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What can we expect after years of spiritual practice?

Although an attachment to results can be an impediment to spiritual progress, it is natural to want to know what we might expect from years of spiritual practice. Thus, it is a question commonly asked by students. Such a question is even more natural (and poignant) when an experienced sa'dhaka (practitioner) is going through a dry or tough period -- something that will happen to every practitioner.

An early manifestation of a dedicated practice is gaining access to the Vijn~a'namaya Kos'a (intuition). This gives the sa'dhaka true wisdom, specifically, Viveka -- the discrimination between real and unreal -- and Vaera'gya -- renunciation, or the state of mental colorlessness. Such wisdom allows him/her to ignore or let go of worldly pursuits -- to let them be. This can be done with little effort because the sa'dhaka has gained knowledge of their true worth. The cover of Avidya Ma'ya' (Cosmic Delusion) has been lifted (but not removed), and worldly interests lose their attraction. The sa'dhaka now begins to know not only the impermanence of the mundane, but also the Divine nature of its transience. He or she realizes that the world cannot provide anything lasting -- and this can bring on major disappointment, disillusionment, and even clinical depression.

About a decade after initiation, a diligent sa'dhaka can expect that the two vrttis of the A'jn~a Chakra (the Third Eye) will begin to balance. This happens as the Para' vrtti, dormant until then, begins to wake up.

The two vrttis of the A'jn~a Chakra are called Para' and Apara'. They are translated from the Sanskrit as "spiritual knowing" and "mundane knowing." "Vrtti" can be interpreted as "mental propensity" or "mental expression." Para' and Apara' are aspects of the Divine Feminine Force (Shakti) or Knowledge (Jn~a'na). They are sometimes called Para'shakti and Apara'shakti or Para'jn~a'na and Apara'jn~a'na. Para' and Apara' should not be confused with Shiva and Shakti -- they are both Shakti. (The Divine Masculine has not come to the sa'dhaka's awareness yet.)

Between the two, Para' and Apara' govern everything pertaining to human life and sa'dhana'. They divide every human thought and action into one or the other -- either spiritual or material, sacred or mundane, of the Divine or of the Devil. Activation of Para', or the direct knowing of the Supreme, is the "crowning achievement" of the long-term practitioner and precedes final dissolution of temporality via Nirvikalpa Sama'dhi (ecstasy beyond comprehension) and thus entry into the bliss of immortality.

When the Para' has been awakened and recognized, the sa'dhaka begins to taste true spirituality and the indescribable sweetness that accompanies it. With its awakening, the practitioner gains 14 superior qualities that are unknown to ordinary people. These qualities signify that s/he has reached the highest perfection possible to human form. They are:

1. Krpa: mercy
2. Mrduta: mildness (gentleness)
3. Dhaerya: patient composure (the ability to endure anything)
4. Sampat: desire for more spirituality
5. Hasya: cheerfulness
6. Vinaya: humility
7. Roma'n~ca: rapture (the ability to get a thrill from anything because it is Divine)
8. Susthirata': quietude (firmly mentally calm)
9. Dhya'na: meditation (here specifically it means Abhidhya'na Yoga)
10. Gambhiirya: gravity/solemnity
11. Udyama: untiring effort (never disheartened, ever enthusiastic)
12. Aks'obha: being unperturbed (by any event, including by one's own emotions)
13. Ouda'rya: magnanimity/generosity
14. Eka'gra: one-pointedness/single-mindedness

Attaining these symptoms signifies that the sa'dhaka has balanced most of his or her lower vrttis and is beginning to access Para'. We are capable of acting from Para' when the body is balanced and pure and the mind is clear and free from confusion. Motivation for our actions are now always benevolent and God-centered, and we are no longer bound by the laws of Karma. Now we know (not hope) that for each step toward God, He will take a dozen toward us.

All other efforts and endeavors bring worthless results when they are compared with these results of spiritual practice. Take good note of this and proceed towards awakening Para' without delay. If you are motivated to attain this, you will need competent instruction and supervision, one to two hours a day of practice and lots of perseverance. And remember, NO one can be a spiritual teacher if his or her Para' has not been at least partially awakened.

— Anatole