How would you measure spiritual progress?

[Unseeking Seeker]

There are, in my view, several definitive measures of spiritual progress we can look at:

Our response to life as it unfolds, moment to moment becomes nonchalant whilst retaining our innate vibrancy. We react less, anticipate less, fear less, become more forgiving and acceptant, both of others as well as ourself. In other words, we flow gently in witness mode, though engaged and involved when called upon to act.

We live internally, meaning our priority is to abide in a stillness continuum. It becomes our default orientation, so to speak. Thoughts are more or less rested and if they arise, we look at them as objects appearing in the field of our awareness, just like any other material object, that’s all. We do not own them, hence we do not feed them.

Path any, deeper recognitions arise intuitively. We begin to trust that inner voice. We are mostly centred. If a disturbance occurs (after all, we are in the human experience), we quickly return to a position of equilibrium.

There is a shift from separateness to interconnectedness to oneness in definitive knowing, not in thinking or speculation.

About energisation, in my view, there should at some point be a directly felt unmistakable kundalini awakening to whatever degree. Essentially, it is an ascent of our consciousness from the feral to the ethereal, feeling by touch both gross and subtle vibrations until polarities merge in the heart centre (after first attaining balance at the crown/head/void region). Now, of course this process may simply work out in the subconscious or while we’re asleep (maybe) but it makes sense to accept that we should be aware in our waking state, rather than in dreams or deep sleep, to start with.

We experience the octaves of love, beginning with bubbling joy, ascending to selective empathy, transitioning to all encompassing compassion, rooted in purity of being, that manifests as bliss which does not end ~ the magnetic bliss current becomes a permanent embodiment of our being. At a later stage, when we are form-centric, there is bliss and when we are void-centric, there is ineffable peace.

This template or overview is of course not the only way by any means and there are several branches and offshoots at every level, breath by breath, unique in each case, magical!

[Molearner]

Originally Posted by Unseeking Seeker

There are, in my view, several definitive measures of spiritual progress we can look at:
!

Nice description but seems to lean to describing attainment rather than simply progress…..

[Miss Hepburn]

Ya know, it might be 'measured' by your simple love, compassion, understanding, accepting every thing as is;
the good, the bad and the ugly.

I can imagine a realized Saint or a Monk or a Yogi walking along with love for all.
I know of one 'high soul' that was attacked at a train station in India ( by those against gurus and their devotees),
to this day he is injured by this brick or rock, 5+ decades later)---when he fell he said,
"Lord, I have tasted your sweet fruit - Now I taste your bitter fruit."
He is almost always smiling to this day.

People interested in this subject may not know about the book by John Randolph Price, ''Super Beings'' a small paperback.

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Ya know, it might be 'measured' by your simple love, compassion, understanding, accepting every thing as is;
the good, the bad and the ugly.
...

If our life on Earth is like attending a "school" ... we join it to learn and grow, whatever that means.

So, we should better find out what we are here to learn, what does it mean for us to grow. Considering the observable amount of suffering, I believe that overwhelmingly we are poor students.

[lostsoul13]

I suppose hope: in a contexts that your where you need to be any you’ve still got light even though we endure so much..

That’s probably a sure sign you’re on the right spiritual path, but it can be hard to find hope when all we face is hardships …

[lemex]

Originally Posted by inavalan

... we join it to learn and grow, whatever that means.

Honestly I have to ask this. Can teachers tell us. Of course they are guides. Even what is written in every system imparts information. Many don't seem to have teachers these days. I realize we're told in our own systems spiritual elements not followed that we should. Isn't what we are told and is not done part of what that means, what we're told. In a way this means others tell us, even what is written which is guided. In a way it's not our knowledge anyway but Spirit's knowledge. Should what we're told be incorporated and do we have to understand. We tend to feel we have to understand first. Understand to understand to do. But it is maybe to do to understand. So much is in what we should do and we certainly point to what is not done. Thanks

[Unseeking Seeker]

Master KH and Swami Lakshmanjoo lay emphasis on awareness held in an unbroken continuum. Master Djwahl Khul speaks of the percentage of light active within. So these can be indicators as well but perhaps a bit out of reach for the most of us.

We can look at love enablement. What’s our love index? We speak of all embracing unconditional love of course, outpouring irrespective of acts of others.

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by lemex

post #16

Based on my experience, this learning is an iterative process: you know some, you do some, you know more, you do more, ... The knowledge you acquire isn't only quantitative, but especially qualitative. You get a more and more detailed picture of reality, so, questions you had get answers, things that didn't make sense begin to make sense and fit in the picture.

I believe that the most reliable source of knowledge about reality is our own inner-guidance, and that we shouldn't learn (past the early beginnings) from external sources (gurus, dogmas, ...) as they inherently add their distortions.