In God Makes the Rivers to Flow; An Anthology of the World’s Sacred Poetry & Prose, Eknath Easwaran includes a selection from the Shvetashvatara Upanishad entitled “The River of God.”  I’ve written the following poem-like reflections inspired by this selection. I’ve based the poem on Easwaran’s eight point path, as outlined in Passage Meditation.

We Will See What Has Always Been There

Like oil in sesame seeds, like butter
In cream, like water in springs, like fire
In a firestick, so dwells the Lord of Love,
The Self, in the very depths of consciousness.
Realize him through truth and meditation.
—The Shvetashvatara Upanishad

 Oil is in the sesame seeds, but we don’t see the oil until the seeds are ground.

Butter is in the cream, but we don’t see the butter until the cream is churned.

Fire is in the firestick, but we don’t see the fire until the stick is rubbed.

And so, the Lord of Love is in our consciousness,

all consciousness,

but we don’t see the Lord of Love until we discipline our minds.

Water is in the spring, but we can’t drink the water if the spring is blocked.

Our consciousness is blocked by our lack of awareness,

but the Lady of Love is there.

What is the truth that we may see her?

And how do we realize that truth?

It takes practice to know the truth.

We must repeat the holy name or phrase

whenever we get a chance throughout the day.

We must make our lives into meditation.

We must read the sacred texts, immerse ourselves in the wisdom of the sages.

We must sit in silence and reflect on a sacred passage

until it lives in us.

We must love our neighbors so much that we bow before their best interests.

We must train our senses so that we are not ruled by pleasure and pain.

We must slow down.

We must seek out the fellowship of others who share our path.

And we must focus our attention on one thing at a time.

Through these practices, we may polish our consciousness,

until we can see the Lord of Love through the glass.

And what will we see when we see the Lady of Love?

We will see the unity of which the sages speak.

We will see the light in everything and everyone.

We will see love.

We will see what has always been there.