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Aspiration & Links
When I first heard the word "Aspiration" in the context of Sri Chinmoy's talks and writings, I would always pause. It was like hitting a bump in the road. Somehow I knew I did't get it!
Hearing "Aspiration", I would say "what?" I think I understood the concept of countries' "Aspirations". That "aspiration" was abstract, positive and comprehensible yet distant in that it didn't have much to do with me. But when I read about personal "aspiration" something stirred inside of me. I could only sense at first what it was NOT. I knew from the context that it was not about "desire", wanting something at any cost or simply to posses it.
I re-read many sections where "aspiration" appeared in Sri Chinmoy’s writing and it confirmed that It was outside my conscious conception experience at that point. However it did not seem "unknowable" just currently "unknown".
For example My Lord's Secrets Revealed had many uses of the world aspiration* http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/lord-secrets-revealed/
As time passed I found more direct explanations of aspiration. Others had asked very pointed questions related to similar subjects. In the beginning my mind found it quicker to grasp the meaning from a question and answer format than poetry. Links to some of these aspiration related questions, answers and explanations can be found at
http://www.srichinmoy.org/resources/library/questions_answers/aspiration/
In 1974 some related talks of Sri Chinmoy were published in My Rose Petals Part II:
Aspiration And Wisdom, http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/sri-chinmoy-rose-petals/part2/12.html
Desire And Aspiration, http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/sri-chinmoy-rose-petals/part2/6.html
Aspiration And Spirituality, http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/sri-chinmoy-rose-petals/part2/15.html
Later Sri Chinmoy began to call me Adhiratha and said it meant "Divine charioteer carrying Earth-Aspiration** to the Supreme.
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There was an earlier chat about aspiration and self-giving at the yahoo discussion group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration/message/7925
Every time I came across it in Sri Chinmoy's writings it was like
going over a bump in the road. I finally slowed down and took better
look. I realized I did not understand with my mind what he was
saying. But some how in my heart I felt that with time the concept
would come more alive for this "aspiration" word which seemed more
than "achieve" or "succeed".
Self-Giving, too is one of those things that you can see out of the
corner of your eye when you are looking at something else. But if you
turned to look directly it was gone. Self-giving to me is something
that happens when one is aspiring. It is something one falls into,
like when you are whole-heartedly doing a task that your heart says "
needs to be done" and your are right there - now .
But the self-giving is a funny critter. It you become aware of it, the
mind has a tendency to then claim it as its possession and expects
appreciation and then self-giving just seems to slip away, with
aspiration close behind.
Adhiratha, divine charioteer carrying earth aspiration to the Supreme.
Maybe saying a name with a meaning is an aspiration for self-giving.
Because there is both divine and other types of pride - but that is
for a different discussion
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* Search aspiration
Searching "aspiration my lord's secrets" at the Sri Chinmoy library site returns 21uses of aspiration in My Lord's Secrets revealed. http://search.srichinmoylibrary.com/search.jsp?query=aspiration+my+lord%27s+secrets
**Hyphen words
There are a number of hyphen separated words in Sri Chinmoy's writings. Many times these hyphen words would envoke in my mind or life a new way of "understanding". I have seen somewhere a fuller description of this type of word use by Sri Chinmoy. When I locate the exact reference I will post it here.
