In the normal daily conversation we hear of a man of good personality, meaning he is tall, handsome and attractive. The word 'personality' signifies inner endowment, not the outer appearance. It would be more appropriate here to say, "This gentleman has a good person" Person speaks of the external appearance. Spirit lies beyond the centre of personality. A call from there is most effective.
Manners are outer behaviour which may not reflect what one feels inside. Manners that move truly inside is behaviour. Manners may be outward and behaviour is inner, but both issue from the surface of one's being. Faced with weighty issues, neither can be of true help. Below the manners and behaviour lies the organised character. Character represents strength, capacity, tenacity, endurance, etc. All these are organised at various levels of intensity. Beyond the fabric of character lies the unorganised ENERGY of man ready to face fresh issues when character too fails.
Calling the Spirit can be from any of these levels. The deeper the call, the more powerful it is. Running thoughts in the mind out of our control is the first level of mind, the manners. Thinking is at the level of behaviour. Character lies at the depth of our most serious thought that stands for our values. In our own concentration, it is possible for us to go to the level of character, swabhava, and call the Spirit. It will be powerful. One can go beyond to the regions of Personality and centre oneself there to call the Spirit. As Personality rises to the occasion of unknown problems where character feels helpless, calling the Spirit from there will solve any problem, whether we know it or not.
- The strength of calm that descends on us shows the depth of the call.
- In yoga it is not man who calls, but the Spirit that awakens at these depths that calls from inside.