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-   -   Looking to hard (https://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=126193)

Moonglow 08-11-2018 03:15 AM

Looking to hard
 
Hello,

I am throwing this out here.

Do you think some look to hard to find spirituality ( for lack of better term at the moment).?

This is not so much asked to judge another or condemn, just a courious thought.

For me, gone through periods in life wandering, so it seemed. Looking for what it's it all about and who is this "God" anyways.

Then I stopped looking for it and bam noticed it is all right in front of my face.
Then realized it was not "God" I was looking for, but myself.

Through this the connection started to unfold and with in these noticed it is all with in this unfolding.

Took the pressure off myself and let myself be of it, instead of feeling outside of it.

Now, feel this called spirituality is the very process and unfolding of life.

Seems, to me so simple, yet takes effort and work through living it.

But, what was thought needed to be sought, was there all along and is here right now.

May be it is myself seeing myself, may be it is realizing life is the journey.
May be it is dropping the act and living the play. A combination of these and much more.

So the question came. Thinking, perhaps trying too hard to see and in the process making oneself blind to what is being.

Some of my thoughts on this.

What do you fee?

Empowers 08-11-2018 03:50 AM

I agree. I believe this does happen with many. And I also believe the struggle itself can become the same catalyst for some.

There are many paths up the mountain.

iamthat 08-11-2018 07:27 PM

Likewise I agree.

But it seems to be a paradox that we have to make the effort in order to reach the point where we can let go of effort. We strive until we surrender and let of of striving. When we surrender then we allow things to be whatever they are.

We accept that we are helpless in the sense that it is all out of our control, and suddenly we are no longer afraid that we have no control.

So we let go of hope in some future spiritual awakening, and we awaken to that which is present in this moment.

We struggle because we resist life. Letting go of resistance is the key to being present.

Peace.

Moonglow 09-11-2018 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Empowers
I agree. I believe this does happen with many. And I also believe the struggle itself can become the same catalyst for some.

There are many paths up the mountain.


Hi Empowers,

Agree, there are many ways to live life.

Have found that the "struggles" in life have thier purpose as well. Without them having happened would not be the person I am today nor realize the strengths in me.

Sometimes takes time to work through it and patience. Still working on the patience part:biggrin: , suppose a life lesson.

Thank you

Moonglow 09-11-2018 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamthat
Likewise I agree.

But it seems to be a paradox that we have to make the effort in order to reach the point where we can let go of effort. We strive until we surrender and let of of striving. When we surrender then we allow things to be whatever they are.

We accept that we are helpless in the sense that it is all out of our control, and suddenly we are no longer afraid that we have no control.

So we let go of hope in some future spiritual awakening, and we awaken to that which is present in this moment.

We struggle because we resist life. Letting go of resistance is the key to being present.

Peace.


Hi iamthat,

You touch upon control and letting this go. This has been something I have and at times still work through.

What comes to me is there is not a whole lot I can control, so switch the thinking to how to deal and/or live with it. Which relieves the pressure upon myself.

Another way I look at it is life can have its struggles. This for me comes with the territory. So, how to stay focused on the task at hand (so to speak) and find trust in ones own strengths. This for me is also letting go of resisting.

Resisting in the sense that one is worthy and what is being brought forth in the present moment. Ask; for how can one move forward if stuck in the same place ( atleast mentally)?

I realize there are things in life and happen in life I can not do anything about. But, I can work on finding ways to adjust and if possible help change the perspective of it.

Thank you

Rawnrr 09-11-2018 11:26 AM

The trap in looking for god is that you can only look for things which you know. How can you find something whose traits you do not know?.....What do you look for?
That is why with the search for understanding you do not look for things, you simply experience with an open mind and find the labels for it in hindsight.

Moonglow 10-11-2018 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rawnrr
The trap in looking for god is that you can only look for things which you know. How can you find something whose traits you do not know?.....What do you look for?
That is why with the search for understanding you do not look for things, you simply experience with an open mind and find the labels for it in hindsight.


Hi Rawnrr,

I can agree that one has to have an idea atleast of what is being sought after.

Suppose, with me, it has been breaking free of the confines of having it/God/or whatever being conformed to fit into what is told it should be.

I don't know exactly what started this whole existence or creation. I observe and interact with what comes along and take from there.

So yeah, can also agree with keeping an open mind about it. Labels and such are needed at times to point to what is being discussed and the mind to relate, but these in some ways can change or hold different meanings for others.

Thank you

Moonglow 10-11-2018 12:29 AM

Hello,

Going to add some further thoughts on these.

