It is said that to grow on the spiritual path is to grow in spiritual aspiration. Spiritual aspiration is the yearning of the soul to merge with the Divine. Once the fire of sincere aspiration is awakened, it consumes all worldly desires. The only thing that matters for the seeker is union with the Divine. One of the mantras from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad beautifully illustrates this intensity of aspiration:
“Asato ma sad-gamaya tamaso ma jyotir-gamaya mrtyor-ma-amrtam gamaya; lead me [O Bhagavan] from untruth to truth, from darkness to light, from mortality to immortality.”
The Engine of Spiritual Evolution
Aspiration appears in the heart as a burning love for the Divine. The more aspiration that rises, the more intense the love becomes. In the fire of love, an aspirant is willing to completely surrender and sacrifice all of the limitations, judgments, and pride… everything that keeps him imprisoned. With the heart deeply rooted in love for the Supreme, detachment sets in. This allows the aspirant to engage in projects with intensity and enthusiasm yet without being attached to the results. In this way, life becomes a play of the Divine and the world becomes its playground.
Spiritual aspiration can be increased in many different ways. The aspirant can attentively contemplate the aspiration that he already has. In this way, he adds fuel to an already existing fire. Another way is to dive deep into the existential questions of life. Perceiving the wholeness of life with all of its crises, wars, and diseases from a soulful perspective will awaken aspiration. Get inspired by others who have a lot of aspiration. If you do spiritual practice, try to consciously perceive the results in your daily life. And as Indian Hindu mystic Ramakirshna suggested, pray for aspiration.
Aspiration knows where it is going. It grows exponentially and therefore it speeds up your spiritual transformation. With burning aspiration the impossible becomes possible. As the great Saint Teresa of Avila once said: “If you gain love for the Divine, you gain everything”.
This article was transcribed and edited from the following video: