Authenticity before enlightenment

In the years to come, authenticity will become the replacement for enlightenment as the true goal of spiritual practice and more than that, the true goal of life itself.
(Teal Swan)

A renowned Indian guru committed suicide! When I saw the post I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The note he left behind said that life had become too heavy a burden for him. Maybe he was sick and tired of living up to the elevated expectations others projected into him. Maybe he just wanted to be himself now and then, and felt that in his elevated position he couldn’t. Whatever his personal reasons may have been to end his life, this tragedy reinforced my belief that authenticity is what we should be after on our spiritual journey. What is wrong with the idea that this moment might be as good as it gets? Why do we have to run after enlightenment, a higher Self, or whatever else it is our fickle mind comes up with. Let’s not aim too high. Let’s be happy to live an ordinary life. Let’s embark on a journey of healing and letting go, of being playful and not minding a few sad days either. Let’s express love and open up to it without any ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’. Let’s be angry and forceful when the situation calls for it. Is it really such a crime to be as normal as the guy next door? Isn’t that what Oneness is all about anyway?

We can fall in love with what is instead of aspiring to live up to some holy mental image. Why is it so hard to admit that we are sometimes as human as they come? Remember, the voice in our head that seeks enlightenment is exactly the fellow we want to be mindful off! This is what Adyashanti had to say on the mandate of needing to be authentic along a spiritual journey: “I have found over the years of working with people, even those who have had very deep and profound awakenings, that most people have a fear of being truthful, of really being honest—not only with others, but with themselves as well. Of course, the core of this fear is that most people know intuitively that if they were actually truthful and totally sincere and honest, they would no longer be able to control anybody.”

Authenticity before enlightenment; wholeness before holiness! Let’s stop trying so hard to be an image that our mind comes up with. Let’s express the passions of our heart instead, human as they might be. Don’t worry, God will make them kosher one day but until then we have to let the fire burn. Let’s enjoy life with all its quirks, faults and queerness. Sit down today and reflect on your life-story. Do you already see the gem in the making? Do you see the silver lining behind all of these scary looking flaws? Why don’t you share some of your demons with a good friend today. Why don’t you try to be a bit more vulnerable today and see what happens!