Seeking and exploring I enjoy at times. But, at other times it is not so much done in order to pacificly find something. Yes, at times further study or exploration is needed to gain further insight and understanding.

Guess, where it may become a bit stuck or frustration is when I would try to have "spirituality" fit or conform to an idea or what was told it should be.

When I stopped trying having it fit into what was thought it is or should be, is when my mind opened up. Started seeing it as it is being. Life and the unknown, yet to be, and what can be.

At a place in which this seems to be what is noticed and it does not go away.
What is realized expands, what is noticed shifts and changes a bit. What is unknown is alright not to know and what is known seems to also expand.

Suppose it is how life works. Nothing stands still and atleast in this realm of existence/creation, nothing remains the same.

Through all this feel and see connections which pulls the bits and pieces together in its unfolding.

I don't know it all and feel not meant to. Just what is needed at present is there. It is up to me to reach out and grab it or let it pass by. Either way directs the path to be traveled.

Hexagon222 13-11-2018 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonglow
Do you think some look to hard to find spirituality


One side says that there is nothing you can do, that you can't try or work at it and the other side says you have to try and work hard at it. One example is the Zen story about the man wanting to be a disciple of a Zen master telling the master he wants to find God. The master then holds the man's head underwater almost drowning him and tells him when you want God as much as you wanted air then come back to me.

Do the monks, yogis, mystics, etc. that live an ascetic life try too hard? Maybe it comes down to how much of the divine you want to experience and what you are willing to do to get there? For me I consider the state of present moment awareness the point at which you have a conscious choice to rise higher. In my experience the path becomes more narrow the higher you rise. The requirements to stay on that path and keep rising become ever stricter requiring a fair amount of asceticism.

Interestingly, to get to the present moment you must surrender to what is and give up control. However in the higher states you realize you control every aspect of your reality but were cut off from that realization by your own self imposed restrictions.

I've found that if you sincerely seek it, ask for it and put in the mental effort to get out of your own way, then the divine takes over and guides you as long as you don't resist. You will intuitively know and feel what thoughts, choices and actions lead back toward the unconscious state and what leads toward the divine.

Moonglow 14-11-2018 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hexagon222
One side says that there is nothing you can do, that you can't try or work at it and the other side says you have to try and work hard at it. One example is the Zen story about the man wanting to be a disciple of a Zen master telling the master he wants to find God. The master then holds the man's head underwater almost drowning him and tells him when you want God as much as you wanted air then come back to me.

Do the monks, yogis, mystics, etc. that live an ascetic life try too hard? Maybe it comes down to how much of the divine you want to experience and what you are willing to do to get there? For me I consider the state of present moment awareness the point at which you have a conscious choice to rise higher. In my experience the path becomes more narrow the higher you rise. The requirements to stay on that path and keep rising become ever stricter requiring a fair amount of asceticism.

Interestingly, to get to the present moment you must surrender to what is and give up control. However in the higher states you realize you control every aspect of your reality but were cut off from that realization by your own self imposed restrictions.

I've found that if you sincerely seek it, ask for it and put in the mental effort to get out of your own way, then the divine takes over and guides you as long as you don't resist. You will intuitively know and feel what thoughts, choices and actions lead back toward the unconscious state and what leads toward the divine.


Hi Hexagon222,

First thank you for taking the time to respond.

You mention getting "out of your own way", which has been and is the work in progress for me.:smile:

It is also not "trying" so hard to see the divine, but to see the divine. Not just in the ways told to me, but in life itself and others.

Yes, takes focus and trusting what my intuition guides. Also, to have love for myself. To allow the "slips" along the way to occur, but get back up and keep going. I don't feel the divine judges me, but I may judge myself. This too has softened over the years.

I do not condemn those who chose an ascetic life. Nor feel they may try too hard according to what may be felt to follow and live. Not all may be cut out for such discipline and respect those that follow such paths (so to speak). Just my opion on this. Do not live such a life, so feel can not fully evaluate such.

At times the world can be noisy and distracting and find it a good practice to find ways to quiet the mind down and just be with oneself. For me it is needed to find and give space for myself to do this.

Yes, it is also recongnizing where I may be restricting myself for whatever reason, fear, misunderstanding, being stubborn/resistant. This is when I need to step back a bit and look at the full picture and to use the old expression; let go and let God or just let it be.

For me not so sure it is about rising "higher" as much as it is about having peace with it. Which has risen and continues to through the years. As I understand perhaps rising "higher" is rising above the self made mental constaints?

I thank for your words of encouragement. Step by step we go.


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