Fake spirituality

Originally Posted by Altair

I think quite a lot of people imagine spirituality is about gaining powers and answers to knowledge questions ((hence the common obsession with the 6th chakra)), but our divine nature is love and compassion therefore our spirituality - next to 'going within' - should also lead to us helping people, animals, and making a better world. I find all the focus on distant heavens, psychic powers, and other ego boosts all excuses and often they are distractions. Entire religions are based on escapism and waiting for someone or something to fix things. Many of us want the big things, but often we ignore the little things..

I find it strange that so many people think we're living in an era of peace and love. You need some serious degree of indifference to have such beliefs. Every year alone billions of animals are needlessly slaughtered, killed behind closed doors, and more people than before are losing their rights across the world. But to an individual just having the happy feels in a meditation and reading some New Age book this doesn't matter. The world and everyone in it is just ''an illusion'', and only their own ''reality'', their *beautiful* mind, is ''real''. There's a lot of solipsism that is masquerading itself as ''wisdom'' and ''truth'', yet it offers absolutely nothing to anyone.

As always, actions speak louder than words and beliefs..
If one's bliss leads to cold indifference and chasing fairy tales than it is useless..

I don't see this forum as representative of spiritual practices and traditions actually, but nor do I subscribe to the perspective that charity and activism equals the spiritual life [only]. In one way there is nothing that is not that "spiritual", but in another way, we all know that true spiritual practice leads to something much deeper, and truer, and wiser, than the daily life and views led by intellectual thoughts only.

Namaste.

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

I am sorry to read that you are not feeling any better after your break, but often just taking some time off is NOT enough. I hope you feel much better soon.

After the posts of today, I also thought about the whole "real spirituality vs fake spirituality" trip from a different perspective...where some people just don't want to 'improve' or change their old habits and attitudes, don't want to give up certain negative behaviours, are happy being arrogant jerks because that is them just "being themselves" and if anybody else has a problem with it, this then says more about the other person because they are totally free of any blame or personal responsibility for they are "spiritual" now...and so the onus falls on everything and everyone ELSE, without acknowledging the fact that THEY created "everything else" so they don't even get to whine about it when stuff doesn't go "their way" which, of course, they still do.

I am one of these people, who still has a lot of modifications and adjustments to make in my life...who still needs to find a point and purpose for it which does not include all the habits that keep me in my "comfort zone" and I think of myself as "spiritual" but maybe, I am just "supernatural" or somebody who has the ability to walk between worlds and communicate with otherworldly beings who tell me what "spiritual" really IS, before concluding with "...and you ain't there yet because you always hold it back out of fear".

About the starving children in captivity...I feel for them, but honestly, what can anybody really DO, but give like $10 a week to UNICEF or World Vision? maybe sponsor ONE of them? one of the millions of them and then feel sorry for all of the ones you could not sponsor?

Let me put this in the nicest way I know how, to illustrate a simple absurdity of all these "spiritual expectations".

You may work and earn $500 a week...would you give ALL your wages every week for a starving child? Would you put yourself in their place and suffer instead of them by giving them ALL your money? ALL your possessions and be left with nothing yourself just to save the life of another you don't even personally know? Nobody would! No matter how "spiritual" or "non spiritual" they claim to be.

Over here, people go on about Native Title...they mean well, of course, but when you tell such people to hand over THEIR house to the indigenous owners of the land, they will say "...and why on Earth would I want to do THAT?"

Can you see? These people just want everyone else to "do something" because they believe that raising the issue and educating those who are already fully aware of the problem, is their "job done" so they can sleep better at night believing they are "spiritual".

Diane.

(nods)

By the way, I never think of myself or life or anything in real life as "spiritual" - it's just that this is a "spiritual forum" so I bring that dimension in conversations here...

It's not so much about the label, but this nagging thing I have that says, "Why aren't you helping?"

And yes, the hypocrisy I face that even having seen and known in reality that other is self, and self is other, that my sole objective is my survival.

I weep, but in a saner moment of practice, there is only the job of being true/whole/present, and help is seen as another diversionary tactic.

Feeling better? My koan is my job, Diane.

JL

Originally Posted by Shaunc

What can you do. None of us live in a perfect world.
I pay my tax, vote when required to and donate a bit to charity.
All I can do as an individual is keep my backyard clean.
Politicians have to listen to the people, after all they're trying to win a popularity contest. If the majority of the people want a certain group of people locked up or alternatively released then they'll act accordingly. After all, "whoever pays the piper calls the tune".

Yes, and the forces are a little messed up at the moment [I wonder if it's ever been different] The rich tycoons legitimately own the influencers, and people are kept in survival modes to keep them keen and grateful for a job. It's a tricky thing, Trump has killed off all environmental actions. What a mess!

Originally Posted by SlayerOfLight

It's survival of the fittest. What else did you expect?

I expect you to give up that churlish mindset at some point, SlayerOfLight. Obviously it works for you - maybe protects your emotions at some level, but it's also getting predictable and how about some joy for once eh?

Love

JL

Originally Posted by weareunity

Hello jannie. Good to read/see you hereabouts again after your little break--and likewise hope stuff seems less overwhelming.--Imo you message and feel love a lot and in doing so dilemmas abound with much energy and thought required--just how I'm reading things--forgive me if mistaken and/or too familiar.

