The goal of Spirituality or Spiritual practiceThe following quotation of the Buddha describes what spirituality is all about
When faced with the ups and downs of life,Still the mind remains unshaken,Not lamenting, not generating defilements, always feeling secure,That is the greatest happiness.
What would you say if I told you that it is possible to progress towards this state of mind and that I am already doing so? Would you be interested in finding out how? And I can tell you that it is easier than you think. The mental habits I am talking about have taken me all of 4 short months to acquire. Spirituality is not easy but you can make good progress if you are well guided. Just to clarify I am not saying that I am enlightened or that I have achieved that state of mind that the Buddha is talking about. I am saying that I am progressing towards the goal and am already seeing the benefits of my practice of spirituality. And it is easier and faster than you might think. This method is a cure for any or all types of neurosis, for excessive self absorption It will help you again self–confidence and be poised and relaxed socially . It will help you to deal with stress and addictions. It will help to deal with the frustrations and irritations that are a part of day to day life. It will enable you to deal with defeats and failures and have a feeling almost of indifference towards them. It will help your relationships. It will in short impact all areas of your life. These are the benefits of spirituality. I am talking from experience. I have seen these changes in my own life and I think can guide you to make similar charges in yours. To understand why and how we should do think we need to have some theory or background information. Think of an average, working day. We get up at the sound of the alarm. At work the boss shouts at us and gives us an impossible deadline and we feel stressed. At home we have a tiff with our husband or wife and we feel angry. Our children are noisy and boisterous and we feel irritated. We become depressed thinking of our failures, of all that we might have achieved but didn’t. We seek solace and oblivious by going to loud parties, socializing, going to movies on having a drink or two. In this way we attempt to forget our troubles but the relief is just temporary. We are driven by our ambition. We want that special car, that larger house and a million dollars in the bank. We drive ourselves to achieve these aims. We want to be popular, have an active social life and have lots of friends. We want to be popular with the opposite sex and crave that beautiful girl friend or trophy wife. And we drive ourselves relentlessly to achieve these goals. And even if we should achieve them, our satisfaction and joy is only temporary. There is nothing in this world that can give us permanent or lasting happiness. And in going after all these objects of desire we live out our whole lives. Or you might say, we waste our whole lives and forget to live in this moment. We forget spirituality and the role it can play in our lives. And what is the reason for all our stress, anger, striving and heartache. IT IS THAT WE ARE IDENTIFIED WITH THE EGO OR WITH THE BODY – MIND AND INTELLECT. Eckhart Tolle, the modern guru of spirituality and enlightened master said that the main source of modern man’s problems is that we are identified with our mind. So that means that in order to come to grips with our problems we need to us DIS–IDENTIFY with the BMI (Body –mind- Intellect) or with the ego. You might say that it is not just you who lives like this. Almost everybody in the world cares about nothing except himself or herself. And that is certainly true. It has been true throughout history. And this is the reason the world is in such a sorry state. We are unable to live peacefully with ourselves or with the world. And you can see the antics of mankind if you read a bit of history or just pick up the front page of the daily newspaper. As opposed to this we have the statements of the philosophers and the mystics. Here is a piece of advice from Patrul Rinpoche:
Remember the example of an old cow, she’s content to sleep in a barn, you have to eat, sleep, and shit- that’s unavoidable.
Beyond that is none of your business.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
What is the mindset of Patrul Rinpoche when he makes this statement. It is that he is not identified with the ego. He is not identified with the body or the mind. But you will say- we are after all separate individuals being living in this world. We have to care for ourselves. It is necessary for our survival. We need to fulfill the duties towards our families, towards our job or business and to the rest of the world. And that is certainly true. I am not asking you to renounce the world and become a monk. We need to live in this world, take care of our financial and other needs and the needs of our loved ones. We can certainly enjoy all modern comforts and our social life. Yet be aware of the spiritual or basic realities about ourselves on which all our activities are based. And what are these basic realities of life? Is it not true that we are separate individual beings? For the answers to these questions, read on. On to the next page on The benefits – attaining the mindset of the warrior:
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