Face and Conquer the Difficulties in This Life and in This Body

A human birth is prized as it is the gateway to evoution and development. In the Indian tradition, even the gods need to take a human birth if they want to achieve any new form of development or progress. The gods reside normally in a static world which does not have the impetus for change.

Once a human birth has been attained, the soul has the opportunity to face the inevitable challenges that arise as part of the evolutionary process. Some shy away from the struggle and try to avoid it by retreating from the world, or seeking liberation through attainment of the state called Samadhi. They simply choose to “opt out” of the process. Some begin to deal with the magnitude of the issues in their lives and lose hope, creating suicidal thoughts. For spiritual seekers practicing the integral yoga, a yoga of transformation of life on earth, however, it is quite certain that there is no way back, no escape, no hiding from the choice. If one retreats now, the issues remain and increase their pressure in the future. The path forward requires patience, persistence and courage.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “Sadhana has to be done in the body, it cannot be done by the soul without the body. When the body drops, the soul goes wandering in other worlds — and finally it comes back to another life and another body. Then all the difficulties it had not solved meet it again in the new life. So what is the use of leaving the body?”

“Moreover, if one throws away the body wilfully, one suffers much in the other worlds and when one is born again, it is in worse, not in better conditions.”

“The only sensible thing is to face the difficulties in this life and this body and conauer them.”

Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 3, In Difficulty, pg. 58