Self-Renunciation

                                Self-Renunciation, rightly understood, stands as the bedrock of true spirituality. In this context, we have to remember that there are two senses of self that we have to keep in mind in our pursuit of spiritual life. The basic and true sense of self emanates from the fact that we are created by God in His own image and likeness (Gen. 1: 26). This self is the one we have to nurture and develop in order to grow into the true status of our nature in harmony with the plan of God for humanity. In opposition to this, the accrued and false sense of self emanates from our 'Ego' resulting from our selfish and greedy interaction in the affairs of the world imagining to live happily in this world. It is this false sense of self that we have to combat and renounce in self-renunciation.
                                Jesus said to Nicodemus that what is born of the flesh is flesh and of the spirit is spirit (Jn.3:6). Again, what gives life is the soul and body is of no use (Jn.6:63). As we live in the world, we have to use our body and the five senses, which are the windows to the world, in order to survive in life. The constant pull of the senses on our mind and the mind on our intellect and will-power luring our soul into the attractions of the world weaken the internal freedom and strength of the soul. Self-Renunciation is the antidote we must employ to control our senses, mind etc. in order regain the proper balance between our soul and body. Without denying the legitimate needs of the senses and our body, a realignment of our powers is achieved through self-renunciation. For this, listening to the word of God, understanding it and putting it into practice is absolutely essential. We try to align ourselves with the ways of God in order to transform our human nature into the divine one according to the image of God planted in us.

Liberation in Christ

What exactly is meant by liberation in Christ? It is that state of being where we are masters of ourselves resulting in mastery of everything that confronts us in life. The art of self-mastery has to be learnt from Jesus Christ himself who has conquered the world. Conquering the world is achieved in and through conquering the base self in us. The base self embodied in the feeling of self-importance emodied in the expressions of 'Ego' through anger, aggression, lust, jealousy, greed etc. leads us astray from our real self as images of God. If we are not liberated from our base self, our real self will never be able to shine forth. Jesus said that the truth will set you free and here is a fundamental truth about our own self as capable of infinite possibilities, if only we are willing to develop our true self. It is a challenge to start searching for our true self as the first step to liberation in Christ by recognizing the villain, that is our false self.

Life in the World

An ordinary person living in the world is burdened with daily worries, financial problems, personal problems and many other unforseen events. How can spirituality come to the aid of such a person?
We read in Mathew's Gospel chapter 11: 28-30 thus: "Come to me, all whose work is hard, whose load is heavy; and I will give you relief. Bend your necks to my yoke, and learn from me, for Iam gentle and humble-hearted; and your souls will find relief. For my yoke is good to bear, my load is light".
Habituated to live and think in the manner and style of life dictated by the world, we might wonder how another additional yoke could give us relief. This means that here we are not dealing with a kind of yoke we are familiar with in the world. Jesus refers to the relief that will be granted to our souls even as we are burdened with our bodies and the related problems. Jesus wants to tell us that there is an unused powerhouse in us related to our souls attending to which properly we should be energized to tackle our problems. Our anxieties and worries drain the much required energy for tackling our problems in the world. Setting our mind at rest is most vital to solve all our problems. Self-renunciation is the yoke under which we have to bend our necks in order to find solace to our souls. When we are masters of ourselves, we are at the same time masters of everything else. Gentleness and humility are able to create harmony where there is conflict. Happiness follows where there is harmony and peace and we are empowered to take on the world with all its problems.

Jesus Christ, the Spiritual Master

Seeker: From what you have said about enlightenment, liberation, self-realization as God-realization and spirituality in general, I should like to follow Jesus the spiritual master who exhorted us not to be misled by blind guides. Can you help me to follow the enlightened master, Jesus Christ himself?
Guru: I shall try to do my best so that you realize that those who are willing to put their stakes with the master find him alone to be the only true Guru. Actually, the Guru in this dialogue is Jesus Christ himself as far as we are able to understand him.

Self-Realization

Seeker: How is self-realization the same as God-realization?
Guru: It would be same if the real self of man is attended to instead of the apparent self. Our usual concern in the world for wealth, fame, name, power etc. is determined by the apparent and false self generated by our own Ego. An antidote to this concern is seen in the Bible where Jesus says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If a person with wealth, fame, name, power etc. remains unaffected by them in his core being so much so that he or she will use them always for only truth, justice, compassion and service, such a person is poor in spirit. That kind of a person is already in the kingdom of heaven even here on earth with unlimited peace
of mind and unadulterated joy of heart. There we have true self realization that is equal to God-realization because the true self is enhanced negating the false and apparent one. In the Bible, kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God are one and the same. When we are a part of God's kingdom, we have realized our own true selves, which is nothing but God-realization. We participate in God's own being in the measure in which we are capable of given our human nature that is never taken away from us. We become divinized human beings. It means that our true nature is rooted in the divine without which we cannot even be genuine human beings. Thus self-realization is the same as God-realization.

Liberation

Seeker: Can you guide me on how the way of liberation is open for everyone?
Guru: One simple way is what the Scriptures of various religions advise us to do for self-realization that is the same as God-realization. Here we must keep in mind the two senses of self that is involved: our true and real self as against the false and apparent self. The latter is a mere shadow that overshadows the former and is mistaken for the real. We may identify the former with God and the latter with the world and our false sense of Ego. The Bible asks us to seek the Truth that will set us free from bondage due to which we are bound in misery. There is an iseparable identification with Truth and God as there is one with Love and God. When we are under the sway of Truth and Love, we are liberated from the clutches of falsehood and hatred. This leads us to grow to our genuine nature full of happiness and joy. Seek after Truth and Love that is genuine for self-realization and liberation from the confines of our bloated nature infected by our own Ego and the world around us.

Liberation

Seeker: Can you explain how to lead one's spiritual life so that a true liberation from the false attractions of this world is achieved?
Guru: Although some general principles may be given, they will be of use to individuals if only they are taken in the background of each one's personal attitudes and problems. In general we may say that we can start with the reason for one's unhappiness as each one is by nature supposed to be happy. What has intervened during the course of our life in the world that has turned us into moody and unhappy persons from the level of simple joy and spontaneity of our own childhood? A reflection on this is the first step to attain liberation.
Seeker: What you suggest would imply that without psychological help we are not in a position to attrain liberation. To go into the past for analysis of one's problems would imply some sort of psychological intervention.
Guru: That kind of intervention may be required in extreme cases in the sense that one has messed up one's life so badly that outside help is needed. Otherwise, the way is open for everyone for liberation.