As I mentioned briefly in the previous post, finding a spiritual life doesn't mean you need to make any radical changes. You don't need to buy into anything, change your religion, or adopt some crazy practices. All that is required is a little bit of willingness to take a look inside and then an intention to become a better person. While I personally did change my life quite drastically, adopted the Buddhist path, and moved to Asia, I know that's not for everyone. In fact, there's not much out there that is for everyone. Even though I am a strong believer in things like meditation, I know that there are hundreds of different kinds of meditation, making it quite confusing, and some may not be ready for any of them. Instead of seeing it as those who meditate and consider themselves on a spiritual path vs. those who don't and are considered "normal people," I think what's more important is a new paradigm.
In this new paradigm, what I'll call the universal path, spirituality loses its structure. There is no need for this or that, it doesn't even need to have a name. It's not just for some, it's for everyone. As soon as it takes a shape, as soon as it turns into a system, it loses its universality. Knowing this, we can find those ways to change our lives, if even on a small scale, and we can still invite spirituality into our lives, in a simple, practical, and most importantly, personal way.
At the moment, I am participating in a yoga teacher training course just outside of Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama has been living in exile. Yesterday, during our course, we had one of the instructors teach us a "Kundalini Yoga" class. I had done a similar class before a couple years ago in the states, and I remember not caring for it much, but this time, I really didn't like it. My mind was complaining, and I caught myself thinking, "This is the worst thing ever, how can anyone like this?" And then I realized, another person might think this is the greatest thing ever, and what's wrong with that? Should we all be into the same type of yoga, meditation, or anything for that matter? Would that be a celebration of our diversity?
In my opinion, I need to loosen my grip about what is good or bad and see that all of these things can be valid. Some might like something and another person hates it, and that's totally fine. But somewhere in there, there is a path without a name, a path that makes the traveler the master, and that's what I'm hoping to share with you, because I believe that in today's modern world, it's really the path that can make the biggest difference.
So what is this path?
Well, I guess that's up for you to decide, but I also have some ideas that you might try to on for size. Mainly, I see this as the path of self-improvement. Since many of us out there don't want to wave a red flag and start shouting to people that we are going to try to change ourselves, this path doesn't need to involve anyone or anything except for you. The essence of any spiritual tradition, even though we are avoiding tradition here, is to purify the heart and mind. So do we need to follow anything to do this? Absolutely not! Do we need to radically change our perspectives, and let go of everything we think to be true? No! Instead, we just need to take a few moments, look within, and ask ourselves one all-important question.
What are my weaknesses?
Strengths are already strong, leave them alone for now, unless you think you are too fragile to go right into tackling your weaknesses. If you don't have enough self-security to start directly with your weaknesses, by all means, remind yourself of your strengths first, and then slowly, start looking to areas that have room for improvement.
By identifying our weaknesses, we can create a personal to-do list.
To me, this seems like the easiest way to be a better person. Sit down, and take a few minutes to write down some things that you think you could work on. Be honest. No one is watching, and you don't need to share this list with anyone. Even if it's something that you have mostly worked through already, write it down if you think it's still affecting your life.
Turning weaknesses into strengths is, in essence, purification of the mind.
Remember, this is something to practice, so don't be too hard on yourself. If you agree to embark on this journey, see yourself as the captain and allow yourself to feel good about what you are doing. That being said, don't throw yourself a big party, and let pride take the reigns, but in a soft way, you can know you are doing something that will benefit you and those around you. While I don't pretend to be one who has mastered all the things I offer up on this blog, I at least make an attempt to practice them myself. A few weeks ago, when I had this idea about how simple spirituality really is, I started my own list. Many of the items on the list are things I have already been consciously working on, some more successfully than others, but it's still nice to see them all written out.
