Resist temptations and win at will by Vinay

As Om Swami ji said recently (when asharam administration notified them how dirty rooms devotees are abandoning),

“How you left where you stayed, reveals a great deal about your spirtual advancement.”

This may have been in discourse or sri suktam yagya discourse.

When I originally heard this, I felt it was because Satvik people prefer to reside in clean and well-organized places, therefore I assumed Swami Ji was speaking in this regard.

But as I was rereading Dandapani’s book “The Power of Unwavering Focus,” written by a disciple of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, one of the most admirable western hindu monks, I came across this chapter on willpower.(#)

According to Dandapani, willpower is crucial in developing a focused life. You may wonder how.

As Sivaya Subramuniyaswami puts it, willpower is “the channelling of all energy towards one specific spot for a specified duration of time.”

And he proposes three techniques to increase this willpower:
1. Finish what you start; 2. Finish it well, beyond your expectations, no matter how long it takes; 3. Do a little bit more than you think you can.

Let’s start with the first method: finish what you started.
Dandapani emphasises the importance of intent when undertaking any Sankalpa. Clarity of intent is critical. Everything should and must be driven by purpose.

And here, the goal of strengthening willpower is very clear from the definition of willpower, which says that it is the ability to focus all of your energy on one thing for a given amount of time.

Some of us may confuse it with “Iccha-Shakti,” but it will be named “Sankalp-Shakti” instead. Because desires vary with the passage of time, but Sankalpas do not.

Making the bed means concluding the sleep for the monks of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. This is how they strengthen their sankalp shakti. They seek to improve their willpower by exercising it with their willpower.

Now, let us return to the question of how the cleanliness of the room where we stayed last night indicates our spiritual advancement?

Swami ji says, “I don’t do any major work without taking sankalpa, because once I have taken any sankalpa then with full focus, I conclude it to end.”

For example, if Swami ji takes the Sankalpa of doing japa, he will never, ever get up during his japa.

So, those of us who leave ashram rooms untidy or messy show that we have weak willpower. Because strong willpower is the only way to gain vast spiritual heights. Without strong willpower, any temptations can pull us away from our goal. Here’s the quote from book in this regard;

Gurudeva would advise the monks to “leave a room in better condition than you found it.” We made every attempt to leave a place looking a little nicer than when we arrived. The regularity with which I used this principle taught me that even the slightest act of doing so made a significant difference.

It’s more convenient to take off one’s coat and throw it on the couch than to hang it on a hook in the closet, and it’s more convenient to leave dirty clothes on the bedroom floor rather than in the washing basket. If we choose to look at it that way, the day is full with possibilities to strengthen our willpower.

Once the conscious and subconscious minds have a clear purpose for doing so, these opportunities are eagerly embraced rather being viewed as a chore or burden. These chances eventually become habits. At this time, no effort is required in carrying them out. They simply become your way of doing things.

In a conversation, you finish your thoughts on a topic. You always wash and put away your dishes. You remove your shoes and neatly place them. Your coat can be found in the closet. When you leave a table, you slide your chair back in. The way you live your life reflects your attitude—a mindset that is tailored to create willpower and concentration. These rituals become a part of your life’s rhythm, an effortless flow of your life energy via a structured subconscious geared to accomplish a specific goal (e.g Success in Sadhana).

And, from personal experience, I’ve discovered that putting the book back where I picked it up after reading helps me find it faster the next time. I find it faster if I put my shoes in the appropriate spot. I save time in the mornings by organising my clothes in my rakes. So, instead of viewing these minor tasks as chores, consider how they save us time while also strengthening our willpower.

And when we keep doing the same thing, we repeat it everywhere. For example, if you have the habit of making your bed first thing in the morning, you will make the bed in your hotel room as well. There is no conflict.

Therefore keep strengthening your sankalp shakti. (#) I’m using the term Sankalp-shakti for the word willpower used by Om Swami ji and Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, which differs slightly from the word “willpower” used in self-help books.