Is the spiritual life an escape from reality?

An unaspiring man thinks that undying pleasure is the only reality. An aspiring man feels that a divine experience is the only reality. A God-realised man knows that God, the supreme Lover, alone has the Reality, and that God, the supreme Beloved, alone is the Reality. Reality is also God the fulfilling Light and man the fulfilled life.

The abode of transcendental fulfilment has three doors: love, freedom and delight. The love-door is open only to him who serves crying humanity. The freedom-door is open only to him who serves struggling humanity. The delight-door is open only to him who serves awakening humanity.

The spiritual life is never an escape from reality. On the contrary, the spiritual life is the conscious and spontaneous acceptance of reality in its totality. For a spiritual seeker the idea of an escape from reality is absurdity plus impossibility, for spirituality and reality need each other to be supremely fulfilled. Without reality’s soul, spirituality is worse than useless. Without spiritualiy’s breath, reality is more than meaningless. Spirituality with reality means man’s inner cry for perfect Perfection. Reality with spirituality means God’s omnipotent Will for total and absolute manifestation.

The acceptance of life with a divine attitude is not only a lofty idea but the very ideal of life. This ideal of life is realised, revealed and manifested through God’s soul-elevating inspiration and man’s life-building aspiration. Acceptance of life is the divine pride of true spirituality. To live a spiritual life is our only responsibility. Escape is a base thought. It acts like a thief, the worst possible thief. Into the heart of tenebrous gloom escape gains easy and free access. He who indulges in the idea of an immediate escape unmistakably commits lingering suicide.

No, we must never make a cowardly escape. We must always be brave. Divine courage is our birthright. We are the hero-warriors of the supreme Reality chosen to fight against the teeming, brooding and threatening ignorance-night.