Tagged: practices
The spirituality of “practices”
To be able to understand the way a person operates within the context of society, we will need utmost awareness. That cannot be taught through “best sellers.” Awareness is not “marketable.” We cannot take “master classes” in that. Although, most self-help books, clearly spell out this word “awareness” as another key word to throw in inside a “spiritual” coffee conversation. However, the word is not the thing.
Awareness comes when we are able to “detach” from “what is.”
“what is” differs from person to person. It is what we mostly focus on. It is subjective.
For example: “Can I look at the sunset with all my heart and walk away from it with the same empty heart? Empty: A completely innocent heart.”
Most when reading those lines will “practice” those words. “Now, I am looking at the sunset with all my heart… How beautiful! Isn’t that glorious? Marvelous! .. then a few minutes later. Now… I am walking away without a memory of it. Empty. I will not even take a picture. I will forget it.” On the way home, the thought “so that is what innocence is all about. I felt innocent. Wonderful. Now I need to keep practicing that.”
That “innocent” practice is not what innocence is. That is a rehearsed action, which lacks creativity. It is the outcome of a mind taught to follow and taught only to believe in what it reads or hears. Moreover, that mind has been taught to daydream as to ingest a “feel good pill,” a placebo cemented with the belief that to follow to the dot, means to “do it right.”
Observe that in “spirituality” to follow means to miss the point.
Words cannot be taken literally. This is not a course of computer science or technology. There are no certifications for awareness.
When I am AWARE of Life, right now… and there are no thoughts of any kind in a natural way (that is without practice) then, I can FEEL. That may be “all my heart.” From there, I must find out for myself how the mind returns and takes over with memories and the meaning of it. That finding out is inner AWARENESS.
If I spell everything out, like the quote above or like any “best seller” would do, practice of what I said will be unavoidable for a reader who has been conditioned to follow. He may like what I said, so he follows to the dot. He may not like what I say, so he rejects it to the dot. That is the same exact movement although in different, “opposite” directions; but liking or not, is not the same as finding out. That requires awareness.
In short, “practice” as following directions, recipes, steps, techniques in “spiritual” endeavors; will make us dull, insensitive. For that is mind.
“Practice” as the ability to meet with newness “what is” without a script or a recipe; requires utmost intelligence and sensibility.
It requires the ability to be flexible and change as Life IS.
When I see the sunset. Am I seeing it? When I no longer see it. Am I still seeing it?
That could be as much as it could be written for those AWARE, but for those who are not, a detailed explanation will be needed which brings “practice” of something which cannot be practiced.
Do we see that?
Fake “spiritual” Change
Jack IS gentle, egotistic, compassionate and he portrays an addictive personality. Did he “practice” anything to get this way? Did he learn any “techniques” or followed instructions to BE that way?
If another person has observed compassion in Jack, and she wants that compassion that Jack has, how could she get it?
She can only “practice” those actions that she recognized to BE compassion. However, are ACTIONS by themselves compassionate? A compassionate person, one who IS compassionate, will ACT with compassion. BEING expresses naturally into ACTION.
If the above paragraph has been understood in depth; then we could observe how any form of spirituality or “sacred” sexuality made from “techniques, methods and the practice of those;” is fake.
“Spirituality” made of rituals and practices only focus on the ACTION, the external element observed by all. But Love is not a ritual. Love is not a method. Any action coming from BEING Love, will have that perfume in it.
We may ask, how can I BE Love? That question shows that we don’t understand. BEING is not dependent on external actions or behaviors made purposely to change something in us. It does not depend on our will power or a “new year resolution.” For what we believe to BE love is merely an idea. We say:
“A loving person is understanding. He is compassionate. He is gentle. He is willing to sacrifice for another. He speaks sweetly, etc.”
The above is not Love. The above are just words defining our idea of love. We believe in “practicing” those ideas to have love as the result.
The reality of love is a mystery. Others may recognize that quality in us. There are no actions or specific words that we could express in order to BE Love.
BEING Love brings its own aroma which is very hard to put in words.
“OK. So much for explanations. where do I start then?”
Obviously in recognizing those things that we ARE NOW. If we are AWARE, those things will come out through the mirror of relationships with others and within. What we recognize out of that deep look within, is not an exercise to label what we see as a virtue or a sin. What we recognize are triggers: Sparks of anger, elation, violence, compassion, disappointment, hope within us. True recognition IS without using those labels. Just feel them and recognize the origin.
“Now I get it!! “I” should not create any sparks or triggers at all…”
NO. We can fake our reaction and believe that we have “healed.” We can fake our feelings with a theatrical performance, like an actor.
Our only “job” is to BE AWARE and to trace back in our lives, the origins of that situational trigger. That is all. As the AWARENESS deepens, then inner opening happens, emptiness arrives and through that emptiness there is newness…. CHANGE.
We’ve been taught to DO things to Change! To take prescribed steps to achieve some sort of change, as if we could control consciousness and Life itself!
As we become AWARE that Life experiences are not separated from what we call “I,” then we could start perceiving the limitations of DOING things to “achieve” something, that we believe will make us “better.”
CHANGE is a natural process, it is not a forced activity based on learned conditioning.
CHANGE IS NATURAL in LIFE. Humans make it “unnatural” through methods, practices and different types of control.
Exploring the Depth of Living 