now, you will be there alone. But you are not disheartened as you want to reach the top. Do not look back. Onward and onward and onward. In this very life, seek the summit. Pray. Surrender. Our will needs God’s grace, because our will is only a drop in the ocean. God’s grace is like the ocean. Our willpower is not sufficient to cross the ocean of samsara. Our effort is like a tiny boat with broken oars crossing the Atlantic Ocean; only God’s grace will see us across the ocean. You must have dispassion and discrimination. While immersed in the activities of life, it is very difficult to keep dispassion, it is very difficult to keep discrimination.
But don’t forget your goal. Keep Mount Everest always in view. Always look up. Go up a little bit more each time, till your last breath. Never stop your sadhana, your evolution. Look always up, up, up. Go onwards always. It does not matter which state you are in, still you have to climb. Never be satisfied with your progress, with your success, with your mental control, because that same mind is waiting for you. There will be rocks, snow, glaciers; you will have to go to the right and to the left, and still you will trip and fall. Always pray to God “Help me, let me not fall again.” Prostrate. Surrender to Him. Your effort alone is not sufficient. You cannot see the hidden pitfalls. But with surrender and with your straightforward and honest practice of yama and niyama, you will reach the goal. May the Lord bless you with success and liberation in this very life time.