“Earnestness is the only condition of success,” is a statement by Nisargadatta Maharaj that I believe is true. However, it is often idealized either by visions of grimacing ascetic monks or spiritual warriors exuberantly dashing off to do battle with the ego. Of course, our daily life falls short of these emotional extremes and we wonder how we will ever stir our selves to earnestness. Why don’t we ask what it means to be earnest?
To be earnest is to be willing to act. This is an attitude of openness and wonder. Earnestness is not simply nervous energy, excitement, or enthusiasm. The earnest person is willing to act when the occasion arises and willing to wait for his true desire. Taking action and allowing action to occur exist side by side. Earnestness is a mature state of being wherein one allows opportunities to happen. In our psychological youth, life seems all our doing. As we mature, there is recognition of waiting for the proper time to act. Finally, we see our life unrolling before us.
If you want to be earnest, be willing to learn, to question, to listen, and to change. This is possible if you are pursuing your root desire.
The key is to be following your bliss. That does not mean to follow the desire flavor of the month (or hour). It means to follow your most sublime desire, your most subtle want. The pride and lust of your daily dramas emanate from a deeper need that you must strive to articulate. If you are following your bliss, you will be earnest. You will be willing to become what you are destined to become.
There is no end to comparing ourselves to the saints and sages and seeing how we fall short. And in our moments of pride, we look at all we accomplish, and feel as if we are parting the crowds of the ignorant with our wisdom. You will undergo all manner of exaltations and depressions, wondering all the while if you have the ingredients for success. A sloth can pursue a fruit with earnestness, but to us he appears the epitome of laziness. Every person reading this has the capacity to become what is needed. To ask the question, “Am I earnest enough?” is a good sign. If you answer yes, you are a liar. If no, you are looking for truth and willing to change. If you don’t care, you are truly on your way. Follow your bliss and take that road to its end.