Authentic Spirituality
If spirituality is anything, it is universal, all pervasive, all
knowing, all powerful, eternal. Spirit is more essential then the
air that unites all of humanity through each breath of life. Spirit
is infinitely more essential then the atoms and stars of which our
existence has been built. Spirit is beyond our thoughts, feelings,
philosophies of life, systems of belief, or any mental construct
whatsoever. Spirit is beyond the furthest visions and revelations
that follow from an infinitely expanding consciousness. Spirit is
beyond the soundless sound and the endless silence of aloneness.
Yet, at the same time, what we call as spirit is immersed in all our
visions of life, in every thought, in every living cell, in the very
waves of light that remind us of the shining ocean of consciousness
within.
It is by understanding the universal
nature of spirit that we can fully appreciate all the ways it is
uniquely expressed within us, in others, and throughout the many
cultures of the world. It is only the strong sense of difference
that creates conflict. Where oneness is seen, diversity is enjoyed.
Where duality is encouraged, conflict grows. When you are in
authentic spiritual bliss, you can appreciate and rejoice in all the
divine forms, understandings and expressions of individuals within
other cultures who have experienced the same inner bliss. This does
not mean that everything will be the same to you, for each true
expression of the divine is unique and sacred and has the right to
exist independently in the hearts and minds of anyone who so chooses.
Just as each unique expression of
spirituality has a right to exist, so does every soul walking on this
Earth have the right to enjoy and rejoice in whatever divine
expression they so choose. Moreover, each soul is free to create
their own expressions of the divine to enjoy and share with others.
This is the whole beauty of the divine. Somehow we have forgotten
this. Most have neglected their responsibility as conscious
co-creators of existence and have placed their creative energies into
the hands of corporations, politicians, or preachers, rather then
using them to directly express the divine Source within.
If we fail to understand and appreciate
this universal quality of spirit, then unsolvable conflict is to be
the end result. Even if spiritual ideas are taken up, they will be
used to negatively discriminate against others and the violence of
forced conversion will inevitably result. Since spirituality is
universal in essence, it is right that we should take whatever our
understanding of the highest principle of life is and make it
universal in our own experience and joyfully share this understanding
with others. If however, without understanding the basic rights of
human consciousness, we try to force our views onto others through
fear and greed, then the spiritual life and grace is taken out of
whatever it is that is being forced.
When spirituality or religion is forced
on others it requires more and more worldly forces to uphold. At
some point, even if you were to possess all the worlds wealth and
status, your system of belief will loose all power to shape human
consciousness if it is continually forced onto others. On the other
hand, you could be without any wealth, status, or position and
positively touch the lives of millions just by a few words if you are
filled with the bliss of real spiritual experience.
In a mature and healthy human society,
spirituality and religion are passed on not through dogmatic
superstition or vague beliefs, but through life enhancing
inspiration, truly objective science, pure wonder, and eternal bliss.
When a religion looses its spiritual strength, it separates itself
from science, and becomes filled with life denying beliefs. When a
religion is full of spiritual strength, it works together with
science to direct human consciousness towards total health, a
harmonious balance with nature, individual responsibility and self
realization.
When we practice spirituality while
understanding that the cosmos is filled with universal loving,
healing and intelligent energy, there should be noticeable positive
effects in our body and surrounding environments. There is no reason
that these effects can't be measured objectively. When science is
divorced from spirituality, it makes weapons of mass destruction.
When science works in harmony with an integrated spiritual vision, it
has the power to heal planets, earthly bodies, and divine souls.
When a religion looses its authentic
spiritual power, it looses the divine wonder that makes life a
constant rejoicing and is replaced by a culture of materialistic
consumption and mind numbing entertainments. The ecstasy of
authentic spiritual experience is the real source of wonder in this
world. When spirituality is full of life and strength, it fills the
individual and society with unimaginable wonders and life enhancing
joys. When you are filled with such wonder, your wealth becomes the
countless simple enjoyments of life that are beyond any sense of
personal possession.
Wonder expands human consciousness like
nothing else. There is no belief in wonder, it is a direct
undeniable experience of rejoicing in the divine mysteries and cosmic
revelations of existence. You can never have too much wonder in
life. If we just tap into a portion of our spiritual existence, then
our life shall be filled with and express unimaginable moments of
divine wonder.
When spirituality is mostly mental or
verbal, all the divisions of thought cut through the sense of
universal brotherhood. More are more divisions are created both
within spirituality and the world of science and the arts until we
are left with little more then half fragments of a whole that was
once a part of greater Whole. Authentic spirituality integrates our
consciousness both within and without. It is a synthesis of deep
internal understanding and outward embodiment of spiritual bliss.
When the spiritual bliss lives in your very bones and flesh, then you
can see into all the understandings of the world and recognize an
expansive and dynamic unity of consciousness surging throughout all
of human and cosmic existence.
By experientially recognizing the unity
of consciousness at the heart of existence, we can enrich ourselves
by all the expressions of the divine across the Earth. At the same
time, we can recognize the uniqueness of any one tradition and follow
it deeply to the exclusion of others. This is a cosmic right of each
individual.
Mass cynicism comes when we fail as a
society to exercise our spiritual right to penetrate through the
shadows of existence and enter into the realms of limitless bliss. A
mature human civilization will teach many different traditions to
children and give them the choice and support to be inspired and
engaged in the highest truths and experiences of a divine living
cosmos. Teaching children to appreciate and respect the uniqueness
of other cultures allows them to realize and appreciate their own
uniqueness and enrich others through it.
As the old traditions and systems based
on manipulating human consciousness through fear and greed begin to
fall and crumble, we should not just feel helpless or disillusioned,
but be open and ready to take on an authentic living spirituality
that has the power to heal ourselves and the world. Since spirit is
universal in essence, no one tradition can claim ownership of it.
Authentic spirituality is following your own bliss, no one can tell
you what it is, it is a discovery to be made within your heart. When
you experience the joy and bliss of making this divine discovery
within, you become a shining light in a world of darkness, you
fulfill your destiny to live as a god on Earth. OM
