In Karwar, (April 1940) Baba gave this explanation to the women about spiritual poise:
What is spirituality? It is the undoing of what you have been doing since ages. You always thought of selfish motives for eating, preserving your life, and attending to every need with zeal. All these lives you have made a habit of looking to yourself. If the slightest thing goes against your habit you are upset. Now, to undo all these selfish bindings, you have to do what you have not been doing, or not to do what you have been doing.
What you have been doing always is thinking of yourself, so now you must not think of yourself, but think of others. This is what is called “love.” But it needs character, poise, perseverance. Poise – what is it? That state of mind where nothing excites you, nothing upsets you. Only if you have poise can you help others, then only can you make others happy. That means love: thinking not of yourself but of others.
If you are in the Sahara, and for four days you have no water to drink and, all of a sudden, one bottle of water appears – how do you react? If you have poise, you will let your companion drink and not mind dying and letting her live. But if you fight and grab for it, you lack poise and spirituality. It is this poise that makes you sacrifice and makes others happy.
For example, I always say: “Make the best of everything.” Here you have food, swimming, boating. Make the most of them and feel happy. Do not say it is not spiritual to enjoy innocent pleasures. But when we are driving on tour and there is dust and we feel hunger, thirst and feel sick, then feel as happy as you do now. This is poise. If you do not feel happy now, it is not easy to feel happy while travelling. Do not feel you are not spiritual in enjoying swimming, boating, et cetera. Is this clear? I do not mean making a show of being happy, but to really feel happy.
For my circle, it is all right. You live with me, leave all for me, so you are serving the universe. But for those who are not living near me, this poise is one hundred percent essential for spirituality.
Again, what is spirituality? Poise, perfect poise. Make the most of every situation. He who upsets no one is a good man. He who is upset by no one is a God-Man!
Lord Meher, Original ed., Bhau Kalchuri, Vol. 7, pp. 2543 – 2544.