I have been spending more time than usual during the current pandemic at our retreat centre in Brazil. Thus, I have been able to observe the exuberance of nature here; how all of the elements are able to live with each other in harmony.
You will never see trees fighting with each other in their effort to put their highest branches in the sunlight. The wind, clouds, rain and sunshine combine to produce refreshing scenes every day. Nature is forever recycling itself. Even looking out of the same window, where my office is, everything is different every time I look out — clouds and sunlight are always changing.
These are the things that remind me of spiritual maturity. For me, it is a sense of sufficiency, that everything is moving along nicely, not in the sense of standing back and just going with the flow. It is really because there is a relationship between internal order and how it influences the world we live in. There is an understanding that worry is low-quality thinking, and that it is much more profitable to have inner control and peace and, in that state, watch the wonders that happen around us.
I have been thinking more about spiritual maturity in terms of some indicators. How humble do I feel? How protected do I feel? Does my spiritual state reflect the more than 40 years I have dedicated to developing it? I can honestly say I do not have pride about what I have learned and know. It is that I am really happy about how spiritual knowledge has helped me and others throughout my life. I do not feel that I am better or worse than anyone else, just different.
There is an intuitive understanding that I do not need to compare myself with others. I just have to recognise and celebrate the many things we have in common. And any intellect or personality differences only provide variety for the theatre of life. I understand that truth will always be self-evident. I do not need to prove anything. Only that which is really true has a future. Everything that is intrinsically wrong, or false, does not last.
I recently found two words in Sanskrit that reflect an important part of spiritual maturity:
Gaunibhakti is ego-based devotion, in which the person feels that he is “saved” and looks with disdain at any other kind of faith. This means to love one ideal but feel aversion to other ideals.
Parabhakti (the highest level of devotion) means total loving devotion to the truth, so much so that there is no room for hatred of any kind. This, to me, is the essence of spiritual maturity.
Ken O’Donnell, an author and international consultant on strategy and leadership, is the director of Brahma Kumaris’ services in South America.