While your at it, you might as well write down your strengths. What you might find is that some items that you consider strengths might have been your weaknesses in the past. Just like this, moving the items from the weaknesses list to the strengths list can be your practice, and that's all you really need to do. How you go about doing that is up to you, and will depend on the type of weakness you are dealing with. If your list includes problems with alcohol, as mine does, you might be able to just walk away, or you might seek help. If your list includes laziness, as mine does, get your ass up and start doing something! If your list includes being judgmental, as mine does, you might start by noticing everytime you think or act in a judgmental way. Simply by saying to yourself, "Judgment arising," you will find that your judgment loses much of its power over you.
And just like this we can work towards becoming a better person. It's going to take time, and some effort, but don't worry, there is no one here to judge you, there is no ideal to work towards, it's just you vs. yourself. You are the captain and the passenger. If you are stubborn like me, and someone says, "Hey, you should be more patient," you'd probably tell them to F-off. But that's the beauty of this, you found it yourself, you start it yourself, and there's no need to involve anyone else.
I know I have a lot of things to work on, and my mission is clear. Sometimes, it's nice to get my head out of the clouds with all this eastern spirituality and these ancient techniques and bring it back down to earth. A simple, practical, and personal approach to spirituality is the only approach that makes sense for everyone, but there's no system, there's nothing to buy into, and there's no one telling you what to do (if you think I'm telling you what to do, you can tell me to F-off, I won't mind). The exciting thing for me is that I know this works. If I can systematically check these off my list, and turn them into strengths, I have a lot of faith in the result. I know I'll be able to overcome obstacles that will otherwise stand in the way between me and my dream. Not only that, but the somewhat altruistic vision for my future will become more and more about helping others, as it will seem to be the only natural thing to do.
No matter why we start, we find that this practice of self-improvement is probably the least selfish thing we can do. If everyone took the time to do this, the world would be a much better place. Really, it's about loving yourself, deciding that you are worth. Only when you love yourself can you love others, and when you start eradicating your weaknesses, which can be seen as being of the mind, the heart will naturally shine through. Little by little, we can become stronger, more capable, more loving, patient, understanding, compassionate, less addicted, less angry, less violent, less impulsive, more forgiving, more tolerant of other people's decisions and religions, more accepting, more disciplined, less judgmental, healthier, freer, better human beings. Doesn't that sound good?
May all beings see that the spiritual life isn't about buying into anything, but just about making practical changes on the personal level.
May all beings see that self-improvement is global-improvement.
May all beings be the change they wish to see in the world.
In this new paradigm, what I'll call the universal path, spirituality loses its structure. There is no need for this or that, it doesn't even need to have a name. It's not just for some, it's for everyone. As soon as it takes a shape, as soon as it turns into a system, it loses its universality. Knowing this, we can find those ways to change our lives, if even on a small scale, and we can still invite spirituality into our lives, in a simple, practical, and most importantly, personal way.
At the moment, I am participating in a yoga teacher training course just outside of Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama has been living in exile. Yesterday, during our course, we had one of the instructors teach us a "Kundalini Yoga" class. I had done a similar class before a couple years ago in the states, and I remember not caring for it much, but this time, I really didn't like it. My mind was complaining, and I caught myself thinking, "This is the worst thing ever, how can anyone like this?" And then I realized, another person might think this is the greatest thing ever, and what's wrong with that? Should we all be into the same type of yoga, meditation, or anything for that matter? Would that be a celebration of our diversity?
In my opinion, I need to loosen my grip about what is good or bad and see that all of these things can be valid. Some might like something and another person hates it, and that's totally fine. But somewhere in there, there is a path without a name, a path that makes the traveler the master, and that's what I'm hoping to share with you, because I believe that in today's modern world, it's really the path that can make the biggest difference.
So what is this path?
Well, I guess that's up for you to decide, but I also have some ideas that you might try to on for size. Mainly, I see this as the path of self-improvement. Since many of us out there don't want to wave a red flag and start shouting to people that we are going to try to change ourselves, this path doesn't need to involve anyone or anything except for you. The essence of any spiritual tradition, even though we are avoiding tradition here, is to purify the heart and mind. So do we need to follow anything to do this? Absolutely not! Do we need to radically change our perspectives, and let go of everything we think to be true? No! Instead, we just need to take a few moments, look within, and ask ourselves one all-important question.
