Duty—what is that? According to the Shivapuri Baba, as Bennett relates in Long Pilgrimage, duty is what creates Right Life. There are three main duties to be addressed. First, to maintain one’s physical existence and the welfare of one’s dependents. The second duty is towards one’s “profession” and community. The third and most important, is the quest for God realization.
The Shivapuri Baba considers these duties the foundation for “right life,” the beginning point for seekers of higher truth. Once right life is established, one’s cares lessen and there is more time and energy to focus on God.
It all boils down to discrimination and devotion. No omission, no commission. For example, to maintain one’s physical existence, we should eat what the body needs. No more, no less. What the body needs may not be the same as what we want to eat, but it may result in feeling better. Once established, we end up quite satisfied. Feeling good in ourselves makes it easier to turn our thoughts to the higher.
Choosing Duty
The Shivapuri Baba began learning all this at the age of 18, when he followed his grandfather into the Amarkantak Forest to meditate. After seven years, his grandfather died, and he went even deeper into the forest to meditate in complete solitude. He had no human contact for the next twenty-five years. At the age of 50, the Shivapuri Baba gained God realization. Describing it, he is quoted as saying, “God appeared in a flash. All questions were answered, and all problems were solved forever.”
However, the Baba still felt he had a duty to perform. His “profession” became that of helping those in need of spiritual guidance. In return, he was gifted what was needed to sustain his body and the needs of those who attended to him in later life. In Long Pilgrimage, Bennett relays that at well over 100 years in age, the Shivapuri Baba organized his life to satisfy his duty to profession by meeting with seekers from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily. Thus, one’s life becomes regulated, free of “troubles,” with more energy and tranquility to devote to God.
The Final Duty
Turning one’s thoughts to God, or seeking God realization, is the final duty. As we organize a right life for ourselves, we create the space and time to focus on that which is, ultimately, the goal of life. After all, are we who follow Gurdjieff and the Fourth Way, not “seekers after Truth?”
When asked about the role of parenthood, Baba’s advice was simple. Simplify your life, satisfy your duties, your children will learn from your example. Let them practice having duties too.