Post by Nityānanda dāsa on Aug 27, 2020 4:15:07 GMT -6
Radhe Radhe!
I usually have some bits and pieces of ideas to write on in my head. Recently I've been encouraged by what Nitai Dasji recently posted as well as a friend of mine in Bangladesh asking me to contribute to his Gaudiya monthly magazine. So here's what came out this morning. It is meant to be a very beginner oriented 'preaching' piece. Your feedback is desired please and thank you.
**************
Spirit Matters
By Neil Steinert, MSW, LCSW
I offer my respects to the visitors of this article. Thank you for taking some of your time to read this. In all honesty, I am not qualified to write about much. When it comes to Bhakti, I am only a few small steps along this great journey. However, I am inspired by it. I am excited by the prospects. And I have gratitude to the great souls who have kindly extended their grace to this unworthy soul. It is for these reasons I write. To share, and to hopefully be able to inspire others in their practice of Bhakti or pursuit of the spiritual life. My request is that you kindly point out any errors in this presentation so that you can help me to refine this presentation and make it better. And if you find any benefit in it, please understand that the benefit is only the grace of the great Vaishnavas that I have been able to pass along to you.
Is spiritual life important?
At times I ask myself this. And ultimately the pursuit of spirituality is the only life. However, due to the differences of us unlimitedly different individuals, the intensity of our aspiration will be different. And certainly our attraction to various forms and practices will also be different. There is nothing wrong in this, and it is completely normal. However, most of us have observed or at least heard of some great spiritual people. At least one thing we can agree on that makes them admirable is the intensity and dedication they have to their spirituality. And spiritual literature about Bhakti speaks about the many qualities of a spiritualist. It does this to assist us in how to discern who truly is a spiritualist, and who has perhaps simply adopted the shell or appearance of a spiritualist. Therefore, the books or shastras are our guide in this matter.
In today’s billboard, and media-driven culture, we are constantly bombarded with trends, so-called fashions, and pseudo entertainment. Through these avenues, we are encouraged to consume these unlimitedly changing things in order to be happy. All the latest technology devices, brand names, and even vocabulary and looks are delivered into our minds via our eyes and ears. Believe it or not, the advertising and media industries have on staff PhD psychologists working on how to best get all of us ‘consumers’ to buy what they’re selling. And this is all pushed by people who have come to be known as famous by this media-machine. Actors, sports champions, and music stars become some of the main pushers for the media. Even Sri Krishna says in the Gita, “Whatever action a great person performs, common people follow.” The sad thing is, who is the ‘great person’ these days?
The big problem with this equation is that it is only one-sided. Only happiness is catered to and presented. “If you want to be happy, buy this. Look like this. Talk like this. Walk like this.” It becomes the dangling carrot that we forever chase without being able to reach it. And the media encourages us, “You’re almost there! You can do it! Be happy!” But the truth is that this paradigm will never result in happiness. Even the movie stars and people who ‘have it all’ are not happy. And of course, this for the most part isn’t advertised. Sometimes you’ll catch it on the (fake) news or in the tabloids, but even then, it doesn’t register as a reality check, but rather just becomes consumption of some new drama to talk about with co-workers and friends.
Is this what human life is meant for? To simply run around pursuing what the media tells us is the ‘good life’? If it is so good, why does it have a 100% failure rate? Why do we so easily buy into it? To answer the last question is that, clearly there is strength in numbers and the fact is that the momentum of most of the world—at least the parts of the world who hold the greatest advertising power—is oriented towards the idea that ‘to consume is to be happy’. Or to compete with your family, friends, and neighbors is what will make you fulfilled. This is what is meant by the saying ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’. Whoever has the latest bells and whistles becomes the envy of the neighborhood until they’re quickly eclipsed by a different person down the street, who just bought the new expensive car or phone or whatever, making your new, but not quite so new gadget ‘old news’. Your temporary happiness quickly becomes a source of misery, especially if you have a nice sized financial obligation to accompany it. And this cycle is endless. This is the modern version of samsara. The births and deaths of cycles of happiness and distress. And this is the truth behind the media-lead life, and it is also proof of it’s 100% failure rate. Happiness is only temporary at best in this orientation because whatever it is that is supposed to make you happy is quickly outdated and replaced by something new. You’re constantly after the carrot, leaving untold personal, environmental, and even likely mental damage along your path. And at the end of a life of such a pursuit, what are you left with? Is it that the person with the biggest toys wins? Or the one with the biggest bank balance? Do these things really belong to you? And who are YOU really and essentially?
