Divine Grace

‘What you mean by ‘divine grace’ guruji?’ Atma Prakash asked

The Baba replied: ‘By the term ‘divine grace’ we mean here the compassionate and loving presence of the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent Supreme Spirit, the Ultimate Truth, the one true God, in human history and in one’s own day to day life. It is the ‘love-force’ inspiring, motivating and propelling our life. ‘Divine grace’ is a free gift of the one true God to humanity. It gives meaning, direction and purpose to one’s life, if one is open to it….

‘Spirituality and spiritual principles enable us to experience, enjoy and apply ‘divine grace’ in our specific life-contexts. Spirituality also is our grateful response to this divine grace. Does it answer your question, my son?’ asked the Baba. 

‘It does, my revered guruji…. You have spoken about spirituality. Can we now come back to ‘morality’?’ asked Atma Prakash.

The Baba responded: ‘Yes my son. As I have mentioned earlier, morality is the practical application of spirituality in time and space. Moral values are based on spiritual principles…

‘Morality and moral values are community-centered, that is, they are applied, taught and preserved by communities of people. They are often defined and laid down by great and powerful sovereign spiritual persons. Communities built around such great and powerful sovereign spiritual persons often develop into ‘religions’. These religions in course of time become custodians, teachers, and promoters of the morality and moral values developed from the spirituality and spiritual principles enunciated by their ‘founders’…. 

‘The great and powerful sovereign spiritual persons will have deep and original experience of God, the omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient Supreme Spirit that is the source of creation and ground of existence, and in whom we live, move and have our being. Such experiences find written expressions through the ‘scriptures’ of religions….

‘But remember, both religions and scriptures are outcomes of the original experiences of their founders or proponents. Unfortunately, we often find the religions and their scriptures becoming ends in themselves.’ …The Baba looked at the face of Atma Prakash. He was all attention.

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Atma Prakash said as if speaking to himself to recapitulate what he has heard from his guru. 

‘Sovereign spiritual persons are spiritually awakened and morally upright persons who are able to stand firm on their own spiritual experiences, and hold fast to the spiritual principles and moral values that they are convinced about…

‘Sovereign spiritual persons are impartial, selfless, free and fearless spokespersons of truth and goodness, and of the oneness of reality and the sanctity of all life. They are persons of great love and compassion, of deep understanding and empathy. Every human person, everyone of us, is called to be, and destined to be, a sovereign spiritual person with a unitive divine consciousness….

‘Great and powerful sovereign spiritual persons are prophetic individuals who are God’s special gifts given to humanity from time to time, and from place to place, to show the light and pave the path in humanity’s eternal quest for the Ultimate Truth, that is God Himself… 

‘Religions are born as communitarian responses to such special gifts.. But religions and their scriptures are only pointers to the Ultimate Truth…. 

‘Have I got these things right, oh revered one?’ Atma Prakash asked his guruji. 

The Baba seemed very happy listening to his disciple summing up the discussion. 

He looked at Atma Prakash with great love. 

‘You have got it absolutely right, my son’ … he said.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution