Kindness and Compassion

 

Kindness and Compassion

One of the best spiritual teachings which I read was in a post by Sri M – it was all about kindness and compassion. If the seeker is following and practicing the teaching then the teacher is right within him, however far he may be physically! That is the difference between a spiritual Master and a school, college, university teacher! The teaching needs to be imbibed in a way that it becomes a subconscious part of you and you become the teaching. He explained this with a story which went something like this –

There was a great king who wanted spiritual guidance, so he went to the Royal Sage and asked him for guidance. He told him to go visit a certain village and meet a sage called Raikva. The king went to that village and asked for Raikva and the villagers sent the king to a hut. The Royal Sage had told him that this sage does not own any ashram, all he has is a cart which he pulls to earn his living. When the king reached the hut, he saw a man come pulling a heavily loaded cart. The kind introduced himself and Raikva told him to wait as he went about doing his work. After some time, he turned the cart in a way that he could sit under it shaded from the sun. The king told him that he had come seeking spiritual guidance. As Raikva sat in the shade of the cart the king saw that he had several festering wounds in which white maggots were feeding. He looked at them with compassion and let them feed. When he saw the kings shocked face he said with great kindness and compassion, “This is their food so I do not let the sores heal and deprive them of their food. Now tell me what would you like to know?”

The king was dumbfounded, without Raikva guiding him verbally he realised that the highest spiritual attainment comes with compassion and kindness, and not anything else. Some people think that spiritual knowledge and practice is tied to the intellect. It is not! By learning scriptures, one does not become spiritual, you get information but not knowledge and wisdom. That comes with practice from the depths of your heart. The heart needs to be open for kindness and compassion to flow.

Therefore, if you have been doing your spiritual practices for a number of years and find that you have yet to develop compassion and kindness towards all living creatures then we have to re-examine and review what we have been doing all these years. Introspection is a must to keep on the right path and for course correction if we find we are deviating from the path. As we progress in the spiritual field one of the most important changes that takes place in one’s spiritual evolution is kindness and compassion that fills the heart. Unless and until the heart becomes kind and soft, one cannot strive for perfection in the spiritual sphere!