Simple or Complex?

[nightowl]

When it comes to spiritual beliefs, which would include rituals and practices, what is your personal view on how your spiritual "temple", your architectural structure that is 'your' beliefs were built?

Are they comprised of layers and layers of complicated teachings and theologies or are the more simple? Are they built upon just making the connection and going with the flow? Are you a spiritual castle or fortress? Or are you a tent or cabin?

What is more important to you what is in the 'cosmos', what is in the other dimensions or what is in this life, how the cosmos pertains to here? How did you come to be so...:smile:

[Thinker108]

Rituals are important for every spiritual person. But at n stage, that person feels that his objective have achieved. If I say about Hindu rituals most of them shows deep signs for spiritually. You can see a common thing in temples of every religion, special sound effects

[Jyotir]

Hi nightowl,

I am not too keen on the term 'ritual' in the sense that it implies a quality of blind unresponsive repetitiveness. Practice can be regular and still allow for newness and spontaneity, it allows for new inspiration, doesn't get tired. I meditate and exercise every day for instance, but would not characterize those as rituals, because they are very different every time.

Basically - love God, serve man - whatever activity or practice toward those ends (which are also means) as that evolves through inner necessity determines the way - including in self-discovery/self-perfection.

Seekers usually are attracted to the forms which suit there individual natures, as well as change through growth at any given time.

Cosmos is life, and life also includes the non-physical - all evolving consciousness.

~ J

[Seawolf]

Definitely simple! If spirituality becomes complex it loses it's meaning. To me it's not about knowing, but experiencing and changing. I could know all the secrets and feel good to be so enlightened, but that would just give me a big head.. it wouldn't make me into a better person.

[Eudaimonist]

When it comes to spiritual beliefs, which would include rituals and practices, what is your personal view on how your spiritual "temple", your architectural structure that is 'your' beliefs were built?

They are what I am building.

What is more important to you what is in the 'cosmos', what is in the other dimensions or what is in this life, how the cosmos pertains to here? How did you come to be so...:smile:

What is in and of this life, for that is what I am building along with my beliefs and practices.


eudaimonia,

Mark

[Xan]

In our awakening process our ideas and responses become more and more simple as the complexity of the conditioned mind gradually fades away.

There's nothing more simple than being fully aware in and as the Oneness where beliefs and rituals don't exist.


Xan

[Sangress]

When it comes to spiritual beliefs, which would include rituals and practices, what is your personal view on how your spiritual "temple", your architectural structure that is 'your' beliefs were built?

Are they comprised of layers and layers of complicated teachings and theologies or are the more simple? Are they built upon just making the connection and going with the flow? Are you a spiritual castle or fortress? Or are you a tent or cabin?

What is more important to you what is in the 'cosmos', what is in the other dimensions or what is in this life, how the cosmos pertains to here? How did you come to be so...:smile:


You have no idea of how hard that is for me to explain. But I'll try anyway just for a challenge. :P

My beliefs reflect the ways in which I learn and I understand all I have learned through personal experience, my instincts and nature.

My beliefs are really just shoved together in one huge layer, like a great big tapestry with thousands of strands of experiences and understandings gained from those experiences. Nothing is separate, it all flows together seamlessly and it can seem both extreemly disorganised and structured. Bits and peices are being added to this mental tapestry all the time.

My sturdy framework is comprised of instinctual awareness, which there aren't exactly any words for, its just an understanding of my own and others state of being, of the balance in all things and a kind of basic awareness of "everything" at once.

Attached to that I've got my logical awareness which enables me to hone in on areas of that instinctual awareness and disect it and understand fine details in a recognisable format rather than just with emotions and metaphysical senses.

So yeh....lets hope that made sense to someone other than me. heh.

[Shabby]

Simple. The simpler the better in my opinion. No rituals, no rules, no path, no beliefs.

I recall a time where I was on a path and that path was getting complicator as I was trying to implement rituals and belief systems on the bases: If you want this you have to do that. And so I kept building a floor to stand on from where I thought I could jump up only to find the floors keep giving in and me falling through them. After this happened a few times (I am at times slow of "getting it") I stopped building floors and learned to fly....without a net : )

[nightowl]

Thanks everyone for sharing...:hug3: I find it interesting that in most of the responses I am hearing that simple is for most people the most fulfilling path. For me rituals and practice do not complicate if I have spiritual connection to them. I do not see rituals as rule based practices but practices that hold meaning and are done for that purpose.

I have found that many time as we progress it goes from simple to complex and back to simple, as we learn we shed the unnecessary or learn the necessary for our personal development.

[innerlight]

My life is simple... So my spiritual practices and beliefs are simple as well.

Some people like to make things complex because they like to think about it. And ponder, and dissect it, and dissect it some more. I guess they only really know it that way.

[nightowl]

My life is simple... So my spiritual practices and beliefs are simple as well.

Some people like to make things complex because they like to think about it. And ponder, and dissect it, and dissect it some more. I guess they only really know it that way.

Yeah, I have to agree for some they can't imagine it, spiritual belief, as being anything but complex...for me over thinking causes like a stalling effect, it is more harmful for me than beneficial.

[innerlight]

Yeah, I have to agree for some they can't imagine it, spiritual belief, as being anything but complex...for me over thinking causes like a stalling effect, it is more harmful for me than beneficial.

