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OfflineAllGreyThumbs
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Swami B's Unique and Practical Thoughts on Spirituality
    #22080998 - 08/12/15 11:42 AM (8 years, 5 months ago)

I feel like I have some unique ways of looking at ourselves, life, and the spiritual process. From time to time I'm going to offer some of these ideas.  I'm not really going to argue or advocate anything as I do not believe there is a right way to look at things.  Whatever perspective provides you with the experience you desire is the right one.

I'm just going to try to show you some of what I've learned and how I've looked at different things along my own path of spiritual growth.  I hope to offer perspectives that are useful, but might not be found in quite the same way anywhere else.

Anway, let's start with spiritual practices in general.  There is this idea that if you do things it can lead to spiritual growth.  For example, the notion that meditation can bring us closer to our higher self.  We belive that some action causes spiritual progress. 

To the best of my experince, this idea is not entirely correct.  In reality the mechanism is sort of reversed.  The spiritual growth that is occurring is actually what drives a person to pursue certain pratices.

For example, when a person is drawn to meditate or engage in some other spiritual practice it is because the creative source within them is already beginning to grow stronger.  This means that their human self will be brought into a new and more refined alignment.  This means that certain things must occur in order to achieve that aligment.

The driving force in this process isn't the spiritual practice.  The driving force is our higher self growing stronger which causes us to feel called to explore the spiritual practices we need in order keep our human side aligned with this higher self.

In other words, the actions of the lower self cannot ever bring about the realization of our higher self.  The actions of the lower self are merely what has to occur in order for it to remain aligned with the higher self.

This is why someone can explore legitimate spiritual practices forever and never really grow.  If it isn't their time to change it will just be going through the motions.  For example, how many people have read the words of Jesus and his closest followers but not actually grown spiritually?  It's all just words and practices that never really change the person.

On the other hand when it's time to change, change will occur.  A person will eventually be driven to do whatever they need to do in order to change.  They'll find some way to make the leap regardless of circumstances.  (Of course this is when weird things can happen if people don't have a variety of spiritual tools and techniques to choose from.  For example a Christian can go all Jesus crazy or think they are a modern day prophet since those are the only kind of ideas they have to explain the spiritual processes that is occurring in them.)

This is something that is important to understand.  No matter how much we may know, we cannot change or help someone who isn't ready to change.  We can write perfect spiritual texts and instructions, and it will still not help somone who isn't ready to grow.

On the other hand we can be there for each other and offer new ideas and ways of seeing things to those that are going through periods of personal growth.  We can give more choices and clearer paths to those who will go from here to there one way or another.

So human spiritual practices cannot drive spiritual growth, because spiritual growth is actually driven from our inner divinity.  However, it is still important to engage in spiritual practices and explore different ideas when we are going though a period of growth as they are what bring our human side into aligment with our non human one.

Of course this discussion of higher self driven change has some very practical applications.  Basically, one of the most important things a person can do is to stop trying so hard to do this or do that, and leave room for life to take them where they need to go.

You, what you think you are at least, is nothing but a flimsy collection of ideas that exist because the other half of you wanted it to be this way in order to experience life from that perspective.  This lower self can not really make change or growth happen.  The only thing it can do is go along with any changes that your real self is trying to bring about.

For example, we can listen to our feelings, and go where they take us.  We can pursue the practices and do the things that call to us.  We can move on when they no longer do.

Most importantly, we should not hold a vision of where we think we are trying to get to with our spiritual practice.  We are trying to get to new perspectives and new experinces which means we will have to let go of the way we currently perceive and do things.  How can we see or do things significantly differently while holding fixed ideas about what we need do and where we need to get to?

A very powerful exercise is to occasionally stop, maybe lay down, and say, "Ok, I admit, I don't have a clue what the hell I am doing.  I feel the need to grow, but everything I try to do is born out of my current state of mind.  So I let go of everything.  I protect no aspect of myself.  Take me towards where I need to be."

