One Incarnation to Another

One very great spiritual seeker who was Sri Ramakrishna’s disciple did not realise God at that time. In one incarnation one can be a very great seeker. If God wants that person to continue and continue, then definitely he will realise God. But sometimes it happens that one can be a great seeker in one incarnation, but in the next incarnation the seeker may be tempted by desires. From where to where? He may try to become a doctor or a scientist, or some other profession.

There is one story about a seeker who did realise God, but there are degrees of God-realisation. Then he said, “Oh, if I become a scientist, if I can discover something, then millions of people will get the benefit. I have realised God, but now let me become a scientist.” He gave up striving for a higher degree of God-realisation at the age of fifty. He went to college and university to get his degree in science so that he could be of great help to others.

It is all God’s Grace. God decides. In this incarnation you may be a great seeker. In the next incarnation, if your soul does not want or God does not want, you may end up being an engineer or a photographer. It is not a direct line.

There is the tree trunk, and all of a sudden there will be branches on one side. If you go to that side, then God knows how many incarnations you will have before you again take to the spiritual life. Or it may happen that in one incarnation you follow one profession, and in the next incarnation you continue the spiritual life.

17 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand