What does spiritual development actually mean?
Most of you consider yourselves as being spiritual or spiritual evolving. But what does spiritual development actually mean? Is there a difference between spiritual development and other kinds of development a human can go through (like learning how to drive a car, how to use a credit card, or things you learn at school)? Or entails literally each kind of development a person undergoes - no matter how profane or earthly it is - inevitable a form of spiritual growth? Is spiritual development the same thing than character development?
And what is the goal of spiritual development? What is it good for? For what purpose should we develop? |
***
As Bertrand Russel’s book cover states ‘the conquest of happiness’ An unarguably reasonable goal, to uplift to bliss our consciousness By conditioning hypnotised and with senses externalised we search for happiness in the external ephemeral ego domain and we may get momentary joy but soon followed by suffering from pain All this goes on until one day we self realise that in running the rat race, we are foolish, not wise So we turn inwards into the domain internal whereupon when connected with the Divine we find bliss eternal So what is Spiritual Development? It is the prioritisation of our attention shift inwards, not for attainment Not for any power or enablement Rather only for Divine Love without abatement *** |
Siemens . . .
The entire design of the “Path” is to lead Soul Itself to recognize, realize, and begin to live beyond the compelling facets of living within the psychic worlds of duality. It is a take-off of the old saying . . . “to finally determine what one is, you must first discover what one is NOT.” ( I’m paraphrasing here. ) So . . . through eons of lifetimes . . . Soul finally begins to suspect . . . then test . . . then determine . . . and then live beyond the facets of the body, emotions, and mind . . . thus giving true freedom. But while engaged in a lifetime here in the physical world . . . one cannot totally set it all aside and live ONLY within the realm of Soul . . . in other worlds . . . to totally withdraw from the psychic worlds while here IN the psychic worlds. So . . . another juggling act begins. This entire scenario of “the Path” has not been established to torture Soul into these realizations . . . but because it works. Since Soul is eternal . . . Soul Itself is eternal . . . then it makes no difference if it takes two eons or twenty eons to figure it out. In the discovery of this . . . one slowly perceives that it is not so much a “happiness” or a “bliss.” It is more the “relief of true freedom.” And then yes . . . to begin to lead a major facet of ones life within the true realms of Soul . . . to live within Divine Love . . . always. |
You'll receive many answers. http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...d.php?t=128122
|
Usually different names means that those are different things.
Spiritual development should be your spirit / soul's development. The goal is that when you die your soul should be more developed / evolved than when you were born. Many people don't think about it, other people have incorrect beliefs about what that implies. If you want to learn what you should do about it, abandon all your biases and beliefs, turn toward your inside, ask questions, and you'll receive answers. The less you rationalize those answers, the closer you'll be to the truth. |
Quote:
I consider spiritual development as the evolution of consciousness, which is quite different to other kinds of learning. We can consider a human being as a triplicity of Being (Spirit), Consciousness (Soul) and personality. Before we step on the spiritual path consciousness identifies fully with personality and form. The spiritual journey is the process of consciousness releasing its identification with personality and form, and learning to rest in itself. Then consciousness turns its gaze "upwards" and learns to identify with Being. Quote:
If we consider the eight steps of Raja Yoga then character development comes under the first two steps of the yamas and niyamas. The five yamas are non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation and non-greed. The five niyamas are purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study and surrender. So we have to attain a certain level of character development before we even begin the subsequent steps of spiritual development. Quote:
The goal of spiritual development is to know ourselves, or to know our Self. Why? Because it brings lasting peace and true freedom. Isn't this what we are all trying to find? Some may say that the spiritual path is a selfish pursuit, but how can we be of real service to others if we ourselves are stumbling in the dark? Peace. |
Quote:
Quote:
First, I do not see any reason why the source of happiness should be exclusively internal. Happiness can arise from both our external sensations as well as out internal experience. Secondly, love is not the one and only source of happiness. It is possible to experience bliss and happiness beyond love. It could be that Devine Love is the most intense form of happiness but definitely not the only form. Quote:
Quote:
Two different names could also mean that two things are the same, namely if one thing is a sub category of the other: character development could be a form of spiritual development. Quote:
“Spiritual development should be your spirit / soul's development” is as if you would say: "Spiritual development is development of your spirit." “The goal is that when you die your soul should be more developed” is as if you would say: "The goal of development is development." The question is: WHAT is spiritual development? What changes in the soul? In which way is the soul different after compared to before a life? --------------------------------------------- Quote:
But spiritual development/evolution of consciousness is not quite different to other kinds of learning but rather includes ALL kinds of learning. With everything you lean you expand your consciousness! Quote:
Do you think that Being is without Consciousness? Quote:
Also we have a twoness not a trinity. One the one side we have Personality which is the temporal form a soul can chose (a set of attributes) within one incarnation. One the other side we have Identity which is the eternal structure of a soul. Quote:
Quote:
What do you understand by true freedom in this context? Do you think that peace and true freedom are the only things our souls aspire? |
Quote:
We are all pleasure seekers. We want joy, excitement, peace, love, you name it.. or conflict, which can also be a form of pleasure. Those are all different kinds of pleasures. But it's impossible not to chase pleasure. Spirituality is no different and you should be careful when you read what some teachings say regarding ''desires'' and ''attachment''. They make false conclusions. The truth is you cannot transcend your desire for pleasure. You can only substitute one form of pleasure for another.. So the goal of spiritual development is pleasure (a more 'refined' pleasure depending on how we define pleasure). It may just be a different sort of 'pleasure' but the initial drive doesn't change.. it may take a different color.. |
***
Hello Siemens! If not internal then external ... But the external domain is cyclic, ephemeral And attachment ... the clinging bringing suffering In the internal there is the very life current. Divine Love. The bliss ... what is its source? We imbibe it or are graced to be able to receive and assimilate it. There is no identity in bliss. The personality is dissolved. The bliss ... unaffected by external circumstance. Then the bliss ... which we feel by so being in the continuum transcends into compassion. The root is Divine Love. If not, what else is it? What is the source? Or if we discard the word love and substitute it with bubbling joy ... joy for no reason and not dependent upon anything else ... like the fragrance of a flower ... what is the source? *** |
Quote:
If you are the answer then the questions become "What are the reasons I am asking these questions?" and "What ideas, beliefs and definitions do I already hold on what Spirituality and Spiritual development is?" The pre-Taoists called it 'Triplex Unity', which basically means that there is 'this', there is 'that' and there is 'both'. What you call "Spiritual development" is 'this', what you call "human development" is 'that', and there is a space there being both where they dance around each other like Yin and Yang and something very different is emergent. You realise that learning how to use a credit card means you can buy that Spiritual book, and the two are interconnected and yet separate. |
All times are GMT. The time now is 08:51 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
(c) Spiritual Forums