Shivapuri Baba recommends three essential disciplines for the right way of living: physical, moral, and spiritual. I have explored these in depth in my previous blog post on the Right Life.
Developing moral discipline can be challenging. Baba advises us to nurture the divine qualities described in Chapter 16 of The Bhagavad Gita. How can we cultivate these qualities?
Vices are the main obstacles to cultivating virtues. If we can eliminate these negative qualities, our inherent goodness will naturally shine through. To achieve this, we need wisdom or discriminative intelligence. Intuition brings wisdom, and meditation strengthens intuition. By kindling a fire of wisdom in our hearts and nurturing it daily through meditation, we allow its heat to burn away negativity, revealing our inner goodness.”
The following poem reflects these thoughts…
Fire of Wisdom
Kindle a fire of wisdom in your heart
and let your intuition fuel its flame,
Let its heat burn away your flaws,
And its light reveal the goodness within you
As you walk in your life
someone’s words may stir your anger,
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let that anger burn away,
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of patience
As you make more friends in life
someone’s actions may wound you,
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let that hatred burn away,
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of forgiveness
As you pursue the joys of life
many temptations will cross your path,
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let those temptations burn away,
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of self-restraint
As you rush through life for more
you may overlook others,
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let that indifference burn away,
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of compassion
As you grow wealthy and acquire more
your possessions may possess you,
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let that greed burn away,
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of charity
As you become successful
pride may arise,
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let that arrogance burn away,
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of humility
As you hold your life dear
fear of loss may weigh on you,
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let that fear burn away
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of detachment
As you try to embrace solitude
your mind may drift into the past or future,
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let those thoughts burn away,
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of being present
As you strive to control your life
surprises may catch you off guard
Remember the fire of wisdom within and
let that helplessness burn away
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of surrender
Kindle a fire of wisdom in your heart
and let your intuition fuel its flame,
Let its heat burn away your flaws
And its light reveal the goodness within you,
Wisdom will teach you the meaning of happiness.