Page 26 - Desire to Disaster

history, who chose spiritual upliftment over worldly goals.
They used their intelligence, saw the benefit of spiritual
uplift over worldly wealth and indeed saw the miracle of the
spiritual well-being. We too should follow in their footsteps.
If such rich, well brought up gentlemen did away with worldly
goals and took up the path of enlightenment, then we too
should walk in their path. It may not be possible for each of
us to renounce the world, but the least we can do is get rid
of our focus on the external world. We should, instead, focus
on the inner world, the spiritual path. Although we may live
as householders, our focus should be inwards.

6. Satsang : Meet those who are on the right path

In order to take away our focus on the external world and
turn inwards, it is essential to interact with and learn from
those who are on the right path. And not for the purpose of
gossip or casual chit-chat or for boasting about oneself.

There are many who visit monks only to boost their social
standing by bragging about how much time they spend with
various monks. But instead of doing satsang with the learned
monks, they waste their time either complaining about their
worldly woes, or bragging about all the things they do for
dharma and how great they are. This is not satsang!

Satsang means confessing one’s flaws and seeking guidance
from spiritual masters. It means absorbing and internalising
the teachings of the monks. In short, one should visit monks
in order to learn from them, not to dump our thoughts and
views on them. When the seeker regular does satsang, his
understanding of what is truly beneficial alters. His perception
changes for the better.

7. Reading Good Books

Reading good books is another great measure to uplift the

26 Desire to Disaster