Dear Gurudev, the spiritual path can be very confusing at times. How do I know I am progressing?
Every confusion means one old set of norms and ideas have broken down, and something new is coming up, so it is good. Never mind – don't worry about your progress. You are progressing – there is no way of regression on the spiritual path; there is always progress.
There is no definite criteria, but you can ask yourself, 'Are you more happy? Are you more calm? Can you handle situation better than what you used to before?' These are some criteria, but it is not necessary that they must be taken as criteria. But one thing: just turn back and see, how was your life before you got on the spiritual path, before you even started meditating, and how is it now. Is there any difference? How many of you find there is a difference? See, when a big difference is there, that is it—you have already progressed!
Can you relate to the person you were twenty years ago? Are you the same person now or a different person? How many of you say you are a different person? (Many in the audience raise their hands)
Yes, you are different.