The value of spiritual company

Until we associate with those who have seen, felt, and realised true religion in their lives, we may not fully know what religion is and in what way it is universal and necessary.

From time immemorial in India, seekers who were truly eager to realize God have sought association with saints or have meditated on their pictures in the company of other spiritual aspirants. There is a deep spiritual reason for this practice, which has been endorsed by the masters for centuries. Many temptations to revert to wrong habits, haphazard thinking, and restlessness beset the beginner-yogi. The delusive force of Maya is powerful and difficult to overcome, especially at first. Thus, those who wish to perfect themselves are urged by the masters to keep in close association with others of similar nature in order to strengthen their right aspirations.

We become like the people we mingle with, not only through their conversation, but through the silent magnetic vibration that emanates from them. When we come into the range of their magnetism we are affected.

If a man wants to become an artist, he should associate with artists. If he wants to be a good businessman, he should associate with successful leaders in the business field. If he wants to become a spiritual giant, he should associate with devotees of God.

Every soul is a child of God and a reflection of God's will, but by egotism man isolates his will from the Divine Will and thus limits it. By deep concentration in union with other seekers, a devotee transmutes his will into God's Will. Remembering his identity with God, he recovers his divine heritage of God-perception. Every devotee should strengthen his realization of Divine Will through prayer, through God-communion in meditation, and through spiritual company.

If your spiritual progress is at a standstill, or is ebbing, the practice of meditation on God or on any of the Great Ones, in the company of other devotees, will uplift you from your precarious state. The proximity of others' spiritual vibrations has the power of raising your own. Meditating with other devotees thus helps you to quicken your evolution. They inspire you on your climb up the ladder of Self-realization; and you, by your example, can also be helpful to them.

It makes me happy when even a faithful few hunger for God's infinite love. You were sent on this plane of life to achieve His bountiful love and to serve Him selflessly. This is the only way to liberation, the only way to real happiness. Work for God and meditate on Him every night. During group meetings, meditate with the group members; and when at home, meditate alone or with any other devotee seeking God.