Partho and TAO # 1: From Darkness to Light

Partho and TAO # 1: From Darkness to Light

Partho had been in the Himalayas for more than 5 years. He had now dedicated his life in the company of his fellow monks and his Guru – TAO. That day, he had the opportunity to be all alone with his beloved TAO. They decided to camp at the base of the divine cave.

After meals, he thanked TAO for letting him be with them. He said, “Most respected TAO, I must thank you for allowing me to be in your company and also for leading me from darkness to light. I feel lighter and better!”

TAO smiled and asked him, “Partho, I don’t know how to lead someone from darkness to light. Can you explain this to me?”  Partho suddenly felt the blood rushing to his face and was embarrassed. He apologized for his childish behavior and said “Respected TAO, please forgive my ignorance. I don’t know why I said that. I don’t think I will be able to explain what it really means. I know for a fact that you understand it well. Could you explain me what does leading someone from darkness to light mean?”

TAO smiled and said, “Partho, what makes you think that I am aware of this concept? All I know is that there is darkness and light in each one of us. Shadripu are 6 enemies of the mind which could be called as the DARKNESS within us. These 6 enemies are  KAMA (LUST), BHAY (FEAR), LOBHA (GREED),MADA (ARROGANCE), MAYA (ILLUSION), and MOHA (DELUSION).

If someone tells you that you can release all of these and set yourself free , then this person would still be a slave to these enemies because you can never set yourself free from these enemies. What you could do however, is understand what they are and reduce the intensity of these Shadripus.

Let me share the 4 stages of reducing the intensity of these SHADRIPUS.

Stage 1: Understand each of these enemies. What purpose are they serving in your life? How are they helping you progress? What is the current level of intensity of each of these Shadripus in your life?

Stage 2: Once you have found answers to the above questions, you move into a state of LIMBO. You know your enemies well, you aren’t letting them control your life but you aren’t progressing either. Experience the overall feeling of this stage. It is the first step towards spiritual progress!

Stage 3: In this stage, you start moving ahead on your path, you are still connected to the SHADRIPUS but their intensity is extremely low. You have a decent understanding of yourself and have also spent time understanding your enemies. Your spiritual progress is at its peak!

Stage 4: This is the stage where the intensity of SHADRIPUS is non-existent. They are still within you but have no control over your life. You have MASTERED the ART of SELF-AWARENESS and have understood how to apply your SPIRITUAL WISDOM. In your world, this is what leading from darkness to light means.

Partho had tears rolling down his cheeks. He was happy with his newly gained wisdom. He touched the fee of his TAO and was looking forward to the next phase of his spiritual journey – MASTERING SHADRIPUS!

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