Beyond Rome and Unto Infinity
By Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa

The spiritual path is far more dangerous than most people realize. Not dangerous in some theatrical sense, not because darkness hides behind meditation or prayer, but because a real spiritual path eventually removes the luxury of blaming someone else.

At first, nearly all suffering appears external. Life, circumstances, betrayal, disappointment, karma, bad luck, childhood wounds, governments, relationships, even destiny itself — all become convenient explanations for pain. But eventually the sincere student encounters an uncomfortable truth:

The deeper suffering is often self-inflicted. That realization changes everything.

Most people begin spirituality by looking for relief. Relief from loneliness, confusion, fear, resentment, exhaustion, or the unbearable weight of the world itself. There is nothing wrong with this. Suffering often becomes the doorway to prayer. But somewhere along the path, the student slowly discovers that the problem is rarely “it.” 

The problem gradually becomes “I.” “It” protects us. “It” allows excuses. “It” allows blame to survive. But a true spiritual path strips these protections away until the student is eventually left standing before his own consciousness. That is where spirituality truly begins.

A real path demands responsibility, discipline, devotion, and transformation rather than escapism. Responsibility means accepting that YOU are the issue. Discipline means overcoming self-created suffering without collapsing into weakness. Devotion creates the courage to continue when emotion no longer cooperates.

Many people want spirituality to comfort them while allowing them to remain fundamentally unchanged. Truth does not work that way. God does not negotiate endlessly with self-deception.

At first spirituality can feel uplifting. It provides inspiration, direction, community, meaning, even emotional refuge. The soul feels remembered again. Life regains purpose. Eventually the emotional excitement fades and the real work begins. This is the stage where many people quietly leave the path. Not physically perhaps, but internally.

Commitment weakens. Discipline fades. The mind begins negotiating again. Old excuses slowly return:
“I’m tired.”
“I’m disappointed.”
“I’ve already tried.”
“I’m too old.”

These are not merely thoughts. They are memory traps. The moment fear, resentment, remorse, doubt, or self-pity begin dominating the mind, consciousness reaches backward toward familiar suffering. Human beings possess an extraordinary ability to return to pain simply because pain feels familiar. This is why spiritual growth requires courage far beyond inspiration.

Inspiration is beautiful, but inspiration without discipline eventually collapses under pressure. A sincere path requires steadiness during uncertainty, devotion during dryness, and faith during silence.  Very few people truly understand this because modern spirituality often markets comfort while avoiding responsibility.

But responsibility is the doorway. True spirituality eventually collides directly with the ego because the ego wants comfort without sacrifice, reward without purification, knowledge without surrender.

Yet the soul wants something entirely different. The soul wants truth, even when truth dismantles illusion. This is where maya becomes both beautiful and dangerous. People often speak about maya as though it were evil. It is not evil. It is attraction. Beauty. Ambition. Success. Pleasure. Achievement. Identity. Stimulation. Civilization itself. The endless seduction of external life.

Rome symbolized this perfectly. For centuries Rome represented earthly greatness — wealth, beauty, structure, accomplishment, power. Rome was magnificent maya. But there is something beyond Rome. The mistake is not living within the world. The mistake is becoming consumed by it.

Many believe spirituality requires abandoning the world completely. I do not believe this is entirely true. Attachment must eventually be abandoned, yes — but maya itself must be handled consciously and devotionally.

Ironically, I found God while shopping for jewelry in Beverly Hills. There are many levels to this statement. God exists in monasteries, and He also exists in marketplaces. He exists in meditation halls and crowded streets alike. The challenge is not escaping maya. The challenge is remaining devotional while moving through it without attachment and/or compromise. That is where the real danger begins.

The student must walk consciously through temptation itself. He must learn to handle beauty without attachment, success without arrogance, pain without bitterness, and spirituality itself without self-importance. Very few people learn to stand in both worlds without becoming divided within themselves. 

Kundalini Yoga intensifies this challenge, not because it is evil, but because it accelerates consequences. It accelerates karma, awareness, confrontation, purification. Combined with a true spiritual discipline such as Sikh Dharma, spirituality ceases being philosophy and becomes direct experience. This is why devotion matters so much.

Devotion organizes chaos. Devotion sustains the student when emotion collapses. Devotion reminds the soul of what the mind temporarily forgets. Without devotion, spirituality eventually becomes intellectual entertainment or emotional dependency. With devotion, however, the path slowly transforms into living prayer, a state where ALL prayers are answered.

Creation and destruction are not opposites. They are movements within the same divine circle. Sometimes God dismantles portions of our lives because something deeper is trying to emerge. Human beings often interpret dismantling as punishment when it may actually be preparation.

Chaos first. Then order. But even order requires standards. Discipline must eventually become natural rather than forced. Slowly the student stops performing spirituality and begins becoming spiritual. And this changes everything.

Fear begins dissolving.
Courage quietly enters.
Prayer deepens.
Life itself becomes devotional.

Thought, speech, action, and even ordinary moments begin aligning themselves with something greater than personal desire. Then one day the student realizes something extraordinary: God was never absent; The path was never punishment: The struggle itself was part of the opening of the heart.

This is why devotion remains one of the great hidden secrets of the spiritual path. Devotion carries the student beyond fear, beyond performance, beyond philosophy, and eventually beyond separation itself.

Stay on the road beyond Rome. Do not negotiate endlessly with doubt. Do not worship discouragement. Do not abandon discipline every time emotion changes. Continue walking. Continue serving. Continue loving God more deeply each day. 

Then quietly, almost imperceptibly at first, something begins changing within you. Fear loses its authority. Eventually the soul begins realizing something words can barely contain: God is not merely everywhere. God is ALL. And when that truth finally enters the heart completely, the illusion of separation itself begins dissolving.     

In Perfect Harmony,
Your Partner and Friend on this Fantastic Journey,
Hari Jiwan