As spiritual Seekers today we have a huge advantage over, say, people who were alive during Buddha’s time. Ot the time of the ancient Sufis. Our advantage is the fact that we are really, totally, completely messed up.
Most of us could describe our inner world as as painful, full of confusion. We have completely lost track of the “Who am I?” that’s vital for a harmonious human experience.
On top of that, put us in the context of where we live in this time. Life on planet earth feels like a really big emergency. How do we bring eight billion human beings together into a place of Oneness so that we can solve our environmental difficulties?
It’s huge.
We are really messed up. We’re messed up mentally… and we now it.
It may seem hopeless but this makes it so much easier to decide to dig in deep and drop the whole thing. One of the easiest things to understand is the fact that we are consumed by consumerism. To us here in 2023 everything is a product. Even spirituality has become a product.
The Spiritual Marketplace
We have a HUGE spiritual marketplace. You can go out and buy whatever kind of spirituality you want. Then, before you know it, there’s something new. Next week it’s going to be something new.
I’m putting this video together in 2023. All of a sudden we have sound baths and and Qigong everywhere. It’s everywhere; everywhere you turn. They are nice things to do, for sure, but it all ends up being faddish. Right now everyone has jumped on this. But I assure you that something even more faddish will pop up in a few months.
Where’s the depth?
In the end it’s consumerism. We are looking for the blue pill. That quick switch that’s going to transform us into a spiritual being.
Don’t despair. This is a huge advantage because it’s so easy to see. Once you see it you’ll never unsee it. The greed becomes obvious. After awhile even the subtle greed is easy to identify. Just look at it.
First you’ll see the big greed. Obvious things like trying to get rich. See it and you can remember what it feels like. Now bring it down to smaller, and smaller, and smaller greeds. The greed for enlightenment. The greed for spiritual knowledge. Or even the desire to feel good all the time.
Identify that and it’s obvious. You don’t have to feel ashamed about it because this is something you have been taught since the day you were born. It’s invisible if you don’t see it so it’s not your fault. It’s just a thing. It’s visible if you do see it and then it’s simply amazing. It’s nothing more than a habit that you’ve been taught since the day you drew your first breath.
How do we get past it?
The answer is simple: first just see it. Just see it. You’re a good person, right? I would pretty much bet that when you look at it objectively you’ll decide, “This is not who I want to be.”
The second you start seeing these things they’re so blatant that they are easy to choose against. It drifts up, you see it and just go, “Wow.” You can that it is simply something you were told. But it’s easy to see that our deepest heart’s desire isn’t to buy more stuff, or to be more spiritual than the other guy, or to be the big spiritual teacher.
What we really want is relaxation and connection. Consumerism is easy to overcome because it’s just so blatant and it’s not our heart’s desire.