Qualifications of the Aspirant: Entering into the Realities of Inner Life — Critical and creative thinking balances mind and heart

The transition from external conformity (shariat, or karmakanda) to the life of inner realities (tariqat, or adhyatma-marga) involves two steps:

(1) freeing the mind from the inertia of uncritical acceptance based upon blind imitation and  stirring it to critical thinking; and

(2) bringing the results of critical and discriminative thinking into practical life. In order to be spiritually fruitful, thinking must be not only critical but creative.

Critical and creative thinking leads to spiritual preparation by cultivating those qualities that contribute toward the perfection and balancing of the mind and the heart and the release of unfettered Divine Life.

-Discourses 7th Ed. p354