the path & the goal

On the spiritual journey we tend to start off with the idea of a destination – enlightenment, truth, god – some end point to the spiritual journey that we are striving for. And until we reach that point, we are following the path. And to begin with, the path and the goal are somehow seen as separate. The path leads to the goal. We need to start with this duality for the simple reason that this is all we know in life: to have some desire, some goal in mind, and to strive towards it.

This goal-directed way of being in the world is an unenlightened way of being, and eventually it drops away, and at that point everything becomes effortless, a flow. And the goal and the path are no longer felt as separate. The path is the goal. The journey and the destination become one and the same.

But that is rather later on in the game. Until then, we are living with this mindset of having to achieve things through effort, through striving, through discipline. And whilst we are living in such a mode, then, inevitably, we will feel this duality between the path, the sacred path that we are diligently following, and the goal, that which we are striving for with all our heart and all our energy.

But what is the goal? Some idea in our mind perhaps, some concept, something which we have not yet known for ourself. It is therefore rather unreal in us, merely a concept, without any direct experience. It is imagined. It is a fantasy. But oddly, there is no real harm in this fantasy, for in striving after the fantasy, eventually reality will come to us. And the reality will not be that which we imagined. But at that point, as we begin to feel reality, as we begin to immerse ourself directly in truth, we can begin to let go of the concept of the goal, the idea of the goal, whatever idea that was. It can melt away from our consciousness. It is no longer needed.

And so, this being in the world in truth becomes the reality for us, and yet it is ongoing. It is still a journey, just a journey with no goal in sight. The goal has melted away and the journey itself has become the destination. It does not stop though. This should be clearly understood: the journey does not end. We reach a point at which the journey becomes effortless and we are flowing with current of life, without striving, without resistance, without grasping. So the nature, the feel of life changes, but the journey continues: mystery upon mystery, revealing itself to us, our consciousness expanding endlessly, our energy, our centre deepening. These things have no limits. There is an infinity of existence to be explored.

But to reach infinity we must let go of the finite. And the finite is our concept, our idea, our limited preconception of where we are headed. So, when the time is right, allow that concept of the goal to melt away, and come to dwell in truth, whilst the journey into the beauty of existence continues without end.