Everyone is born with imperfections. Rather than accept or reject them, spirituality teaches us to improve these imperfections on our journey towards God; human life is an opportunity to achieve perfection, negate our shortcomings, and realize the divine power that resides within us. But not everyone realizes this truth: some try to forcefully remove their blemishes, others accept them as permanent, and many simply ignore them. The vast majority of people do not seek inner upliftment despite living a life full of negativity, anger, and frustration; despite every incentive to do so, they choose not to change. Blessed are those who realize they need to be better and strive to align their thinking, perception, and character with the divine light within their body.

This purification process, one that each of us must complete, is not easy; it is full of obstacles. And many people give up after encountering such obstacles, particularly the negative tendencies of the mind. But when such a situation arises, it is worth considering why we possess such negativity in the first place. Our state of mind is the result of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, of lifetimes in which we collected many thoughts and performed many actions. This vast array of data, stored in the subconscious, determines the mindset we possess and dictates how we think, feel, and act. For most of us, the majority of this data is full of negativity; we have accumulated a staggering amount of negative karma throughout our lifetimes. Because this negative karma stores hatred, anger, greed, and ego, we find it difficult to walk a spiritual path characterized by love, compassion, calmness, and humility. It is connotative to a leaf trying to flow against the current of the river. And in trying to flow against the current of our mind, we give up.

But there is a simple solution to this problem: a leaf can indeed flow against the current of the river if someone standing on the banks of the river interjects and pulls the leaf in the opposite direction. Then, a nearly impossible task becomes nearly effortless. On the path of spirituality, this individual is none other than the Perfect Master. Only a fully realized Guru who has already crossed the river and reached level ground is capable of helping the individual leaves reach their destination. So in moments where we lose all hope and motivation to continue our spiritual journeys, let us follow the helping hand of the Perfect Master.