The Five Spiritual Aspirants

Wisdom is destroyed, Arjuna,
by the constant enemy of the wise,
which, flaring up as desire,
blazes with insatiable flames.
(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad Gita)

There were 5 spiritual aspirants who wanted to attain the highest freedom Buddha had talked about. A few weeks of intense prayer and meditation passed when during one session a beautiful girl passed by. Her glance caught one of the young monks off-guard and seemingly put him in a trance. They took off into the forest and devoured each other.

The other four continued their spiritual sessions, and after many more weeks one spiritual aspirant had a different vision. She saw the picture of her boyfriend and when she realized how lonely he was, she went home and married him.

More weeks passed when one of the three remaining monks had a vision. Jesus Christ the savior appeared before him and asked him to go out and save souls. Joyfully, the monk took off on his newfound mission.

Undistracted, the last two spiritual aspirants continued their meditation and prayer sessions when one monk heard the song of the Lord. He sat down and wrote a 700 page document that later would build the basis of a New Age religion.

The last aspirant was now all by herself. She continued to meditate and pray and after a short while she had finally reached her desired destination: she was one with God!

What goes through your mind when you read the story of the five spiritual aspirants? Do you feel sad that four of them didn't quite make it all the way? And how do you understand Lord Krishna's warning to beware the fire of desire? Do you frown on the young monk who took off into the forest with the attractive farmer's daughter? Well, you shouldn't; legend has it that Buddha made a similar carnal u-turn before he resumed his spiritual quest. Or should we condemn the spiritual aspirant who ended up marrying her high school sweet-heart?Also, can it be a mistake to become a missionary or a prophet? Fact of the matter is that life-giving energy travels from our sexual organs to our heart, and via our throat and our mind finally reaches the highest communication channel with God. You can't wish away your desire; you have to accept your nature. The good news, no matter what your nature happens to be, God will always be near-by and help you to let off steam. Whatever it is you think you have to do, you can't miss Her.