Introduction to the Inner Path Number 4.
Before discussing the inner path or the inner journey in more detail and defining some of the typical stages of it,
I would like to focus your attention on the importance of embarking on the inner journey,
Or in other words,
The necessity of getting in touch with our spiritual self,
The necessity of who we are.
I have indicated in previous introductory sections,
Especially Numbers 1 and 2,
That beyond living on the surface of life,
Pursuing goals the society considers important,
Worthwhile,
Or just fashionable,
Beyond excelling in the attainment of goals others have defined for us,
And beyond striving to surpass our peers,
Or at least conform to their standards and expectations,
There is a world that we can find within ourselves,
Within our being,
Which can offer us gratification,
Peace of mind,
And joy beyond anything that is achievable in the physical world of sense gratification.
I will discuss the inner path itself in later installments,
But if you are wondering why you should bother with going beyond what your social day-to-day life has to offer,
Please consider the following points.
Point number one,
For everything significant that we engage in,
We have a purpose,
A defined or desired goal,
But how often do you think about the goal of life itself?
Not your goal in life,
But the goal of existing in a human body,
A magical machine that repairs itself.
Think about the last time that you got a paper cut or a small injury.
And what would be the purpose of having at your disposal a brain that is much more complicated,
Sophisticated than any computer we know of today?
Point number two,
You often think about what others have said or done to you,
But how often do you think about what they are in your life to begin with?
And what are the true causes of your thoughts and actions or reactions toward them?
Why do you feel what you feel about them?
Is it something that is caused by them?
Do they have the power to determine how you feel,
Or are you in charge of that?
Point number three,
Where do your thoughts come from?
How much control do you have over them?
How much control do your thoughts have over what you decide,
The goals that you set for yourself and how you live your life?
Do you make conscious choices before you respond to a comment or a situation,
Or do you automatically react to it?
And if you believe you make conscious choices,
What is the source of that consciousness?
Where is its center?
Where does it come from?
I could be posing many more questions like these,
But I believe you have gotten the point by now.
That is,
Even without too much deep reflection,
We may begin to suspect that we have,
That we can have,
Quite a bit more control over our minds,
Our thoughts,
Our words,
Our actions,
And even over our reactions.
For that,
We need to begin to get to know ourselves better,
And for that,
We need to get in the habit of spending more time on ourselves,
Not by ourselves,
But on ourselves,
Rather than on the outer world of day-to-day life.
In other words,
It is crucial that we explore an inner path and begin the inner journey.
