Mystic Mantra: Pursue spirituality with the attitude of a sports champion

Just as athletes compete for World Cups in sports, we can practice meditation with the same passion to attain the World Cup of spirituality, self and God realisation.

People worldwide marvel at what the human spirit can achieve when we watch the World Cup — the sports teams compete in championships. Few people see that the players who win championships are practicing all day and night, day after day, while others have to be forced by the coach to even show up on time for practice. Anyone who has achieved anything in life has done so by being persistent and never giving up. It takes devoted practice to be a champion in any sport.

If we wish to attain our goals in the spiritual field, we must never give up. We have a long way to go from where we are now to attain divine knowledge. Although spiritual gifts are within us, closer to us than the veins in our body, we have to perfect the technique of finding them. Spiritual realisation is so close, yet so far, due to our inability to still our minds, quiet our thoughts, and stay focused long enough to go within. We are hindered by the millions of distractions in the world that keep pulling our attention outside instead of letting us go within.

Meditation provides a way to perfect our ability to stay focused within to find inner treasures. Through meditation, we perfect our ability to increase our concentration. We learn patience and perseverance. These two qualities help us progress spiritually. It takes practice. If we are as diligent and committed to our spiritual practices as athletes are to attaining a sports championship, we too can attain the World Cup of spirituality and achieve realisation of who we are as a soul and realise our oneness with God.

Meditation allows us to attain the World Cup of Spirituality — union of the soul with God in the shortest possible time. It provides a shortcut by focusing on those aspects of the spiritual practice that leads to quickest success. It is perfectly adapted to modern life as it can be practiced in the home, at work, or wherever we go, without having to go into the jungles, mountaintops or caves. We can fit in time whenever we can in our busy schedules, so that we can continue to go to work or school, or perform our responsibilities towards our families, community, and society.

As you continue to meditate, experience the inner peace and bliss. As you do this, you will increase your ability to stay focused daily. By practicing this each day, you will find an increase in your patience and perseverance.

Each day, we are one day closer to achieving our goal. We should not let our failure cause us to give up. If we do not succeed in meditation one day, we should not give up and stop meditating altogether. We should sit again the next opportunity that we have. If we do not succeed, we should sit again.

In meditation, improvement is measured in the ability to keep our body and mind stilled and to keep our gaze focused within without any intervening thoughts. We should keep trying again and again. We should never give up. Then we will find that one day we will achieve our goal.