Spiritual warrior (in training )

Last week at a satsang ( a spiritual gathering ) a question was asked by an aspirant on how to overcome jealousy and envy . She said that for the last 3 years she has been on a spiritual path but she still has not been able to overcome jealousy and envy . She gets very upset when she sees that emotion arising  inside of her and then gets very angry with herself for experiencing that emotion . She berates herself at not having made much progress in suppressing her negative feelings and at times doubts if she is making any progress on the spiritual path . 

I remember listening to a talk by Dr. Barry Kerzin. - monk , teacher and medical doctor where a similar question was asked . He said it very beautifully . He said that the first rule of starting on a spiritual path is to be kind to your own self . You are as much a Spirit as anyone else . So if you experience an emotion of jealousy , envy , fear or anger , it's ok to acknowledge it without judgement . It's a natural by product of years of conditioning . One cannot expect oneself to completely change as soon as they start on the spiritual journey . Just as a muscle is developed slowly a habit is developed with patience and consistence . We need to understand that we are 'spiritual warriors in training '. So the next time you judge yourself , immediately stop and say to yourself " I am a spiritual warrior in training and with patience and practice I am getting better ". Spiritual path encourages us to be compassionate towards all beings so why should we forget that we are as much in need of our compassion as anyone else . Next time an undesirable emotion such as jealousy or envy arises, don't get angry ; with compassion towards the self  say to yourself , " I am in training , I am still a novice and it's ok for me to experience this emotion . " with time and practice you will see a change in yourself and when you notice that you don't experience as many negative emotions as before , applaud the spirit for making progress . Remember , slow and steady does win the race :))))