Message 24 June

Spiritual Growth and Liberation

For liberation, spiritual growth is of far greater importance than the accumulation of knowledge, beliefs, possessions, or worldly achievements. True spiritual growth is not the process of adding something new to oneself; rather, it is the process of abandoning and vacating the countless burdens that occupy the mind.

The human mind is filled with desires, expectations, fears, memories, attachments, likes, dislikes, emotions, and countless impressions. These form a dense covering around the inner spirit. As long as the mind remains crowded with these accumulations, the soul remains confined and unable to express its true nature.

Spiritual growth therefore means gradually emptying the mind of everything that is unnecessary. The more one vacates the contents of the mind, the more the soul begins to shine from within. In this sense, spiritual growth is not an expansion of the mind but a reduction of its domination.

The soul can be compared to a child in the womb. Just as a child awaits freedom from the limitations of the womb, the soul awaits freedom from the limitations imposed by the mind. The mind becomes a container that holds the soul captive through its endless activity and identification.

The greatest obstacle is the sense of "I"—the ego or the individual identity. This "I" constantly asserts itself through thoughts such as "I want," "I know," "I feel," "I possess," and "I am this or that." As long as this "I" remains strong, the soul cannot experience complete freedom.

Therefore, the seeker must gradually vacate the "I" from within. Every desire abandoned, every attachment dissolved, and every expectation dropped weakens the hold of the ego. As the "I" diminishes, more space is created for the soul to exist in its natural state.

The soul does not seek ownership, recognition, achievement, or identity. It prefers to exist in purity, silence, and freedom. It does not require the presence of "you" or "I" to be complete. The soul is content in its own existence.

When the soul alone remains and the "I" disappears, a profound transformation takes place. The soul gains freedom from the bondage of the mind, and the individual self gains freedom by dissolving into its source. This is not the destruction of existence but the dissolution of limitation.

The ego can disappear because it is a temporary formation created by the mind. The soul, however, cannot be destroyed because it is eternal. It existed before the appearance of the ego and remains after the ego is gone.

Thus, liberation is not the attainment of something new. It is the dissolution of the false and the revelation of what has always been present. When the human mind and its sense of "I" are completely dissolved, what remains is the pure soul—eternal, silent, limitless, and free.

In Chivality, this ultimate state is called Chivam—the condition in which nothing remains except pure existence, free from desires, expectations, thoughts, and individuality. Chivam is not something to be attained from outside; it is what remains when everything that is not real has been removed. It is the natural, eternal state of the soul and the ultimate destination of spiritual evolution.