The path of Heartfulness has stages and destinations, but let’s look at this from another perspective: are they things to be ‘achieved’? For example, suppose that a son stands to inherit the fortune of his mother. Should the idea of receiving the inheritance ever become his goal? Should that be his motivation for maintaining a good relationship with his mother? Receiving an inheritance may eventually happen as a result of the relationship, but it is not the basis of that relationship. The basis of the relationship is love and connectedness, which is beyond value. It is something sacred.

Similarly, as wayfarers on the path of enlightenment, we receive bountifully throughout our journey. There are innumerable stages and conditions of being – peace of mind, joyfulness, lightness, subtlety, expansion of consciousness, egoless-ness, a sense of liberation from within, the state of God Realization, and so on. Yet, if receiving those benefits were to become our goal, or our motivation for continuing on the path, the path would somehow lose all of its meaning and beauty. It would become a very crude business. This journey is not about getting or achieving anything. We could perhaps say that it is about entering into a sacred relationship with the Source within. As a result of that state of deep communion, all states and stages come to us automatically, via inheritance. But if we are only concerned with receiving that inheritance, it will damage us. Rather than re-establishing our connection with our Origin, our feeling of separation will only enhance, and we will remain wanting for the feeling of ‘home’. The path back to the Source is an infinite one, in which the path itself becomes the destination, and moving along that path becomes the greatest joy.

One thing we can say is that the goal of Heartfulness is ever evolving and ever expanding, without limits or restrictions. The goal continues to grow as we grow. We are offered our highest potential as human beings in the Heartfulness way and this is one of the great wonders of Heartfulness – the journey continues infinitely.

We must make the choices that enable us
to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.
—Thomas Merton