Few of us, beyond the age of 30 years or so, retain the ability to delight in life's essential purity. Why so? Mental clutter. We spend years accumulating the opinions of our peers and elders and various cultural media, until we have amassed a wall of ideas--a barrier so imposing that not even the light of True Inspiration can pierce it. But oh, the wonder of reawakening our youthful, creative viewpoint! This constitutes a genuinely brave endeavor. To carve a chink in that mountain of concepts, we need only call upon a fond memory (or borrow one from an inspired author).

In such moments it is easy to locate our innate tenderness, to experience a reawakening of the heart. In those small souvenirs of life we discover, as though extracting a needle from a mountain of straw, our own great love. By sifting through the births and deaths, the losses and bewilderments, we locate again and again what is of most value in this world. And bit by bit, if we examine the very moments of our lives with care and attention, repeatedly this love is awakened.

At the end of a long string of such awakenings, we discover the great mystery of our own true Self. Clearing the mental clutter and peering inward with curiosity, at last we come to see Deep Within. There we find a compassion, and a humor, so vast it fills everything. And yet it arrives with terrific simplicity! If we will look into those moments we have lived, and look in earnest, we will find wonderment. Endless wonderment. We will find all the reasons we need to say "Thank you." Gazing within, wide-eyed and vast-hearted, exulting in the mystery of the One we thought was far away and who lived all along Right Here, we find all the reasons we need to devote our lives to love.

The greater the emphasis on perfection, the further it recedes.

--Haridas Chauduri