Cover Story

Perfecting The Personality - Swami Rama

Everyone is eager to know more about the path of spirituality. You long to know more, but there is actually a barrier that you create for yourselves, and that barrier is practice. You do not practice what you already know. You really do not need to know many things, but you definitely need to practice what you know. It is a sad thing to tell you, but I have not really learned anything new since I grew up; that which I learned in my childhood is what I have been practicing.

It is the same with most of you: The basic knowledge that is imparted by your parents, schools, and universities still remain unpracticed. You do not practice what you know, but you should begin to do that, so that your personality can be modified and developed.

As we discussed earlier, the word "personality" comes from its Greek root, persona, or mask. The Greeks used many masks in their theater. You all have and wear many masks. But who made those masks for you? They were not created by your society, culture, religion or Providence – you chose them. You are what you are; this is your choice. You wanted to be the way you are and that is how you have created yourself, so you should not blame others for your personality or its conflicts.

Plato and other Western philosophers also held the principle that you are your own creation, rather than the result of what God or Providence wants you to be. When you suffer, you sometimes think that your suffering is due to God, but that is a poor philosophy, because God never wants anyone to suffer. God is a symbol of love, the highest principle. Why would God be interested in creating suffering? Rather, it is your own actions that make you suffer. Your actions can be divided into three classes: Past, present, and future.

Part II will be published in the next issue.

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