That's why so many people can not take that first step in changing their life.. They think about it too much that eventually they never take any step.

[nightowl]

That's why so many people can not take that first step in changing their life.. They think about it too much that eventually they never take any step.

Innerlight, that is a good point...:smile:

[zipzip]

[QUOTE=

Some people like to make things complex because they like to think about it. And ponder, and dissect it, and dissect it some more. I guess they only really know it that way.[/QUOTE]


guilty. :redface:

But I am getting better; less dissectin, more trusting my instincts.


zipzip

[nightowl]

Hey zip,

I think it is good you are moving past that point, like I had mentioned earlier I think a good number of us have been in that dissecting phase before, it even helps us at times to better understand where we are going...

[zipzip]

definately, NO. And I think we realize how simple everything really is.....

zipzip

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

In our awakening process our ideas and responses become more and more simple as the complexity of the conditioned mind gradually fades away.

There's nothing more simple than being fully aware in and as the Oneness where beliefs and rituals don't exist.


Xan

We can see what we want to see, complexity or simplicity , even after the need for beliefs and rituals has passed , but at that point, complexity is nothing like the mental confusion and uncertainty that preceded it. Now, complexity is about appreciating an infinitely ingenious clockwork of creation
and the richness of interactions that play out sublimely within it. Or, we can bask in the simplicity of being :D .

Dar

[Nada]

When it comes to spiritual beliefs, which would include rituals and practices, what is your personal view on how your spiritual "temple", your architectural structure that is 'your' beliefs were built?

Are they comprised of layers and layers of complicated teachings and theologies or are the more simple? Are they built upon just making the connection and going with the flow? Are you a spiritual castle or fortress? Or are you a tent or cabin?

What is more important to you what is in the 'cosmos', what is in the other dimensions or what is in this life, how the cosmos pertains to here? How did you come to be so...:smile:

Funny that you asked..
I was just thinking about that myself this evening. - my own spiritual development or changes or what I like to think of as - how I process what is and should be acceptable spirituality.

We are born into a society or grow up in a society (or multiple societies for those who are international) where mainstream spiritualties have most of players. They are the major leagues and we are familiar with them. Very few of us even heard or care about minor leagues.

And the major leaguers are the ones who get the most media attentions and have dedicated scholars on their sides from respectable institutions - academicals or etc.

Since our society accepts their rules and their games, we feel comfortable talking about them, playing their games, and celebrating all their milestones.
However, life is a funny thing, I have learned over the years.

Unexpectedly, some weird events happen (life happens to all of us) and often they can be a just a tiny ripple in our lives. But it sometimes does not fit into the major league rules and games that we are familiar with.

Therefore, as being a normal human being who needs to fit into the rhythm of our society, we now have to find a way to fit this unexpected weird happening into any known acceptable rules or games. Let us face it; we humans are curious creatures, aren’t we?

During our search, we sometimes, end up in an esoteric place that we did not expect to find ourselves in. And we start questioning our sanities before we accept the truth. – Truth being that there are other possibilities in this universe and we cannot explain them. It is what it is. Unknown to us, it just exists and we just have to accept it without logically trying to dissect the doggone thing to pieces.

With several of these kinds of eye openings (or not?), any conventional rules are out the door and we learn to just be opened to whatever that may come along to surprise us.

So, that is my new approach to building spirituality now days. :rolleyes:

[nightowl]

Now, complexity is about appreciating an infinitely ingenious clockwork of creation
and the richness of interactions that play out sublimely within it. Or, we can bask in the simplicity of being

Dar, this is nicely stated, letting the flow of creation carry us, yep works for me. :D



With several of these kinds of eye openings (or not?), any conventional rules are out the door and we learn to just be opened to whatever that may come along to surprise us.


Nada,

I can so resonate with this statement, those surprises that have come along on my journey have been amazing insights that have lead me on wonderful trails of learning...:smile:

[Swami Chihuahuananda]

Dar, this is nicely stated, letting the flow of creation carry us, yep works for me. :D






Nada,

I can so resonate with this statement, those surprises that have come along on my journey have been amazing insights that have lead me on wonderful trails of learning...:smile:

The writings, the thinking, the models and pictures of reality we have and use , to me these are all points of departure , not destinations. Reading about the thing is not experiencing the thing , and acting a certain way is not necessarily being the way you act . So , again, trying to do everything right does not necessarily do what you think you want it to .
The words and ideas will always fall far short of the real experience, which is indescribale . Being aware is so much more than anything we can say about being aware . So, the words and the work are just the tools we use to help get to a place where we don't need them anymore . Not that we discard all
models and tools , just that they have their place and their function within the context of the big show that is unfolding in ways that words don't touch.
:smile: Lots of people have lots of interesting things to say , but in the end
"we are the hero of our own story" (it says so right here on a greeting card I got :wink:

DS

[Neville]

Plain and simple please.:smile:

But you know, Like things with an on/off switch, there is all the mechanics and doings that make the thing go. Me I am happy and appreciate the simplicity, but occasionally, in meditation and lucid dreams, I get to see the workings, a complex bit of circuitry here and there, some wheels , cogs and spindles elsewhere.

Yes my Spirituality is simple, but if we scratch the surface, It becomes immensely complex, rabbit holes leading to rabbit holes.

I thought that this was the case for all who preferred their Spirituality simple. :smile: