Shaping tomorrow. Why you need to cut through spiritual materialism.

In a world of fake news, and brainwashing, belief is hard to justify. Most of us have been fed a series of core beliefs and practices like parrots are fed crackers. Belief is fine as long as it is measured, analysed, and understood beyond mere practice. It needs to be experienced at a gut level. Problems arise when we start to say we "know" and this is when spiritual materialism begins to kick in.

Real knowledge is beyond the mind and is a state of consciousness. It is not tribal and there is no sense of possession. There are concrete ways to experience presence beyond name and form, ideology, and dogma. If you desire to comprehend the divine principle, then it is time to go beyond language.

Some people ask me to suggest a teacher they can follow. The answer is I could. I think however, you should look into your own heart and make a prayer. When you are ready, the right teacher will manifest. They always do, particularly when it is a "cri de coeur" as we say in French.

Another problem that leads to spiritual materialism is when we try to define a clear path. Language is always problematic because words can never articulate a state of consciousness.

Mindfulness must be experienced to be perceived

And here's the rub: there are many snake oil salespeople out there selling God knows what to an ever-hungrier audience fed up with the injustices and outrages sweeping every corner of our societies. To get to the root of this pressing dilemma, I suggest that it is time to cut through spiritual materialism.

Let me introduce you to a great spiritual sage by the name of Ramana Maharshi who lived on Arunachala mountain in South India. Although his preferred method of teaching was in silence, many books exist describing his personality and teachings. One seminal work is "Guru Ramana, memories and notes" by SS Cohen. Cohen's work is a result of direct experience of what it was like to live in the master's company and marvel at how his and other people's lives were transformed by this amazing saint.

His thought-provoking work and reminisces will push you to re-examine what you believe to be true from the truth itself. The key, as Cohen points out, is to experience presence itself. Presence he states "is beyond the mind. It is best described as the divine pulsation vibrating in your physical form and constitutes the breath of life itself".

The problem, Ramana taught, is our personhood likes to tell stories, stories attached to name and form.?The silliest example is, "Hi, my name is Joe and I am from Borneo. I own two Ferraris and run a hedge fund in Asian securities."

Do you see my point? Of course, you do. We want to give meaning to our lives and thus build up an oral resume to be trundled out at cocktail parties. We become enmeshed in the details, the joys, the ups, and even the downs. Although we don't do so consciously, we even share our pain bodies trapped in our cellar memory. This type of story is based on ego. The same ego thrills wrapping itself in spirituality and treating the path as external to our being. When we follow this path, we believe we are doing the right thing. All we have done is make our spiritual journey another adventure in materialism.

Here's another example: Recently, I came into contact with someone keen to go to India all his life. He is 40 years old, has done a host of jobs, and never found true satisfaction or a sense of purpose. He was looking for meaning in his life. He believed that if he went to India, known for its countless sages and saints, he would better understand his existence and his place in this world. So, he booked himself a month's stay at an ashram outside of Bangalore. He shaved his head, changed his clothes into ashram attire, learned to meditate, and spent as much time in the company of his guru as possible. He is not the first person to have done this nor will he be the last. When he came home, he was happy to return, went to the beach for a week, and now he is back at work.

So what did he gain??This is hard to ascertain because each soul pursues his or her path of personal development. An objective analysis lays bare that he had an experience. Perhaps not a Jimi Hendrix experience, but an experience all the same. I am not criticising him. I think it was a courageous thing to do to put all his preconceived ideas and notions on life into question and try to find some answers. This is something each being must do at some point, but many of us are afraid of what might happen if we try. The only thing you are guaranteed to lose is your ignorance. You need not relinquish your belongings, status, job, or even your family.

My point is that when we learn something new, we try to imitate everything we hear and see. We do not identify with the teachings nor become the teachings. We also come into contact with terms such as "renunciation" and "surrender",?which can frighten the daylights out of us.?What becomes hilarious is when we recognise that there is nothing to renounce or surrender to.

Surrender is not the heavy concept you think it is. It just means letting go of what you are not and being who you are. Isn't it silly to play-act as if you were in the theatre? No one is fooled and your true Self can never be hoodwinked. Why do I state the obvious - because it is crucial to eliminating your inner conflict. Real masters know this and act accordingly.

If you trust in your pure sense of authenticity you will enjoy the journey and not seek to benchmark milestones. Presence can happen in a flash if you are open. Your journey can be described as peeling an onion one layer at a time. This journey is also meant to be fun and not a hair shirt. Never lose your sense of humour.

This reminds me of another classic story of a mountain stream racing to the ocean and all the while complaining and moaning to the wind every step of the way:

"There are too many rocks and boulders. Why can't the path be smooth? Why does it rain so much? Will I recognise myself when I get to the sea? Are we there yet?"

The wind just laughs at the stream's foolishness and says, "Weelax man, and enjoy the ride!"

This is what we do when we imitate the stream. The wind on the other hand floats as light as the breeze in the consciousness of its own being.

When finally the stream does arrive at the coast, it merges with the ocean and no longer has a name or sense of otherness. It just is. This is where true meditation helps you to guide your mind to a state of rest so it doesn't make you looney.

The best path I always found was the simple path.?Why build for yourself another construct of phobias which include rituals and ways of marking yourself out as different? When you stop cataloging and collecting experiences, you stop assessing minutia and passing judgment. You just are who you always knew yourself intuitively to be. Forget restlessness. It is so yesterday. The moment you just let go you will feel an expansive quality. It is true freedom.

Let me share with you one of my favorite poems from Ryokan. It is entitled, Buddha's Path:

This is the Way he traveled to flee the world;

This is the Way he traveled to return to the world.

I too, come and go along this Sacred Path

That bridges life and death

And transverses illusion.

About The Author

Andrew Scharf is an Award-Winning MBA Admissions Consultant ?? Executive & Career Coach recognised for helping top performers, and aspiring professionals be all they can be. His?mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world at Whitefield Consulting . Have a professional project you would like to discuss, send him a DM.