A feeling of lack of knowledge

Fear of sickness and a desire for mortal health, fear of poverty and desire for opulence, a feeling of lack of knowledge as well as a desire to know everything, belong to the domain of ignorance. Of course, if we are stricken with ill health, failure, or ignorance, we need not to continue to remain so. We should strive for health, prosperity, and wisdom without being afraid of failure.

While struggling, man must know that his struggle for health, prosperity, and wisdom is born of delusion, for he already has all he needs within his powerful self. It is only because he erroneously imagined, when in spiritually ignorant mortal company, that he did not have these – that is why he lacked them. All he has to do is to think right and not strive to acquire things. He needs only to know that he already has everything.

Once a healthy, wealthy, and wise prince dreamed that he was poor, and in the dream he shouted: “Oh, I am suffering from cancer and I have lost all my wisdom and riches”. His wife the queen woke up and aroused him, saying: “Look prince, laugh and rejoice, for you are neither suffering from sickness nor have lost riches and wisdom, but you are comfortably lying at my side in health and wisdom, in your rich kingdom. You were only dreaming about these catastrophes.”

So it is with ignorant man. He is dreaming about lack and failure, when he might claim his birthright of joy, health, and plenty as a son of the ruler of the universe. He is now living in his perfect kingdom, but is dreaming evil.

The constant desire for health and prosperity, which is so much harped upon in modern spiritual organizations, is the way to slavery. We must seek God first and then find health and prosperity through Him. Beggars get only a beggar’s share, whereas, a son of God gets his son’s share. That is why Jesus spoke of seeking and knowing the kingdom of God first. When that is actually accomplished, the health and prosperity will be added. The acquirement of wisdom and everything else that the soul needs will be received as a matter of his Devine birthright.

Source: The Second Coming of Christ  by Paramhansa Yogananda