Reading your OP, reminded of the late great Sam Cooke singing :--

"Don't know much about history----
------------------------------etc.
(Including love stuff)------------"
"
What a wonderful world this would be."

petex

Good to see you too petex; no offence taken at all - please speak as you wish

[Verse 1]
Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took

[Chorus 1]
But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me, too
What a wonderful world this would be

Originally Posted by ketzer

It can be a rather confusing thing to live in such a world.

Yes, we weep at times. My take is if you can find peace, deep peace, silence in your heart/mind's depth, .. look to Starman's example.

Namaste,

JL

Originally Posted by Blue Tiger

I consider myself spiritual. However, I have no power to fix anything beyond my little corner of the world.

I see stories of maltreated animals and detained children and they break my heart... but what, really, can I do? I am not rich (hardly), I wield no power. I have no high-powered connections. I am just me.

Why do we equate "spiritual" with "altruistic and self-sacrificing?" Spiritual people tend to be nice folks. Some give/share/do more than others. Doesn't make them more spiritual.

Each of us needs to accept our abilities... and our reality. My reality is very limited funds as I near retirement. Keeping a roof over my head needs to be a primary concern. Eating would be nice, too.

I share what I can, give what I can. I've taken in abandoned animals, and a few teenage children whose parents didn't provide for them. I've fixed cars for kids who weren't mine and paid tuition for someone else's son.

I'm hardly the most charitable person you'll find. I'm scared of being destitute in my old age, so it frightens me every time I feel compelled to cough up money for this cause or that go-fund-me.

I'm just me. I'll continue to do what I can to spread love, hope and caring in my little corner of the world.

Thank you - I'm really touched by you. I understand.

It is good hearted people like you that I care most about, and so if in my 'spirituality' [whatever that is, and a word I only use on this forum] I have bias, then it is that - that the kind hearted people of this world be well, and good, and safe. That is my heartfelt wish for all.

JL

Originally Posted by ImthatIm

If spirituality does not give you the courage, fearlessness and Love to act,
it maybe all fluff, but then again I've been involved in fluff and learnt many things that helped me to this day.

There was this term going around awhile back I heard.

"Fake it till you make it."

Which I took to mean you start acting a certain positive way until it became ingrained in you.
So my belief is until the Heart is truly open it is hard to be without fear.
I am not saying my Heart is truly open, just that it is more open than it use to be and
there is more Heart work to be done.
The more open the Heart the more a person can step out and help other beings.
Starting in ones circle or community.
Of course I mean in communion with ones God/Source (AKA The Great Spirit)

Ironically the people that helped me the most did not try to help. But these beings of hitherto unimaginable Light and a different way of being, helped solidify my path towards a practice of Buddhism, which broke open so many doors that I can never be the same again.

Wishing you Truth, Love, Joy.

JL

Originally Posted by Fernworm

We may not live close enough to be there and protest or take direct action, but we can always donate to organizations that can! I don't agree with the mindset of, "donations just pay for the non-profit's new car!" because even if that's the case, you are still offering what you have to something outside of yourself. Regardless of what they end up using it for, you can only hope for the best. Its better to risk it than not do anything at all.

The Immigration Defense Project is an organization that spreads valuable information and offers legal services to immigrants threatened by our cruel administration.

Thank you Fernworm - the children that died, are in captivity, torn away from their Mothers and Fathers, put in front of judges with no support and no care, sick and dying - that is heartbreaking. This administration's cruelty..

Originally Posted by Starman

I worked in the healthcare field for more than 40-years and am now retired. I have seen death and suffering on a large scale
in many places around this world, did what I could do to relieve suffering, and I have no idea how many people’s lives I may
have touched.

It is the systems that governments erected that creates suffering; economic systems, judicial systems, healthcare systems,
social support systems, etc., or the lack thereof. Most people on Earth are incarcerated by their culture and the systems that
operate within that culture.

Human beings have some idea of what they think love is; if you love someone you’ll do this or that, but in my opinion that is
love based on conditions. Is anyone ready to offer love and compassion to the wealthy? Someone with lots of money and has
all of their needs met.

Spirituality involves unconditional love, a love that exudes from a person who is bathing in their own deeper divine being. I have
met very astute spiritual people who can wipe away the pain and suffering of others just by their presence alone, without saying
a word or doing anything. Love exudes from such people indiscriminately.

...

Yes, spirituality does involve compassion. It is a compassion that comes from communing with the presence of spirit. We are all
in various stages of development, but no one is better or worst than anyone else. I suffered greatly before realizing my own
deeper being, and I attribute my suffering to the path my human journey took to get me to where I am at today.

I don't disagree with you, Starman.

Having tasted and deeply experienced what you say above, perhaps part of it is my self blaming myself for not living through that deeper being and Love anymore.

Which is why I said to Altair (who can't conceive of that which she hasn't seen) that spirituality is not just doing good - it's that deep communion, acknowledgement, recognition, knowledge (Gnosis) of that deeper being - that IS Love (not the human thought type) that to me is truest. This doesn't judge others for even my journey was a series of Grace bestowed for which I'm grateful and perhaps for which I am also forever changed, between two islands.

JL