Tagged: religious
The pursue of inner-change
“Change yourself” for you can be “better”…A saint, an angel… 🙂
In religious “spirituality” we learned that there are “good” actions and “bad” actions.
A “black or white” vision of the world appeared. There is a clear “line” separating “good from bad.” A person needs only to do “good actions” to be “good.” Change your “bad actions into good.”
In the discovery that actions by itself cannot be conveniently categorized in “good or bad” without looking at the intention behind them, some guru discovered that a thought is the driven factor of that intention. “New age” Spirituality came up with the mantra: “ Change your thoughts to change your Life.”
A change of thought is a change of “reality” as long as you “believe it.”
“I am bad…” excuse that thought… “I am good.”
“I cannot do it..” What??? “You can!”
“What an ugly day!” I mean… “What a beautiful day!”
That inner lying kept its momentum until the realization that changing thoughts is not “good” unless our feelings are also changed.
If I feel worthless, the thought will be “I am worthless” then, to think: “I am worthy” is a straight lie.
Do we see the pattern of pretending to change ourselves?
We went from “help thy neighbor” (“good” action)
Even though we may despise our neighbor (“bad” intention) therefore, change your thought.
Think: “I love my neighbor” many times and believe it.
However, we cannot pretend to change what we feel.
The new bestseller guru said:
Change your feelings, then!!!
At that point “Spirituality” transformed into a way to sell methods to change our feelings, to be “in tune with reality.”
Raymond was calmly observing Nature. A bee appeared. A thought came: “Get out, don’t sting me.” The feeling was fear.
Why did fear appear in Raymond?
Because there is an “I” to protect.
The key of understanding feelings is to understand the “I.”
As the “I” is understood experientially, change will happen. To understand it, observe it. Don’t read about it. Observe it.
Life is change and we are Life. If we flow in Life, change is guaranteed, for that is Life.
The “I” cannot change itself, for all it has is a preconceived notion (taught by moral standards set by societies) of what to “become.” It is an ideal, a thought.
The “I” cannot change itself for it is already separated from Life, from “what is.”
The “I” cannot change itself because it has beliefs which are delineating and supporting its very existence.
Observation of our feelings without any particular aim or objective, will allow us to be aware of how any external changes brought about by our environment and circumstances will influence the way we feel.
It is in that awareness of “what is” without a rejection or an intention to “change it” to make it “better,” to “fix it,” how our acknowledgement will present the position for consciousness to change.
It is not by “doing” something how “self transformation” or “change“ happens, but by letting it happen.
It takes more energy to resist than to let go
Those were the words of wisdom that I heard from a yoga teacher in a class that I attended named “Hot flow level 2” where the temperature of the classroom is about 90 to 100 F. Lots of sweaty enjoyment there! 🙂
No doubt she is “right” about letting go… almost.. 🙂
When we speak about physical resistance, then that may be the case. When we are talking about emotional issues, then to let go takes greater courage and greater wisdom than to resist, when there is someone there “choosing” to resist or to let go.
More conventional religious teachings/ spiritual teachings will make it “easy for us,” when they teach us to “resist evil,” “resist anything that is ungodly,” etc.
Those teachings will put us into selecting one side of duality and rejecting the other.
That teaching is not “bad” at all; but for someone who has a different vision and experience of the reality of life; that teaching could be viewed with further depth.
Both, to resist and to let go arise as a duality of being someone. Being someone means to have a defined view a defined image of “who I am.”
In most conventional teachings to “know who you are,” is very important.
Nevertheless, to define yourself is a problem of the thinking mind. Why? Because by doing that the opportunity to change and evolve will be minimized.
In the world of duality, to learn when to resist and when to let go according to the circumstances, is an indication of wisdom. To “always” reject resisting as in a commandment may be useful in some circumstances, but not in others. Nevertheless, the non-verbal, non-intellectual understanding of these things will come to everyone of us at our due time.
In the meantime, we just need to acknowledge everyone’s path and personal timing and growth in life.
Those were also the words of wisdom of my yoga teacher in that session… So many words of wisdom! 🙂
Yes… many know those words of wisdom intellectually, but which can only be understood by another when we can see that wisdom in “action,” in front of us; and that is the beauty of a relationship, when there is the willingness to learn from the “teacher” in front of us…
Resisting and letting go are meaningless when the individual becomes “nothing,” that is when the mind full with definitions, ideas and ideals is left aside; that is known as emptiness.
Being empty takes us into our nature of being formless. Paradoxically, because we are formless, non-defined; we adopt a “form.” It is through that form that we relate with the world… and that is the importance of knowing the state of emptiness; because in that way; we are something but…we are not. We are there, but we are not… 🙂 We are individuals… but we are part of the totality… Oneness. Both at the same time, not just one side of the coin.
The above goes beyond the simple religious understanding of “good and bad.” 🙂
Discovering Spirituality
The word “spirituality” could be a source of worship, a “nice word,” to call someone or to feel good about ourselves.
“He is spiritual.” Means nothing, as spirituality could be viewed in different ways by different people.
When the painting shows itself in the raw, without make up, there is an automatic impact for most everyone is used to behave and believe as “we should.”
That impact creates labeling from “others,” and the painting may change to “fit in,” to be part of the “crowd.”
To be marketable. 🙂
That is why, spirituality is viewed under a safe perspective. The religious person who practices some devotional thing everyday to please his God or the layman who decides to wear some clothing to look different or the person who knocks at someone else’s door to “teach the truth” according to a belief.
“You ought to believe in something,” the father tells his son.
