What does it really mean to be spiritual? Does it mean engaging in all kinds of practices involving the body, the very idea of which is opposed to spirituality itself? If the body is the source of all fear, how could worshipping it undo fear in the mind rather than encourage it even further?
Spirituality has nothing to do with the body because spirituality lies in the mind. In the way we think, in the way we See the world and, therefore, in the way we approach life, as well as in the actions that arise from that way of thinking.
True spirituality Sees things as they are. It does not justify what makes no sense and is utterly empty. It does not justify mediocrity of spirit and its constant attacks. It does not justify a lack of love, but perceives it for what it is; it recognises that where there is no love, there is attack. It recognises that where we do not See through the eyes of love, we see through the eyes of hatred and harsh, vengeful judgement.
It is essential to understand that spirituality can only lie in the mind and in allowing the mind to learn and change as a result of that learning.
But why is learning necessary? Why not simply receive what is yours by birthright? Why go through this whole arduous, painful process? The answer is simple: because you desire what is opposed to love, firmly believing it to be the source of your happiness.
Learning does nothing other than change your desires, just as the world you See does nothing other than reflect them. Whatever you desire always ends up appearing before you in one form or another. The problem is that you do not recognise that those desires, precisely as you hold them, can save or destroy you. Give you everything or take away what little you have left.
Up to this point, more or less, everyone might agree: I desire things that do me no good, but I do not know how to recognise them. That is why I need to learn to distinguish between them, or to See things as they are; to separate what is valuable from what has no value at all, to separate the wheat from the chaff.
However, one of spirituality’s greatest secrets is that you neither can nor should renounce your worldly desires or dreams. You cannot reach the truth through renunciation because the truth gives you the entire universe, and renouncing is equivalent to denying its nature.
So, if I cannot renounce my desires and my desires keep me suffering, what should I do? It is simple: indulge yourself and do what every child does—play with them until you grow bored or realise they no longer bring you enjoyment or happiness. And what does the child do next? They release them or let them go of their own accord.
Every desire that has not run its course binds you to this world. Whether you acknowledge it or not. You have to come to loathe the material world in some way to stop desiring it. Dream big to receive what is even Greater than any empty dream. You need to fulfil your worldly dreams or desires to recognise their emptiness and allow your mind to free itself from them.
Those who have achieved their worldly goals end up discovering the emptiness behind them. At that point, they find themselves on the edge of the abyss: one step away from sinking into the deepest despair or embracing the true path with their whole Being.
And the rest? They are still dreaming of things they cannot attain and that, besides, are worth nothing. Their empty dreams continue to serve very effectively as an anchor.
If achieving something leaves you feeling empty rather than fulfilled, it means that what you achieved was empty all along. How simple and logical the Truth is!