Good Works and Grace

Q: Can one attain enlightenment through spiritual discipline and work or is it through grace?

A: Through diksha (a touch or a whispered word), a master has the power to instantly bring enlightenment. But it is only a taste. It is given to a disciple through the grace of their guru and only when the disciple is ready. "When the disciple is ready. the master will come" also means that the master will come with the gift of diksha. The taste of real spiritual food motivates the hungry disciple to endure much on the path to make the state of enlightenment permanent.

You were given a glimpse of enlightenment by El Morya in the lucid dream when you first encountered the teachings of the Summit Lighthouse. You were given the grace of flows from Omraam for a while when you first found his teachings (see Be Receptive to the Master’s Darshan). And you are being given the grace of daily flows now as you live the teaching of The Way of awarenessnow.com.

In all your practices of various teachings, you expended time and effort to attain the goal of enlightenment. But if you had made that goal a want or need of the ego, you would not have gained an inch in progress toward it or, worse, you would have entered the dark side, as you saw when you tried to invoke Kuan Yin out of pride (see Be One With the River). Only when you surrendered did you receive the grace of the master.

That is also the way of the siddhis. You first concentrate the mind, pull it back using the sutra. Then surrender, release the arrow, and it flies straight to the target (levitation, invisibility, knowing something at a distance, etc.). But the siddhis themselves, once attained, must be surrendered in order to attain the greater goal and receive the greater grace of union with God.

So, enlightenment does take work, good, selfless works. You cannot get anywhere by being a dharma bum, drifting from teacher to teacher, collecting bits and pieces of wisdom, never making a commitment. Life is more than a Master Game (see Play the Master Game). It's mastery. But you must let go of thinking of yourself as a master who has attained wisdom and power, and surrender. Surrender through love of the master, your Higher Self, and God, and you will receive grace. Listen and watch, and you will receive intimations from them as to what you should do or not do on the path to enlightenment. Trust the process that you will not lose the inner voice of conscience (knowing within).