Gratitude and the spiritual path.
(Excerpt from a book by Jim Dreaver, called "The Power of Presence").

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Jean Klein always said that as we get freer, gratitude becomes our predominant emotion. All spiritual traditions point toward a grateful heart as being one of the most important keys to love, to freedom from fear.
 
All enlightened beings acknowledge that gratitude is the real source of abundance. When you feel this fullness within you, this overflowing goodness and creative energy, you know that you really do have the keys to the kingdom, to the greatest treasure chest in the universe. Realizing that just makes your heart overflow with even more gratitude.

There's a lovely story in this regard, told by H. W. L. Poonja, a spiritual teacher from India who, when he was alive, met with and profoundly influenced many Western seekers of truth. A lot of the Advaita, or non-dualist teachers in the west owe their awakening to him. This particular story is in the book, Wake Up And Roar, a collection of dialogues with "Papaji," as Poonja was affectionately called by his disciples.

Like many powerful spiritual teachers he had been offered money and property over the years, but he had always refused.

"It is repugnant to me to own a piece of Mother Earth," he said. "Once I was visiting a tea plantation in the south. After the manager finished showing me around, I found a wonderful Mandarin orange tree. I said to the tree: Oh, what a wonderful mother you are with all of your babies. I have never picked a fruit or flower in my life. I just stood there admiring the tree, and in that moment she dropped a dozen oranges at my feet. Mother Earth takes very good care of me."

When Papaji spoke to the Mandarin tree, he was expressing his child-like gratitude for the fact of its just being there, growing its bountiful harvest of sweet oranges in that tea plantation. And his gratitude, his admiration, though it was completely unconditional, without any expectation of anything, was rewarded by a dozen oranges dropping at his feet.
 
This story is an exquisite example of the kind of miracles that happen when you live fully in the present, in harmony with life around you. Just as Papaji knew that Mother Earth took very good care of him, so you learn that life takes care of you. Whatever you need for your growth, your well-being, whether it be food, money, a person, an opportunity, the solution to some problem shows up just when you need it. It may come in an unexpected way, there may be no rational explanation for it, but nevertheless, it is there.

The practice of consciously giving thanks for the blessings, the opportunities, and the lessons that are unfolding for you right now is one of the best ways of releasing fear, and opening the door to new creative energy. Have an attitude of gratitude, and you'll naturally be more present. You open yourself up to the abundance, the beauty, that is always here.

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The truth of the above is revealed very quickly to any courageous soul who goes for a long walk alone. (:-)

Blessings to all our readers.
Swami NadaBrahmananda