And this is a big part of what makes spiritualists admirable. Sadhus, men and women alike, attract us because they’re not part of this rat race. They aren’t after the latest Netflix shows and iPhone models. They’ve found a much higher satisfaction and happiness that is lasting, rather than temporary. It is because they have discovered that they are not the body and mind. True, lasting happiness is never something that can be bought. It is never how someone appears to be on television or on some social media post. True happiness is only associated with spirit.
These sadhus know that there is a difference between the body-mind and the soul. They know that we are all spiritual souls. We are not these body-mind complexes. And they have the conviction and realization that the happiness equation is only solved when spiritual beings pursue spiritual ends. Matter (material things—trends, adds, Facebook likes, etc.) can never lead to lasting happiness. Matter can never make spirit happy. In fact, the material pursuit of happiness resembles the cycle of drug addiction, with the need to go out and buy more to get that next high. And again, this leads to more suffering in the end.
Once one begins to turn away from the world of matter, the social-media-based show that is constantly at the tap or swipe of your fingers, at that time only can one begin to understand where true happiness can be found. And again, those great spiritual women and men of the world are the outlets where we can ‘buy’ this true happiness. If you would like to read about how to know who these spiritualists are and where you can find them, please pick up a book, such as the Bhagavad-Gita, or any Bhakti literature. Or in fact, even a book like the Bible or the Koran. All of these books contain essential messages of true happiness. Of course, if you come into contact with fundamentalists of these traditions, that again is simply another perversion of materialism—look deeper and you will find the true spiritualists. The true spiritualists will not make a distinction between one spiritual group and another. It is true that the different religions of the world serve different purposes and attract persons of different types of faith. However, the main point here is to disconnect from the fraudulent path of so-called happiness and take to the path of true happiness, which is the pursuit of the spiritual life.
Certainly, there are many details and facets to spirituality that cannot be addressed here. One of the biggest misconceptions is that one has to give up all material things. This is not necessary and is again another misunderstood, misapplied, and even ‘material’ element masked as something spiritual. While in this world, we can never become matter-free, for we, the soul, are literally encased in matter. However, it is once we begin the transformation of plugging matter into the spiritual electrical current that we begin to experience true happiness.
For any questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, please contact the author or the publisher of this article.
নিতাই গৌর হরিবল! Nitai Gaura Haribol!
I usually have some bits and pieces of ideas to write on in my head. Recently I've been encouraged by what Nitai Dasji recently posted as well as a friend of mine in Bangladesh asking me to contribute to his Gaudiya monthly magazine. So here's what came out this morning. It is meant to be a very beginner oriented 'preaching' piece. Your feedback is desired please and thank you.
**************
Spirit Matters
By Neil Steinert, MSW, LCSW
I offer my respects to the visitors of this article. Thank you for taking some of your time to read this. In all honesty, I am not qualified to write about much. When it comes to Bhakti, I am only a few small steps along this great journey. However, I am inspired by it. I am excited by the prospects. And I have gratitude to the great souls who have kindly extended their grace to this unworthy soul. It is for these reasons I write. To share, and to hopefully be able to inspire others in their practice of Bhakti or pursuit of the spiritual life. My request is that you kindly point out any errors in this presentation so that you can help me to refine this presentation and make it better. And if you find any benefit in it, please understand that the benefit is only the grace of the great Vaishnavas that I have been able to pass along to you.
Is spiritual life important?
At times I ask myself this. And ultimately the pursuit of spirituality is the only life. However, due to the differences of us unlimitedly different individuals, the intensity of our aspiration will be different. And certainly our attraction to various forms and practices will also be different. There is nothing wrong in this, and it is completely normal. However, most of us have observed or at least heard of some great spiritual people. At least one thing we can agree on that makes them admirable is the intensity and dedication they have to their spirituality. And spiritual literature about Bhakti speaks about the many qualities of a spiritualist. It does this to assist us in how to discern who truly is a spiritualist, and who has perhaps simply adopted the shell or appearance of a spiritualist. Therefore, the books or shastras are our guide in this matter.
In today’s billboard, and media-driven culture, we are constantly bombarded with trends, so-called fashions, and pseudo entertainment. Through these avenues, we are encouraged to consume these unlimitedly changing things in order to be happy. All the latest technology devices, brand names, and even vocabulary and looks are delivered into our minds via our eyes and ears. Believe it or not, the advertising and media industries have on staff PhD psychologists working on how to best get all of us ‘consumers’ to buy what they’re selling. And this is all pushed by people who have come to be known as famous by this media-machine. Actors, sports champions, and music stars become some of the main pushers for the media. Even Sri Krishna says in the Gita, “Whatever action a great person performs, common people follow.” The sad thing is, who is the ‘great person’ these days?
