If we experience a joyous feeling, even under very adverse situations, this is a sign of attainment in our practice. For example, when we meet another person who unjustly criticizes us, or when we are deeply suffering from an illness or great remorse and, instead of becoming hurt and feeling upset, we spontaneously feel great joy, this is a clear indication that we are becoming well acquainted with the principles of thought transformation. When we are not in contact with such adverse circumstances, then of course we feel happy, calm, and peaceful. Yet if we suffer and become upset just like anyone else when meeting with such difficulties, this clearly shows our practice is deficient and that we should apply still more effort. We do not require an external teacher to determine the effectiveness of our practice since we can each make our own test by assessing our reactions to the specific circumstances we encounter.

Copyright Brian Beresford, 1977, 1996. Excerpted from Advice from a Spiritual Friend, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A, www.wisdompubs.org