Tag: growth

What is Spirituality?

“Spirituality is not doing anything, it is just seeing life for what it is, rather than imagining it some other way.” -Jaggi Sadhguru Vasudev.

There are many misconceptions about what spiritual really is. The word spiritual literally implied that it is beyond physicality. When we talk about being spiritual, it should mean that we are beyond the physical aspects of who we think we are created by the mind and body: our identity, our compulsions, our emotions and more. There is still a monkey inside of the human being that is always attempting to make its way to the surface. Spirituality is about mastery over the monkey inside us. Mastery over the mind, body, emotion, and life energy that makes us beings, instead of just animals. To always be conscious and present. To take action and not reaction. To create our own destiny is a definite possibility for a human being. Spirituality is a way to overcome the more primitive urges of the human being (resent, anger, desire, the ego, pleasure) and drawing out the higher faculties (love, compassion, discipline, stillness, bliss, joy.) As an example, chocolate is pleasurable, we have a desire for the chemical reaction that happens when eating sweets. It will stimulate your body and mind into a state of pleasure, but all the chocolate in the world will never bring you real joy or bliss. These come from within. The external world is primarily physical, your internal world is metaphysical. There is a whole universe inside you to explore in the depths of you mind and emotion, that you will learn more about existence from than anything outside of you. Whatever force that is creating the universe, mother nature, has given humans the ability to create. The creator has created us to CREATE. The power of creation is your imagination and is within you. To direct this power consciously is the point of being human. It doesn’t quite matter what you do with it, as long as it is of your choosing. When it does it’s own things is the most common source of suffering because we want life to happen our own way. Mastery of mind, is mastery of emotion, which is mastering our destiny. This is what true spirituality is about. Taking control of our own faculties.

Some might say that sounds unheard of. A lot of ‘spiritual‘ teachings come from the idea of accepting things the way they are, which has some truth. But do I have to be upset about the way things are to attempt to improve them? No, I can accept life for what it is and still hope things go another way. Spirituality is about perseverance. When things seem to not be improving you still try anyway, because that is acting beyond fear or doubt which are just illusions created by the mind to keep you safe. With safety comes boundaries, with boundaries you are trapped; in a prison of you own making. Spirituality is seeking freedom, boundlessness that is available to all of us. So I can accept things, understand things, and hope for those same things to improve.

Knowing and Doing

It is on thing to know something, but if you do not practice what you have learned, what is the point of learning? We know we need time outside in the elements and to socialize and exercise, but if we do not do it, what is the point? When we learn something is beneficial to us, we must do it. It is foolish not to. Everything I talk about on this site, I do, because doing is a part of knowing for me. If you think you know something and do not do it, how do you know you know it? Couldn’t it be wrong? Whether or not you’re wrong or right, if you believe in something then live by that. Be open minded, but stick to your beliefs if you find they work for you in what you wish to accomplish. We only have so much time in this world, if you believe it you better get to work. You can only do so many things at once. Some people can do more than others but we are all limited by the aspect called time. We will all die. If you believe that life is about taking chances, then why wait? What are you waiting for? Death? Commit yourself to whatever you are doing if you believe you can attain it, but if you believe to take it safe and live a life like that then do that. It does not matter, as long as you believe that when you die you will have no regrets, that is the most important thing. There are things we cannot do and that is fine, but if you can do it and do not do it that is a tragedy because, believe it or not, you want to do it. Your inner being wants to do things that you may not understand why until it is over and those are the most important things. The things that take a little faith in ourselves.