Then just lay there for a while trying to let go of everything you think you know.  Or take a nap.  Or get stoned.  Do whatever seems like giving up and not trying to do anything or figure anything out.  Just know that you have a desire to grow.  Do absolutely nothing to try to make it happen.  But be willing to do or change whatever you need to in order to allow that change to occur. 

This exercise allows your higher self an opportunity to change and realign you human self.  In the end that is all your human self, lower self, ego, or whatever can really do.  It can just give up and be willing to change.  Without a willingness to let go and change, everything else, every other action or practice only tends to reinforces our current perspective.  But with a willingness to let go of who we are today these things become powerful tools for personal transformation.


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OfflineAllGreyThumbs
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Re: Swami B's Unique and Practical Thoughts on Spirituality [Re: AllGreyThumbs]
    #22081001 - 08/12/15 11:43 AM (8 years, 5 months ago)

I hope that folks have enjoyed this post.  If you do that's great.  If not, that's fine as well.  The right perspective is the one that helps us have the life experience we want.

Just to show how much I hope to offer I think I'll go ahead and explain how free will works in my next post.  It comes with a particularly useful new model of what it means to be human that can then be used to explain many other aspects of spirituality.

So if you want to know how free will works and what we really are, that's no problem.  There is just one little caveat.  Even if you don't like what I offer, please watch the harsh words and don't try to beat me up or knock me down a peg.  That's all I ask.

While in the role of Swami B I am wide open and emotionally defenseless.  In order to reach my highest perspective I cannot protect my human side or it's ideas at all.  In this state every emotional jab thrown flies right in and inflicts pain on me.

If you want to hear a highly praticed yogi ponder life, just show common human respect and decency and don't try to hurt or knock people down within this thread.  Otherwise I'll just retreat to the safety of the the place were I come from and leave a silly human man to talk to you.

Basically, the quality of the ideas I can give you is closely tied to whether or not I have to defend them or myself.  I realize it seems excessive to have to explain this, but this is actually one of the biggest challenges I've had to deal with.

I can't rise up to a clearer perspective with people trying to dragging me down and back into debate over silly human things like is the stuff I say true or false.  It is neither true nor false.  Those things are just stamps the human mind puts on things in order to navigate life.  Stamp it anyway you want.  Though each way will change how your mind works and how life looks.

Anyway, please just play nice and allow me to be the best that I can be for you.  I hope to offer so much more if given the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Swami B


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Offlinedeff
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Re: Swami B's Unique and Practical Thoughts on Spirituality [Re: AllGreyThumbs]
    #22081176 - 08/12/15 12:28 PM (8 years, 5 months ago)

I liked your first post very much and agree with how you present the higher self and lower self division with respect to the initiation and guidance of changes and alignment of our human personality with our divinity :smile: i look forward to reading what else you choose to post :smile:


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InvisibleJokeshopbeard
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Registered: 11/30/11
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Re: Swami B's Unique and Practical Thoughts on Spirituality [Re: deff]
    #22081307 - 08/12/15 01:02 PM (8 years, 5 months ago)

Thank you so much for posting that AGT, I am fascinated by your perspective and hope to hear more. Like Deff, the fact that a change in the practices of the lower self is only brought about by the higher self growing stronger resonates deeply with me, although I had never considered it this way before.

I was actually just brought to tears and laughter thinking about this, it resonates so deeply.


--------------------
Let it be seen that you are nothing. And in knowing that you are nothing... there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain. What can happen to you? Something can happen to the body, but it will either heal or it won't. What's the big deal? Let life knock you to bits. Let life take you apart. Let life destroy you. It will only destroy what you are not.
--Jac O'keeffe


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Offlinesyncro
Registered: 01/14/15
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Re: Swami B's Unique and Practical Thoughts on Spirituality [Re: Jokeshopbeard]
    #22090200 - 08/14/15 07:23 AM (8 years, 5 months ago)

Perhaps it is somewhat of a dichotomy, because although the thoughts in the original post are about surrender of notions of being "in charge", at the same time, self-effort is everything.

