Persistence

There have been things in my life that I wanted to do, but not enough to persist in learning to do them well. For example, I learned to play the bassoon, but I never learned to make bassoon reeds, a very different craft that requires at least as much skill and practice, perhaps more. No one can do everything. We have to set our priorities. But without persistence, we can’t do much of anything.

Persistence is admirable when the endeavor is both worthy and seriously challenging. The more worthy and the more challenging the aspiration, the more admirable the persistence in pursuing it. In this light alone, Maharaji’s persistent lifelong efforts toward what is arguably the most worthy and the most challenging aspiration of all, bringing true peace and contentment to all people, is obviously admirable.

Passionate admiration arises from a more personal perspective, and there is a very personal side to my appreciation of his persistence.

I’ve been listening to Maharaji for more than 35 years. His message is very consistent, but each person’s path through life is utterly unique, and our understanding and perception of that message lives and evolves. For many of those years, I thought I understood him pretty well. About ten or fifteen years ago, I don’t remember exactly when it was, but I remember the experience vividly, while listening to Maharaji, I reached the point of admitting to myself that I did not understand much of what he was saying in his satsang (literally, “company of truth,” practically, Maharaji speaking about his message).

It was a relief to recognize this, but a much greater relief came right behind as I said to myself, “It’s OK. You don’t have to get it all right now. He’s going to come back to express it again and again.” Whew. That was really a relief. That very moment was the beginning of a whole new level of understanding for me.

I once heard Maharaji say, in an informal context, “Except for satsang, I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to repeat things.” I can really relate. I am also that kind of person. He went on giving an example of some practical point he recently had to repeat that he would have preferred not to. But here it’s that little exception that is the important thing. It is so like him to just toss out a little parenthetical comment with such profound overtones. I admire that, too. I am sure I have missed many such jewels, but I got this one.

Another facet of this subject is patience, which is often associated with persistence. It’s hard to separate the two. Persistence indicates patience. But I think it is the persistence I most admire, because that is what I most depend on. I might argue that this is the very most difficult thing of all, to persist and persist and persist again in an effort that requires so much patience, and to persist not doggedly, but with unfailing freshness, enthusiasm, and inspiration. Here we step beyond admiration, and into gratitude, a feeling that is at least as important as admiration, and at least as natural when the subject is Maharaji.