Does bringing spirit to your lives mean giving up on all worldly goodies? Does spirituality imply religion, mysticism, occult? The answer is 'NO'.
Hello Friends,
I get many queries to my posts. A lot of them imply a good understanding of what I write. That does not automatically mean that all of you have embarked on a journey to BASIC HAPPINESS. Please take your time. Yet, a lot of pondering about the pros and cons does not help. Having understood the paradigm, it is only resistance within that holds us from taking the plunge. When you do that, it will be on the spur of a moment. That's how I started off. I went on debating for 3 to 4 months, then one day I just let go and got onto the journey.
Another set of questions, though fewer in number, point towards some kind of questioning, doubt - an "is that so?" kind of thought. This is not resistance. For such readers, the idea itself has not sunk in. A major reason for that springs from the myths surrounding spirituality.
Many wrongly think that spirituality is about religion. I would like to assert that being spiritual requires no religious beliefs or orientation. One can be an agnostic/atheist and still advance remarkably on the spiritual journey and enjoy the fruits of BASIC HAPPINESS or FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Whatever I write in this blog and have written in my book ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY? is based on sound logic, is amenable to science, has nothing to do with miracles, and is based on several thousands of years of research.
Similarly, my recommended practices will not clash with any of your religious beliefs. You are free to pursue your own religious orientation.
I can say about myself: I did not grow up in an overtly religious environment. By finding more spirit, by being able to face life more realistically, my 'need' for religion has further diminished. It is not necessary that all of you must feel the same way. I see religion as a matter of personal freedom and support full liberty to all individuals to pursue their own religious beliefs (or disbeliefs!). I have devoted a full section on religion and spirituality in my book, with the same purpose of demystifying spirituality.
The other myth surrounding any mention of spirituality is the presumption that it entails living life as an ascetic, renouncing the material world. I have assured readers in some of my earlier posts that nothing like that is necessary. I did not do any of that myself while embarking on my journey towards BASIC HAPPINESS. I keep enjoying 'things' in life.
The only difference is that you need to question your overwhelming attachment to the material world. Just 'question' it; 'notice' it; 'observe' it. Even doing this small bit uplifts you in your spiritual quest. Whenever you crave for something, notice your craving. As you keep doing this, you will reduce your pressing 'need' for those things. You will stop craving for them. However, do not fight your craving. That way more resistance will creep in. This practice of passively observing yourself, is a great spiritual exercise. Isn't it interesting?
With this practice you will create a space between you and the things. You will not cling to them any more. You can still enjoy them. You can enjoy them even more than before, for now you do not fear losing them.
The only difference is that you need to question your overwhelming attachment to the material world. Just 'question' it; 'notice' it; 'observe' it. Even doing this small bit uplifts you in your spiritual quest. Whenever you crave for something, notice your craving. As you keep doing this, you will reduce your pressing 'need' for those things. You will stop craving for them. However, do not fight your craving. That way more resistance will creep in. This practice of passively observing yourself, is a great spiritual exercise. Isn't it interesting?
With this practice you will create a space between you and the things. You will not cling to them any more. You can still enjoy them. You can enjoy them even more than before, for now you do not fear losing them.
The same is true of any important position that you may be holding. Allow that space between you and the position; do not become the position. Many leaders falter for this reason: they would have got fully identified with the position that they are holding. And, what do you think facilitates this? Yes, the same old culprit: the EGO.
Makes sense? Read on.
Cheers!
Deepak Chatterjee
chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944
@Deepak33C
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Deepak,
ReplyDeleteYour point about "questioning, observing" a craving is quite valid. That is the way may be manage to gradually realise the futility of materialistic pursuits. However, my understanding is that ultimately, a spiritual seeker has to get detached from the physical world, mentally rather than so much physically. He has to reach a stage where he does not even "enjoy" the so-called "good" things in the physical world.The reason is that "enjoyment" indicates duality - if you enjoy something, it means there are things that you don't enjoy too. So long as one continues perceiving duality, one cannot be said to have realised one's real self - the spirit - that is beyond all the duality. But I agree that a seker should not force himself to keep away from the physical world. Sant Dnyaneshwar maharaj says that a seeker leaving his home and loved ones and going into the forest but continuing to harbour the thoughts of the world will not achieve anything. On the other hand, one who practises gradual detachment without forcing but just through contemplation and awareness, achieves liberation even when still living normally, albeit outwardly, in the eyes of the people around him.
- Kishor Kulkarni
I agree with what you say, Kishor. But my own experience has been that it is possible to be on a spiritual journey and taste basic happiness without complete renunciation, as we understand the term. There has been so much focus on this 'distaste' for the physical world, that spirituality has got unnecessarily surrounded in myth. Many philosophers have made renunciation the starting point. That may well speed up the process. But the problem is that if there is too much focus on renunciation or 'not enjoying anything in the physical world' that itself becomes a mental obsession and we might actually move away from spirit. In my book, I have written a chapter titled: "Living one step below Fundamental Happiness". That gives an interesting insight. :)
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