The big problem with this equation is that it is only one-sided. Only happiness is catered to and presented. “If you want to be happy, buy this. Look like this. Talk like this. Walk like this.” It becomes the dangling carrot that we forever chase without being able to reach it. And the media encourages us, “You’re almost there! You can do it! Be happy!” But the truth is that this paradigm will never result in happiness. Even the movie stars and people who ‘have it all’ are not happy. And of course, this for the most part isn’t advertised. Sometimes you’ll catch it on the (fake) news or in the tabloids, but even then, it doesn’t register as a reality check, but rather just becomes consumption of some new drama to talk about with co-workers and friends.
Is this what human life is meant for? To simply run around pursuing what the media tells us is the ‘good life’? If it is so good, why does it have a 100% failure rate? Why do we so easily buy into it? To answer the last question is that, clearly there is strength in numbers and the fact is that the momentum of most of the world—at least the parts of the world who hold the greatest advertising power—is oriented towards the idea that ‘to consume is to be happy’. Or to compete with your family, friends, and neighbors is what will make you fulfilled. This is what is meant by the saying ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’. Whoever has the latest bells and whistles becomes the envy of the neighborhood until they’re quickly eclipsed by a different person down the street, who just bought the new expensive car or phone or whatever, making your new, but not quite so new gadget ‘old news’. Your temporary happiness quickly becomes a source of misery, especially if you have a nice sized financial obligation to accompany it. And this cycle is endless. This is the modern version of samsara. The births and deaths of cycles of happiness and distress. And this is the truth behind the media-lead life, and it is also proof of it’s 100% failure rate. Happiness is only temporary at best in this orientation because whatever it is that is supposed to make you happy is quickly outdated and replaced by something new. You’re constantly after the carrot, leaving untold personal, environmental, and even likely mental damage along your path. And at the end of a life of such a pursuit, what are you left with? Is it that the person with the biggest toys wins? Or the one with the biggest bank balance? Do these things really belong to you? And who are YOU really and essentially?
And this is a big part of what makes spiritualists admirable. Sadhus, men and women alike, attract us because they’re not part of this rat race. They aren’t after the latest Netflix shows and iPhone models. They’ve found a much higher satisfaction and happiness that is lasting, rather than temporary. It is because they have discovered that they are not the body and mind. True, lasting happiness is never something that can be bought. It is never how someone appears to be on television or on some social media post. True happiness is only associated with spirit.
These sadhus know that there is a difference between the body-mind and the soul. They know that we are all spiritual souls. We are not these body-mind complexes. And they have the conviction and realization that the happiness equation is only solved when spiritual beings pursue spiritual ends. Matter (material things—trends, adds, Facebook likes, etc.) can never lead to lasting happiness. Matter can never make spirit happy. In fact, the material pursuit of happiness resembles the cycle of drug addiction, with the need to go out and buy more to get that next high. And again, this leads to more suffering in the end.
Once one begins to turn away from the world of matter, the social-media-based show that is constantly at the tap or swipe of your fingers, at that time only can one begin to understand where true happiness can be found. And again, those great spiritual women and men of the world are the outlets where we can ‘buy’ this true happiness. If you would like to read about how to know who these spiritualists are and where you can find them, please pick up a book, such as the Bhagavad-Gita, or any Bhakti literature. Or in fact, even a book like the Bible or the Koran. All of these books contain essential messages of true happiness. Of course, if you come into contact with fundamentalists of these traditions, that again is simply another perversion of materialism—look deeper and you will find the true spiritualists. The true spiritualists will not make a distinction between one spiritual group and another. It is true that the different religions of the world serve different purposes and attract persons of different types of faith. However, the main point here is to disconnect from the fraudulent path of so-called happiness and take to the path of true happiness, which is the pursuit of the spiritual life.
Certainly, there are many details and facets to spirituality that cannot be addressed here. One of the biggest misconceptions is that one has to give up all material things. This is not necessary and is again another misunderstood, misapplied, and even ‘material’ element masked as something spiritual. While in this world, we can never become matter-free, for we, the soul, are literally encased in matter. However, it is once we begin the transformation of plugging matter into the spiritual electrical current that we begin to experience true happiness.
For any questions, comments, corrections, or anything else, please contact the author or the publisher of this article.
নিতাই গৌর হরিবল! Nitai Gaura Haribol!
