The delayed gratification

Why is it so difficult to turn the mind towards the Divine? Two realms face us. The first is the world that we see and perceive. The other is the spiritual world, the world of the Divine. We have practical experience of the first. It may not have given us much; it has mostly caused us sorrow, instead of happiness. While we hear great things about the spiritual world, the mind is naturally attracted to the world and its glitter because it is present, here and now. It is quickly drawn to the material world because the mind is of the same material as maya.

So, to escape the deadly grip of maya, we need to put in considerable effort. A typical seeker is disheartened quickly. Divine pursuits will not give immediate results, but the long-term rewards are fantastic; whereas worldly pursuits may provide instant gratification, but the long-term consequences are ruinous.

A study conducted at Stanford University in the 1960s explores the benefits of delayed gratification. They placed children in a room, a piece of tasty candy on a plate, with the instruction: you can eat the candy now or wait 15 minutes and get two candies. The researchers found that those children who preferred to wait had better indices: better health, scores and behaviour. This is even more relevant in the divine field because the spiritual world is all about delayed gratification. Do the hard work now and enjoy the fruits of your labour forever.