Reality 89   Fortitude  titiksha

The 4^th of the 6 Essentials is Fortitude. This has been described also as Forbearance, Endurance, & the ability to withstand the opposites of phenomena such as pleasure & pain. It is also described as being always free from anxiety or lament over those phenomenal opposites or any afflictions & remaining in a state of Equality without struggling for revenge or redress.

Self-Realization itself is effortless, as it is the innate, natural state or the Self. It is Existence pure, & there is no effort required for Existence, nor is there anyone apart from it to apply such effort or to desist .from such effort. When ignorance veils that Existence so that there seem to be two states, that of Realization & the unrealized state, & so that one seems to be an individual apart from that Self, an effort is made to end that ignorance. Cessation of ignorance is the purpose of practice on the path of Knowledge. It is the reason to inquire. It is not the attainment of any new thing, but the removal of Ignorance by Self­Inquiry to reveal the ever-present Reality of the Self to which the effort is applied.

Though there is, in Truth, nothing obstructing one's Realization of the Self, it is usual in the course of spiritual practice to experience obstacles. These obstacles are the tendencies in one's own Mind, manifesting as attachments & such. Due to the long-standing habit of misidentification & attachment, such tendencies may not necessarily be destroyed upon the first meditative examination of them. The obstacle to one's freedom seems to remain or to return even if one has glimpsed beyond it. The seeker must, therefore, apply effort with perseverance.

In Meditation, the Mind may not be steady in its introspection. There may be a plethora of ideas, idle daydreams, or disturbing repetitive concepts. The aspirant must have endurance & apply the necessary strength to overcome these so that the precious opportunity of Meditation is not lost upon such meaningless or bind­ing mental delusions.

In phenomenal life, events & circumstances are a mixture of the pleasant & the unpleasant, the pleasurable & the painful, the fortunate & the unfortunate. To realize the immovable Self, the aspirant for Liberation must develop the power of Self-Inquiry, the spiritual Fortitude, to not be swayed by such transient circumstances. Freedom from being swayed means detachment & equanimity. If, at first, one is caught in the storm of being buffeted by such external phenomena, to persevere in Self­-Inquiry & Meditation until one is no longer so swayed is fortitude. The Body is undoubtedly Subject to the experiences of pleasure & pain.  Self-Inquiry so as to no longer suffer thereby, to no longer be so much bemoaning one’s plight that does not take the opportunity to turn within, is spiritual fortitude.

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"There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth." 

 –  the "no creation" school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com/