Vivekananda once told the story of an Indian king who was defeated by another king, and when his foe approached him, the other king simply took a dagger and executed him. In his last breath, the dying king whispered, "Thou art Him" and fell to the ground.
A Torah expert once said that if the gist of the entire Old Testament had to be summed up in one sentence it probably would be the Golden Rule, "Treat your brother as you want to be treated." The Golden Rule always rang in our ears like a normative statement, so something one aspires to accomplish, yet, along a spiritual path you realize that it is more of an observation than a command. If instead you realize that every brother who comes your way is a sort of a mirror image of yourself, would you be mad at your own reflection?
While the Golden Rule comes natural to anyone who walks the Way, we rarely spot our Self in others. Sure, glimpses of the divine are granted to us on occasions. Yet, few of us would perhaps see the Lord in an opponent who is about to execute us on the spot. Yet, probably even that is true
Showing posts with label Vivekananda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vivekananda. Show all posts
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Holiness and Wholeness
Sri Ramakrishna, the 19th century mystic from India, claimed that he couldn't associate with money at all, so his disciple Vivekananda decided to test him. He put a coin under his bed mattress just to see what would happen. Next day Sri Ramakrishna complained that he couldn't sleep all night.
The notion of holiness can be a big struggle in our spiritual community. We don't want to be greedy, we don't want to lust after bodies, we don't want to be egoistic, but somehow we carry a shadow with us. Temptations pop up just when we think we have put them aside. We think Taoism can help you with that problem. The journey of the Tao is one of wholeness first and foremost, but soon you will discover that wholeness and holiness go hand in hand.
Think of yourself and life as one big magnet wrapped around you. Each moment you attract the people and situations that give your soul the ability to heal. Let go of your notions of good and bad, just embrace everything wholeheartedly that comes your way. In every situation there is the opportunity to grow spiritually, just as there is the opportunity to take a step towards your self, away from your Self. Don't lose sleep over this choice, for every spiritual traveler at each signpost the next step is literally a non-brainer.
The yin and yang of daily life is tailored just for you to come home, back to the Source. The Tao will make you whole, and yes, soon you realize that you are converging with your notion of Heaven on earth. It may mean sexual abstinence the way Sri Ramkrishna lived it, or it may be the celebration of divine love the way Lord Krishna practiced it. You are the divine creator who will tell us how Heaven on earth looks like. Let the Tao show your idiosyncratic expression of holiness. One thing is for sure, along the Way the self will be absent while the Self will be radiating - that's the way the Tao is.
The notion of holiness can be a big struggle in our spiritual community. We don't want to be greedy, we don't want to lust after bodies, we don't want to be egoistic, but somehow we carry a shadow with us. Temptations pop up just when we think we have put them aside. We think Taoism can help you with that problem. The journey of the Tao is one of wholeness first and foremost, but soon you will discover that wholeness and holiness go hand in hand.
Think of yourself and life as one big magnet wrapped around you. Each moment you attract the people and situations that give your soul the ability to heal. Let go of your notions of good and bad, just embrace everything wholeheartedly that comes your way. In every situation there is the opportunity to grow spiritually, just as there is the opportunity to take a step towards your self, away from your Self. Don't lose sleep over this choice, for every spiritual traveler at each signpost the next step is literally a non-brainer.
The yin and yang of daily life is tailored just for you to come home, back to the Source. The Tao will make you whole, and yes, soon you realize that you are converging with your notion of Heaven on earth. It may mean sexual abstinence the way Sri Ramkrishna lived it, or it may be the celebration of divine love the way Lord Krishna practiced it. You are the divine creator who will tell us how Heaven on earth looks like. Let the Tao show your idiosyncratic expression of holiness. One thing is for sure, along the Way the self will be absent while the Self will be radiating - that's the way the Tao is.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The Varieties of Spiritual Experiences
You may have heard the expression
Terrible Twos, the fact that a child starts realizing her own identity after the
first year and can act up a little during that time period. I remember a
conversation with our pediatrician when my oldest child turned 4 and I
complained that he was acting up. The doctor said that in his opinion the
Terrible Twos were overrated and that in fact this time period was the hardest.
I stopped him right in the tracks and reminded him that he had said exactly the
same thing a year ago when our boy had turned three. He smiled, looked at my
younger son and said, "Yes, there may have been a little marketing involved. I
just didn't want to tell you how it really is, otherwise you may not have chosen
to have the other one."
I have just published my first book, The Magnificent Experiment, which describes my spiritual wake-up process. There was magic in the air in these years and it was certainly a lot of fun sharing this spiritual renaissance with others, because they are likely to encounter similar magic. Yet, it was objectively a synchronization process with a higher force and there were also some less comfortable experiences involved that I didn't touch on in the book. For example, I remember months when I put the boys to bed at 8 pm and I had just enough energy left to take the additional 12 steps to make it to my bed and I was out by 8:01 pm, completely spent.
