The good news is that we are all already perfect in every way. Unfortunately, the not so good news is that we’ve forgotten it and, as a result, most people spend their whole lives striving for perfection. The perfect look, the perfect relationship, the perfect job and, if they are on a spiritual path, the perfect meditation.
How much suffering do we as humans endure in the pursuit of perfection? As spiritual seekers, how many times do we agonize over whether we are having too many thoughts in meditation, if our yoga pose is as good as everyone else’s, do we need to change our diet?
Perfection is as elusive as silence. We can never quite create it and just when we think we’ve found it, somethings happens to disturb it. We can’t even describe true perfection. How can we put into words something that’s impossible even to imagine? All we do is keep reminding ourselves of what it isn’t.
The ancient wisdom of the Vedas tell us that the whole world is a projection of consciousness, filtered through the mind. As Deepak Chopra says it’s not the Universe, it’s your Universe. As we know, the mind is quite limited, full of expectations, judgments, doubts and attachments. So how can something as imperfect as the mind, project something perfect? It can’t. To find perfection, we need to venture beyond the mind to Pure Consciousness, before it becomes conditioned by the mind. Perfection is not a thought it’s more a state of awareness and, when we stop searching, stop trying to find it, perfection will roll in ecstasy at our feet.
In our search for perfection we basically have two choices. Either we can continue to try and fix the imperfect or we can simply step out of imperfection and into the unbounded freedom of perfection itself. The moment we want to be something, we are no longer free so to find perfection, we need to let go of everything that isn’t perfect.
The moment is always perfect. This statement can be very confusing for many people. How can this moment be perfect when I have just lost my job, my partner just left me or I have been diagnosed with a serious illness? It’s important to know that perfection isn’t always what we expect or what we interpret as happiness. Perfection just means it’s absolutely correct.
Acceptance is therefore an integral part of the perfection prescription. The whole universe has conspired since the beginning of time to create this NOW, perfect moment for you. We must learn to live in this moment, learn to accept everyone we meet and every situation we find ourselves in, as perfect in that moment. Acceptance doesn’t mean we are necessarily happy with the situation, we just stop denying it. When we stop struggling against what is, we’ll discover the wonderful opportunity that’s waiting for us. By welcoming everything we’ll be able to create a future beyond our wildest dreams.
Beyond the mind. Meditation is the most powerful tool to reconnect us with our perfection. Meditation takes our awareness from activity into silence, from the imperfect external to the perfect internal. Just as when we dive into a swimming pool we come out wet, every time we make this inward journey, we bring a little more perfection back into our lives.
Perfection isn’t in things. It’s in the silent spaces between things; the spaces between our thoughts, our breaths, the stillness of a yoga pose or the space between objects. When we begin to recognize the spaces, we’ll recognize the perfection. Make space, make time in your life for the perfection to shine through. Pause, every once in a while, look at your life and begin to recognize the perfection that’s already there.
Our Self, our essence, is already perfect, so when we begin to live from that level of Being, the world we are projecting, also becomes a reflection of our perfection. If we want to create perfection in our life, we must first find the perfection within ourselves. The Vedantic text, the Bhagavad Gita says, “When you can see the Divine within yourself, you will know perfection in everything”.
The great Vedantic teachings have expounded on perfection for thousands of years and the Bhagavad Gita gives many prescriptions for re-enlivening perfection in life.
Established in Being perform action – early in the text we are told that when we are grounded our own inner essence, we begin to live our lives from the field of silence and infinite possibilities and only then will our actions be perfectly correct in any situation.
Fearlessness – fear contracts and limits our freedom, perfection is unbounded. Remember it’s your universe, transmute fear into love.
Truthfulness – perfection demands openness, honesty and integrity. Be true to yourself. Know when to speak and when to say nothing.
Generosity – perfection is to give fully from the abundance of life and be grateful for all life offers in return. Perfection is to say “Thank you” for everything.
Forgiveness – we can always forgive the person, even if we can’t forgive the imperfect act. His or her essence is always perfect, their acts were distorted by the mind. If we can’t forgive, we allow ourselves to suffer by sinking to the level of the other’s imperfection.
Non-attachment – be bold with your desires but remain detached from the outcome of your desire. Non-attachment is saying, “This is what I think I want but, if there’s something better, it’s okay to send that instead”. Allow the wisdom of uncertainty to shower you with its perfect blessings.
Patience – perfection is eternal, find it in stillness of meditation. Water it daily by showing up, watch it grow and enjoy its fruits.
Compassion – look for the perfection in everyone and everything. It’s sometimes well hidden so look carefully. In the Holy Koran it says, “God recognizes how much we love Him by how we treat other people”.
Peacefulness – violence to any living creature or to the planet, always comes from ignorance. When you see the perfection of God in everyone and everything, you will never do harm.
Joy – if there isn’t joy in your spiritual practice, do something to change it. Perfection brings Joy to everything you are and do.
Surrender – when we give everything to the Divine, we have nothing to worry about! The great 20th century mystic Osho said, “In your hopelessness is the only hope, in your desirelessness is your only fulfillment and in your tremendous helplessness suddenly the whole existence starts helping you”.
Nothing in the external world can give you perfection and no one can make you perfect. Stop waiting for someone or something to change. Shift your attention, shift your attitude. Perfection is your essence, you were born with it. You are it!