Let me ignite the candles, let me light up the incense, let me do some ceremony at midnight to thank the Earth and the Universe, let me teach you what I know is the truth, let me “act nice” while in my spiritual cloths, let me identify myself with a religious view or a belief….let me follow the Guru, the latest “spiritual book,” the latest CD, let me “talk the talk,” let me pray to God, to the Universe, to the stars; let me ask for things for my family, for myself, for the world …. That is nice and very spiritual!
For the spiritual walker, spirituality is just a label which represents a natural and healthy attitude towards life.
Spirituality is not a practice but living life in itself with enjoyment, gratefulness, enthusiasm and appreciation.
That is all!
There is no belief system which can bring those attributes into someone automatically. Beliefs are just meant to change the mind set of an individual, beliefs are tools to place the individual under a different perspective but they cannot emerge newness.
A spiritual walker sooner or later will realize that the analytical mind and trying to grasp life through the mind will kill feelings and when those feelings are gone, there is no possibility to live life to the fullest, for to live means to feel.
That seems like an artist mantra, but it is not. To discover enjoyment, gratefulness, enthusiasm and appreciation are not depending on anything: in my music, my paintings, my poetry, my writings… but in being able to breath in and out… to enjoy nothing but the moment, to experience the experience and to let life continue on, that is to live. There is no judgment or complaint. It is just what it is… so let me enjoy it!
That attitude of gratefulness and appreciation to this experience called “life,” is the bread and butter of enjoying life.
For that a “breaking point” will be experienced by most “spiritual walkers,” for previous attitudes, beliefs and mental walls, will need to be destroyed. This destruction is a healthy destruction, which allows for the new to emerge. Not everyone has the capacity to go through this, but if in your destiny; you will find out.
Never tell a spiritual walker how to walk, for the one who knows himself, knows where to place his next step.
That takes courage. That takes trust; but more than anything, it takes the capacity to enjoy life! 🙂
Who has the truth?
If someone could explain to you what is the truth about God, our existence on Earth, the “reason” as to why we are here, what happens after we die, where do we go and what we do, etc, etc…etc.
Would you believe that to be the truth? 🙂
Are you sure that you can understand the “truth”?
Certainly, you are a very intelligent human being. Up to date with all the information out there and the latest scientific discoveries… you have the brain of Mr. Spock, capable of reciting the latest accurate data out of logical and reasonable input… Einstein’s insight is equal to a middle school kid compared to yours… 🙂
Please see that our human ways, what we value in our society, what we have been taught to worship such as our intellectual capacity, understanding and reasoning may not be valid “tools” to understand the “truth.”
That is a healthy doubt, ladies and gentlemen.
“Human ways” does not mean that the Universe works under those premises.
In our society we tend to misname the “truth” as “facts.”
“Nothing but the facts, man..” has been interpreted as “truth.”
Spiritually speaking, it does not matter who is speaking the “facts,” unless those words have been experienced in “real” life; there is not a chance to know anything at all but just to hear words to repeat and believe…
“I believe.” 🙂
“After you die, you either go to heaven or hell.
Time does not exist. We are timeless.
Everything repeats identically. Eternal return.
You are not the body. You are a spirit, a soul.
You will be resurrected by God with your body and will live for ever in Paradise.
We know God. God is speaking to us.
We know God. We have in these scriptures, the “words” of God.”
In the plethora of “truths” which are somehow different, what do you believe and why? 🙂
Every religion has a set of beliefs. We believe in this and that.
Is that the truth? Are we concerned only in following beliefs and facts or are we truly concerned in “truth” ? 🙂
Words and mystical stories, well written scriptures can only attempt to give us ‘facts.’ In fact, 🙂 the beliefs of different religions are different because of their own beliefs about those ‘facts.’
Facts are great for a history book. Facts are great for a geography book. Facts are good in mathematics, logic, reasoning…. However, none of those facts from none of those branches of human knowledge can convey truth.
Truth can make a human being truthful. Facts cannot do that change.
When a human being lives his truth, all the “why’s” type of questions are over. They are meaningless.
Do you know “why?” 🙂
Because the search for facts does not feed our hunger for inner fulfillment.
All verbal answers will only bring another set of beliefs to believe in.
Verbal answers could bring facts, but never truth.
When a human being is free from his own baggage, his own hang ups, and when he is mentally and emotionally balanced; the question of certainty of a “tomorrow” in heaven or hell does not arise mentally and verbally; for words cannot answer questions which have not been experienced.
All we have left are just beliefs.
“We believe” will add number of believers, but never truth.
When a human being lives life to the fullest, that is in a balanced, harmonious relationship with all; then this experience is the answer to all questions.
There is no doubt about “tomorrow” when today is a full day. There is no need for beliefs, when our own harmony and balance has certainty of a bright day today and because of that, tomorrow.
The ‘facts’ of different belief systems are just meant to make us see the world and our lives under a particular perspective, so we could discover that which cannot be spoken of, that which cannot be transmitted to another human being; which is our own self realization.
To know ourselves.
Once the belief system, whatever may that be; has been able to produce a human being who is looking at/ understanding his own self, then that belief system has been useful to that person. Otherwise, it is just a source of dependency, a source of more beliefs, a source of ‘facts’ from a limited perspective, which is one sided, incomplete and then misunderstood.
If someone tells you that you will be going to heaven, would that make you “sure” of that?
Wouldn’t you have any doubts, even if “God” told you that? Wouldn’t you be trying to make sure that “your belief in God,” is truly “God,” “The God”? 🙂
How is it possible for that doubt to go away? 🙂
When you discover heaven now, in your own life. Now.
That is the beginning and the end of every belief system.
Exploring the Depth of Living 