It reminded me of the Yoga Vasistha instructing that any experience of grace today is a result of self-effort in the past. So although practices and study may not be seeming to bear fruit, our will and action should burn with sincere effort.

The divine may be like an open hand offering grace, but we must move to take it. We must approach it.

I admit that I have long delays and dips and frustration, so I don't want to be hypocritical, but to share what I believe.  I need to find patience and contentment on the long road.

But again, the teachers are saying rise up now, for time is short in the body.


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OfflineAllGreyThumbs
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Re: Swami B's Unique and Practical Thoughts on Spirituality [Re: syncro]
    #22090516 - 08/14/15 09:50 AM (8 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

syncro said:
Perhaps it is somewhat of a dichotomy, because although the thoughts in the original post are about surrender of notions of being "in charge", at the same time, self-effort is everything.

It reminded me of the Yoga Vasistha instructing that any experience of grace today is a result of self-effort in the past. So although practices and study may not be seeming to bear fruit, our will and action should burn with sincere effort.

The divine may be like an open hand offering grace, but we must move to take it. We must approach it.

I admit that I have long delays and dips and frustration, so I don't want to be hypocritical, but to share what I believe.  I need to find patience and contentment on the long road.

But again, the teachers are saying rise up now, for time is short in the body.





Hmm, I would say that any change or growth is always a result of our highest self growing weary of and becoming willing to let go of formerly important experiences.

We can only arrive at this willingness to move on by following a path to its completion.  We must actually have our fill of certain experiences and states of mind.  Therefore we best go through our efforts and practices fully and wholeheartedly.

However we must also realize that there will come a time when aspects of our life experiences and/or spiritual practices are no longer rewarding to our highest selves.  This is when it is time to surrender and allow aspects of our human self to be changed.

It is a cycle of sorts.  We explore the practices and life experiences that we find value in until the point that we no longer do.  Then we surrender, only to quickly find ourselves reborn into slightly different perspectives and experiences.  We must then explore this new self and its experinces fully before once again surrendering it.  Over and over again, we live as fully as we can, we surrender and die, we are reborn to live anew (figuratively speaking in this case).

I do think that it is important to understand that the significant changes to ourselves only occurs during the periods of surrender where we are no longer actively using or completely happy with ourselves and are therefore willing to allow those selves to be changed.

Basically, if a spiritual path does not includes both periods of fulfilling life and practice and periods of surrender it will not be very effective.  Most people on a spiritual forum have the trying and the doing things part down, but do we all understand the need to reach a point of surrender from time to time?

We can do and do and do and do, try and try and try.  We can reach the end of many paths.  But like a spiritual IOU we don't get the reward of growth until we cash out and surrender.  "Ok, I admit, this isn't working anymore.  I'm done with this exact state of mind, this version of myself.  I give it up for whatever is next."

That's when life says "Ca-ching (cash register sound).  Here are some new ways to look at things.  Try these out for a while."

I mean think about it.  How can you change a state of mind that you are still using and find value in.

Anyway, to sum it all up, don't be afraid of the darker side of spirituality and don't be afraid to admit that you aren't quite happy with your practice or with life.  Often this marks the end of one version of you and the beginning of a new one.  However you must go through the darkness, which will end only after you surrender to it.

Or when nothing else works, try just giving up.

More specifically to you syncro I would say that contentment isn't found in stability, it is found in understanding that these kind of cycles I describe are just the way life works.  We need an identity in order to live, but we also have to let that identity change sometimes.

As long as we exist in any form at all it will have to go through periods of both experience and surrender to rebirth.  (This is actually how you make our impermenant forms last longer.  They have to be able to change.)

In regard to the last sentence, the idea that time is short in human form, while this is true, it assumes that human form is all you are.  In reality you have all the time you need to stroll through the catalog of human experience.

No need to rush things.  In fact rushing only leaves stuff undone that will eventually hold us back.  Barring a little lag between our soul and human forms,  we are always almost exactly where we need to be and it really can't be any other way.  Might as well just embrace the whatever experience we are having.

Sincerely,

Swami B


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