Why to talk about stuff like that? I am sure I hurt myself one way or another as parts of my ego minded being synchronized and acted up whenever they had a chance. A spiritual experience is not supposed to be like that. All the mistakes are mine and all the glory is Hers, that is how it goes along a spiritual path. Neale Walsch describes a conversation with God in which he complained that he wasn't connected to God over many months and God replied that it was Neale Walsch who had disconnected instead. That is what I observed as well. The Tao is always out there extending a welcoming hand, but it is up to us to cut the interferences out; no one else can do that for us.
I think if we really want to help each other grow spiritually we need to zoom into these disturbances. It is a frustrating exercise for sure. It is certainly more fun to describe the magic than the mistakes and then, all mistakes are idiosyncratic. So you need to capture the "dark side" of the spiritual awakening process from all kind of angles, which is confusing and cumbersome.
My hunch is that what exactly is kosher and consistent with your spiritual path is very much a unique psychological experience. Sri Ramakrishna, the 19th Century Mystic of India used to say that he couldn't associate with money at all. His disciple, Vivekananda wanted to test him and put a coin under his mattress after which Sri Ramakrishna complained that he couldn't sleep all night. Perhaps it would be useful to run surveys in our spiritual community to see what works for some and not others. I have never been discouraged along my path to run experiments, but in the same vein, I have always been encouraged to be vigilant once a problem statement was out in the open. After all, if you have made a mistake before and realized it, why on earth would you do it again, right?
The good news is that a spiritual path traveler doesn't really have a choice in any of this. Your energy vibration is by now way too advanced to tolerate a crash to a lower level. But you certainly can delay things by going back and forth between the different levels of spiritual consciousness. William James had a fascinating book out at the turn of the century, The Varieties of Religious Experiences, outlining the different spiritual paths and experiences he had come across in his studies of biographies and historical accounts at the turn of the 20th century. Perhaps we could revisit this effort with a special emphasis on what has held people back on their paths. Email me if you have some idiosyncratic observations at zeitgeistma@gmail.com.
I have just published my first book, The Magnificent Experiment, which describes my spiritual wake-up process. There was magic in the air in these years and it was certainly a lot of fun sharing this spiritual renaissance with others, because they are likely to encounter similar magic. Yet, it was objectively a synchronization process with a higher force and there were also some less comfortable experiences involved that I didn't touch on in the book. For example, I remember months when I put the boys to bed at 8 pm and I had just enough energy left to take the additional 12 steps to make it to my bed and I was out by 8:01 pm, completely spent.
Why to talk about stuff like that? I am sure I hurt myself one way or another as parts of my ego minded being synchronized and acted up whenever they had a chance. A spiritual experience is not supposed to be like that. All the mistakes are mine and all the glory is Hers, that is how it goes along a spiritual path. Neale Walsch describes a conversation with God in which he complained that he wasn't connected to God over many months and God replied that it was Neale Walsch who had disconnected instead. That is what I observed as well. The Tao is always out there extending a welcoming hand, but it is up to us to cut the interferences out; no one else can do that for us.
I think if we really want to help each other grow spiritually we need to zoom into these disturbances. It is a frustrating exercise for sure. It is certainly more fun to describe the magic than the mistakes and then, all mistakes are idiosyncratic. So you need to capture the "dark side" of the spiritual awakening process from all kind of angles, which is confusing and cumbersome.
My hunch is that what exactly is kosher and consistent with your spiritual path is very much a unique psychological experience. Sri Ramakrishna, the 19th Century Mystic of India used to say that he couldn't associate with money at all. His disciple, Vivekananda wanted to test him and put a coin under his mattress after which Sri Ramakrishna complained that he couldn't sleep all night. Perhaps it would be useful to run surveys in our spiritual community to see what works for some and not others. I have never been discouraged along my path to run experiments, but in the same vein, I have always been encouraged to be vigilant once a problem statement was out in the open. After all, if you have made a mistake before and realized it, why on earth would you do it again, right?
The good news is that a spiritual path traveler doesn't really have a choice in any of this. Your energy vibration is by now way too advanced to tolerate a crash to a lower level. But you certainly can delay things by going back and forth between the different levels of spiritual consciousness. William James had a fascinating book out at the turn of the century, The Varieties of Religious Experiences, outlining the different spiritual paths and experiences he had come across in his studies of biographies and historical accounts at the turn of the 20th century. Perhaps we could revisit this effort with a special emphasis on what has held people back on their paths. Email me if you have some idiosyncratic observations at zeitgeistma@gmail.com.
Friday, December 7, 2012
On Spiritual Purity
When Sri Ramakrishna, the 19th century sage of Dakshineswar, India
said that he couldn't associate with money his disciple Vivekananda wanted to
test him so he hid a coin under his mattress. Next day Sri Ramakrishna reported
that he couldn't sleep at all that night.
Along the Tao you will have to drop some of your habits. You might no longer be able to work in the profession you did before. You may change your eating or drinking habits. Your sexual practices might change or you might drop sex altogether. The thing though is, experience for yourself what this change is about. Just see for yourself what happens when you practice what you have been doing before and how you feel when you drop that activity for good. You can run experiments just like Vivekananda did. However, also remember that we need you to show your true colors. Only because some guru is a vegetarian and lives like a monk doesn't mean you have to. Explore and express yourself. You don't need to worry, the Tao will communicate clearly to you what works and what doesn't.
