DISCOURSES Volume II - Avatar Meher Baba Trust

THE DEEPER ASPECTS OF SADHANA 191either of the two heaps of grass but went straight ahead, hungryand tired as before and not a whit better off for having come upontwo heaps of grass. If the ass had gone to one heap, withoutinsisting upon the theoretical certainty of having chosen wisely, hemight perhaps have gone to the heap which was not as good as theother; and despite any mistakes in his intellectual judgment hemight have been infinitely better off from a practical point of view.In the spiritual life it is not necessary to have a complete map ofthe Path in order to begin travelling. On the contrary, insistenceupon having such complete knowledge may actually hinder ratherthan help the onward march. The deeper secrets of spiritual life areunravelled to those who take risks and who make bold experimentswith it. They are not meant for the idler who seeks guaranties forevery step. He who speculates from the shore about the ocean shallknow only its surface, but he who would know the depths of theocean must be willing to plunge into it.Fulfillment of the Sadhana of Karma Yoga requires thataction should spring from perception of the Truth. Enlightenedaction does not bind because it is not rooted in the ego and isselfless. Selfishness represents ignorance, while selflessness is aSelfless servicereflection of the Truth. The real justificationfor a life of selfless service is to be found inthis intrinsic worth of such life and not in any ulterior result orconsequence. The paradox of selfless action is that it actuallybrings to the aspirant much more than could ever come within thepurview of ignorant selfishness. Selfishness leads to a narrow lifewhich moves round the false idea of a limited and separateindividual, but selfless action contributes towards the dissipation ofthe illusion of separateness and turns out to be the gateway to theunlimited life where there is realisation of All-