In a Zoom meeting with the Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK on 24th June 2023 Michael is asked, "It still feels like there is something missing because where does the 'desire' or 'love' to practice come from? I understand the love grows in relation to how much we practice but what can we do to increase our practice? Its so easy to not bother and spend all day being busy turning outwards. Plus our love to turn inwards is Grace then it feels like we cant do anything to speed up the process. It will happen when it happens. Even the desire to practice feels like it will only happen when its meant to happen. Where does the desire, the love to practice come from? Do we have to some how use our ego to try and consciously make an effort to practice and then as we do practice more then the love from Grace increases and our love to go inwards increases. There seems to have to be some real fight to get started first before our love to go inwards increases. Its a bit like when you know you need to exercise but have no interest to exercise but you have to force yourself to get started, then once you get started you find you quite like it and it gets easier. That effort and inner fight to get started with exercising isn't usually easy, you tend to put it of, find excuses, and it can be a real fight to get started. Is it like that for some of us when it comes to going inwards. You know its something you need to do, practice but your desire to go outwards is so strong its such a huge effort and you constantly put it of and are busy going outwards. Do we have to some how find the fight to make a start and is there any ways or suggestions we can make that easier for ourselves because when its such an effort, like for someone who wants to exercise but doesn't naturally have the desire to do so, then when they try it can be very difficult to sustain, they may try one day then not bother for a few days, or weeks, then try again. It can feel quite hopeless when it doesn't come easily, or naturally. So what can we do to over come our laziness, our strong desire to go outwards to get us started and be able to sustain some kind of practice. Any tips because it feels like a battle. Does the desire to even practice only come from Grace or does it have to actually come from ego? I understand once we get going and we are able to sustain some regular practice then our love will increase but to get going and get a regular practice isn't easy. Also what would you define as a good sustain practice? Once a day, several times a day, even if its only for a few minutes or even seconds? Reason I ask is i do wonder if we don't discuss these things we could find we are having high expectations of ourself and not being realistic which can lead us to think and feel we cant do it because we are struggling", so he answers this and several other related questions.
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This episode can also be watched as a video here, and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded here.