What are my weaknesses?
Strengths are already strong, leave them alone for now, unless you think you are too fragile to go right into tackling your weaknesses. If you don't have enough self-security to start directly with your weaknesses, by all means, remind yourself of your strengths first, and then slowly, start looking to areas that have room for improvement.
By identifying our weaknesses, we can create a personal to-do list.
To me, this seems like the easiest way to be a better person. Sit down, and take a few minutes to write down some things that you think you could work on. Be honest. No one is watching, and you don't need to share this list with anyone. Even if it's something that you have mostly worked through already, write it down if you think it's still affecting your life.
Turning weaknesses into strengths is, in essence, purification of the mind.
Remember, this is something to practice, so don't be too hard on yourself. If you agree to embark on this journey, see yourself as the captain and allow yourself to feel good about what you are doing. That being said, don't throw yourself a big party, and let pride take the reigns, but in a soft way, you can know you are doing something that will benefit you and those around you. While I don't pretend to be one who has mastered all the things I offer up on this blog, I at least make an attempt to practice them myself. A few weeks ago, when I had this idea about how simple spirituality really is, I started my own list. Many of the items on the list are things I have already been consciously working on, some more successfully than others, but it's still nice to see them all written out.
While your at it, you might as well write down your strengths. What you might find is that some items that you consider strengths might have been your weaknesses in the past. Just like this, moving the items from the weaknesses list to the strengths list can be your practice, and that's all you really need to do. How you go about doing that is up to you, and will depend on the type of weakness you are dealing with. If your list includes problems with alcohol, as mine does, you might be able to just walk away, or you might seek help. If your list includes laziness, as mine does, get your ass up and start doing something! If your list includes being judgmental, as mine does, you might start by noticing everytime you think or act in a judgmental way. Simply by saying to yourself, "Judgment arising," you will find that your judgment loses much of its power over you.
And just like this we can work towards becoming a better person. It's going to take time, and some effort, but don't worry, there is no one here to judge you, there is no ideal to work towards, it's just you vs. yourself. You are the captain and the passenger. If you are stubborn like me, and someone says, "Hey, you should be more patient," you'd probably tell them to F-off. But that's the beauty of this, you found it yourself, you start it yourself, and there's no need to involve anyone else.
I know I have a lot of things to work on, and my mission is clear. Sometimes, it's nice to get my head out of the clouds with all this eastern spirituality and these ancient techniques and bring it back down to earth. A simple, practical, and personal approach to spirituality is the only approach that makes sense for everyone, but there's no system, there's nothing to buy into, and there's no one telling you what to do (if you think I'm telling you what to do, you can tell me to F-off, I won't mind). The exciting thing for me is that I know this works. If I can systematically check these off my list, and turn them into strengths, I have a lot of faith in the result. I know I'll be able to overcome obstacles that will otherwise stand in the way between me and my dream. Not only that, but the somewhat altruistic vision for my future will become more and more about helping others, as it will seem to be the only natural thing to do.
No matter why we start, we find that this practice of self-improvement is probably the least selfish thing we can do. If everyone took the time to do this, the world would be a much better place. Really, it's about loving yourself, deciding that you are worth. Only when you love yourself can you love others, and when you start eradicating your weaknesses, which can be seen as being of the mind, the heart will naturally shine through. Little by little, we can become stronger, more capable, more loving, patient, understanding, compassionate, less addicted, less angry, less violent, less impulsive, more forgiving, more tolerant of other people's decisions and religions, more accepting, more disciplined, less judgmental, healthier, freer, better human beings. Doesn't that sound good?
May all beings see that the spiritual life isn't about buying into anything, but just about making practical changes on the personal level.
May all beings see that self-improvement is global-improvement.
May all beings be the change they wish to see in the world.
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