DISCOURSES Volume II - Avatar Meher Baba Trust

The Dynamics of SpiritualAdvancementSPIRITUAL advancement begins when there is a radical change inthe outlook of the worldly man. The worldly man lives mostly forthe body, and even in those pursuits which do not seem to have aSubjugation of bodyfor higher lifedirect reference to the body, in the lastanalysis the ultimate motive power is to befound in the desires connected with thebody. For example, he lives to eat; he does not eat to live. He hasnot yet discovered any purpose clearly transcending the body, sothe body and its comforts become the centre of all his pursuits. Butwhen he discovers a value in which the soul is predominant, thebody is at once relegated to the background. The maintenance ofthe body now becomes for him merely instrumental for therealisation of a higher purpose. His body, which had formerly beena hindrance to true spiritual life, becomes an instrument for therelease of higher life. At this stage man attends to his bodily needswith no special feeling of self-identification, but like the driver of arailway engine who fills it with coal and water so that it may bekept going.The very beginning of spiritual advancement is conditionedby quest for that goal for which man lives—the goal for which heunconsciously loves and hates, and for