God as Top Priority: The Path to End Suffering
To end suffering, one must commit to making God the top priority in every moment, understanding that while the path may not be linear, consistent return to the heart breaks the mind's habitual distractions.
If you don't want anything, anything but him, what will the mind tempt you with? And if that seems too far out and too radical, let's at least agree that he's top priority. That sounds... he's not the only priority, at least can we say that he's top priority every moment? Not just now sitting in satsang hall is the top priority, or does he deserve to be top priority every moment? We may fail at it, that's fine, that we'll look at. But are you committing that he, and only him, deserves to be the top priority in our life every moment? Then you cannot suffer.
Is all suffering about... don't, huh, this? Yes, we don't honor this. I also don't honor this 100%. Therefore, all of us are learning to live like this deeper and deeper. That's why I said that we may fail, but at least can we commit that he deserves to be top priority every moment, no matter what? We must never put him in second place, and when we do, we must return home quickly. So what... when you say that I don't honor that or I don't live like that, you're saying that you prioritize other things above him moment to moment. I'm... you do. Do we commit to make him, or to intend to make him, our priority every moment?
Yes.
Do I honor that commitment? No, I don't. Yes, but are you doing better every day? I'm sorry, are you doing better every day? It's not linear. Sometimes it feels like I'm doing worse, and then after that...
And then does it go the other way also?
It does.
So if it's not linear, then at least it's nonlinear both ways. So it can feel like that sometimes. It may feel like two steps back and one step forward, but sometimes it's three steps forward. Sometimes you have days you may feel like the entire day went in his light, and sometimes in a day you may be tempted by the mind.
Many times it's not even offering anything valuable.
Exactly.
But I still go with it.
Yes, that's called a habit. You have to break that habit by realizing, by learning to live in our heart. So when we feel, come in again. Live empty, live in the heart. Then when we fail, commit again.
Key Teachings
- Making God the absolute top priority in every moment is essential to end suffering.
- Even if we fail, the commitment to prioritize God must be unwavering, returning to Him quickly when distracted.
- The journey of prioritizing God is not linear; progress involves both forward and backward steps.
- Recognizing the mind's temptations as habits helps in breaking them and returning to the heart.
From: For the Holy Meeting To Happen in the Heart, Your Head Has To Be Empty - 19th January 2024