The biggest surprising insight of the week was the sudden flash that made it so clear that being spiritual in no way takes away the possibility of living a joyful life or a life of fun or even of commitment to one's goals and responsibilities. There was even the smirk within that questioned this possibility of anything else being nursed in the name of spirituality in the first place.
One of the mistaken perceptions of a spiritual life is that of austere renunciation and dourness, a life removed from allowance of a feeling of joy and mirth in everyday life.The joy of a smile exchanged, a hand shake, simple things like this that are neither permissive nor restrictive are not at all out of bounds for a spiritual person. The innocent, pleasant, clean, uncorrupted joy of simple everyday transactions and the commonplace hope that has come to see the light of the day through one's efforts and Grace- these are certainly within the definition of a lived spiritual life.
This is what I wrote in my e-diary:
Being spiritual does NOT devolve you from being committed to your everyday duties and responsibilities. Behaving as if everything will take care of itself, on its own, without any effort from your side, just because you are spiritual is a costly delusion (and something that is not spiritual in the first place- because spirituality teaches us to look at things as they really are). You still have to do your job and you have to do it well, for that too is spiritual.
Included in this duty is the one toward servicing the upkeep of your own self: making sure you are healthy in body, mind and emotions. That is the full compass of spirituality. Spirituality does not ask you to be a pauper on purpose when you are not one to start with; it asks you to see what you really are and then act in the wisest way and in a way that is for the highest common good. The same is true for depressive spells that are passed by almost unawares and even helplessly in the name of spirituality or spiritual practices being done in the background.
A truly spiritual person is healthy, is happy within, and if not, he actually works to make it better with means available to him, and yet is in touch with reality. He does not welcome unwholesome states of mind or body but when in the throes of such a state, he faces it with as much equanimity as possible and makes amends. He does not deliberately sabotage his own career or profession just because he is committed to some spiritual practice or teaching. Anyone doing this or asking you to do this is not practicing or teaching spirituality. Beware.
One of the mistaken perceptions of a spiritual life is that of austere renunciation and dourness, a life removed from allowance of a feeling of joy and mirth in everyday life.The joy of a smile exchanged, a hand shake, simple things like this that are neither permissive nor restrictive are not at all out of bounds for a spiritual person. The innocent, pleasant, clean, uncorrupted joy of simple everyday transactions and the commonplace hope that has come to see the light of the day through one's efforts and Grace- these are certainly within the definition of a lived spiritual life.
This is what I wrote in my e-diary:
Being spiritual does NOT devolve you from being committed to your everyday duties and responsibilities. Behaving as if everything will take care of itself, on its own, without any effort from your side, just because you are spiritual is a costly delusion (and something that is not spiritual in the first place- because spirituality teaches us to look at things as they really are). You still have to do your job and you have to do it well, for that too is spiritual.
Included in this duty is the one toward servicing the upkeep of your own self: making sure you are healthy in body, mind and emotions. That is the full compass of spirituality. Spirituality does not ask you to be a pauper on purpose when you are not one to start with; it asks you to see what you really are and then act in the wisest way and in a way that is for the highest common good. The same is true for depressive spells that are passed by almost unawares and even helplessly in the name of spirituality or spiritual practices being done in the background.
A truly spiritual person is healthy, is happy within, and if not, he actually works to make it better with means available to him, and yet is in touch with reality. He does not welcome unwholesome states of mind or body but when in the throes of such a state, he faces it with as much equanimity as possible and makes amends. He does not deliberately sabotage his own career or profession just because he is committed to some spiritual practice or teaching. Anyone doing this or asking you to do this is not practicing or teaching spirituality. Beware.
No comments:
Post a Comment