I have a very simple rule of thumb. I do whatever feels right to express my love. I have become vegetarian because I care for animals. I drink alcohol when I have the chance to toast with my friends. I also haven't found that sex interferes with my spiritual path as long as it is an expression of love. I work in the financial industry which is, many would argue, obsessed with money. It doesn't touch me though as I am focussing my attention on the interactions with my friends at work. This is the path the Tao has chosen for me. I am here to help my friends and will do that happily until I get the signal to move on to my next career, that of a spiritual coach. The Blue Lord was teaching Arjun the path toward enlightenment on the battlefield in the Bhagavad Gita. Define your own path towards purity but remember your starting point in this journey. You have to share your gifts with humanity in your special way. You will see that the Tao encourages you to express your idiosyncratic being. Be creative, be bold and be flexible to change course when the next cue shows up.
Along the Tao you will have to drop some of your habits. You might no longer be able to work in the profession you did before. You may change your eating or drinking habits. Your sexual practices might change or you might drop sex altogether. The thing though is, experience for yourself what this change is about. Just see for yourself what happens when you practice what you have been doing before and how you feel when you drop that activity for good. You can run experiments just like Vivekananda did. However, also remember that we need you to show your true colors. Only because some guru is a vegetarian and lives like a monk doesn't mean you have to. Explore and express yourself. You don't need to worry, the Tao will communicate clearly to you what works and what doesn't.
I have a very simple rule of thumb. I do whatever feels right to express my love. I have become vegetarian because I care for animals. I drink alcohol when I have the chance to toast with my friends. I also haven't found that sex interferes with my spiritual path as long as it is an expression of love. I work in the financial industry which is, many would argue, obsessed with money. It doesn't touch me though as I am focussing my attention on the interactions with my friends at work. This is the path the Tao has chosen for me. I am here to help my friends and will do that happily until I get the signal to move on to my next career, that of a spiritual coach. The Blue Lord was teaching Arjun the path toward enlightenment on the battlefield in the Bhagavad Gita. Define your own path towards purity but remember your starting point in this journey. You have to share your gifts with humanity in your special way. You will see that the Tao encourages you to express your idiosyncratic being. Be creative, be bold and be flexible to change course when the next cue shows up.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The Human Chain
I remember the day when I was reading Vivekananda's book in which he said that perhaps I am the next enlightened man. 'What do you mean?', I asked myself. I had just spent an enormous time convincing myself that God really exists and that indeed enlightened men like Christ and Buddha were still living with us which already was an incredible break-through for me. 'What do you mean', I asked, 'I am the Christ?'.
A few years have passed by and I am agnostic now. I don't think about this question any more just because I have a job to day, a spiritual mission to finish if you wish. I have no idea how I personally fit into the Devine game plan, but I am sure a higher authority does. The way I think about it is that all spiritual path travelers are forming a giant chain right now and that by holding our hands together in unison we catapult the spiritual siblings towards the end of the chain into Heaven. Do not ask where exactly your position is in this chain because this question only distracts from the job you have to do. Peace is yours already. And from here it is just a tiny step to get over the bridge.
A few years have passed by and I am agnostic now. I don't think about this question any more just because I have a job to day, a spiritual mission to finish if you wish. I have no idea how I personally fit into the Devine game plan, but I am sure a higher authority does. The way I think about it is that all spiritual path travelers are forming a giant chain right now and that by holding our hands together in unison we catapult the spiritual siblings towards the end of the chain into Heaven. Do not ask where exactly your position is in this chain because this question only distracts from the job you have to do. Peace is yours already. And from here it is just a tiny step to get over the bridge.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Oneness
Vivekananda told the story of the Indian king who lost a battle against his opponent and got captured. The other king approached him with a drawn sword and executed him on the spot. The last words the dying king could utter "Brother, Thou art Him".
The Course in Miracles claims that you can find oneness only in one place, your brother and sister. It is impossible to wake up from this collective dream unless and until you find the key in the people you encounter. As you extend your love and raise them up, they lift you up in the process. A weird theory? Well, you can try. Admittedly, Vivekananda's story is a little hard to follow, but you can start with people you hold little grudges against. Run a little experiment, try to highlight the good aspects in them and focus on these instead and just observe how they react. If you are really one, they should react in kind, don't you think?
The Course in Miracles claims that you can find oneness only in one place, your brother and sister. It is impossible to wake up from this collective dream unless and until you find the key in the people you encounter. As you extend your love and raise them up, they lift you up in the process. A weird theory? Well, you can try. Admittedly, Vivekananda's story is a little hard to follow, but you can start with people you hold little grudges against. Run a little experiment, try to highlight the good aspects in them and focus on these instead and just observe how they react. If you are really one, they should react in kind, don't you think?
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