Being Spiritual

Many people have the misconception that being spiritual, means one has to pray to God every day, one has to chant mantra every day, one has to listen to teachings of the great gurus every day, one has to behave in a certain way, and announce to the world that “I am spiritual”.

Being spiritual simply means having a connection with God. Understanding that we are a spiritual being, understanding that we are a creation of God – the Creator, understanding that we are here on earth, being in this life, with a purpose. The purpose of simply experiencing life, progressing in life, understanding life…

Are spiritual people supposed to stay away from material world?

Many people place a distinct differentiation of being spiritual versus being materialistic. Many see it as two opposite path. As if people who are spiritual cannot be materialistic. People who are materialistic are not spiritual. That’s equal to saying that being spiritual = walking the path of god = no money. And walking the path of money = evil?

Life as a whole should not have such differentiation. If God created this world, isn’t how this world functions also created by God? Material life, is still living. It is still part of who we are and part of the essentials of living on this planet.

Can someone, being absolutely successful in society’s term, have God in his mind all the time?

Can someone, having run a big corporation and engaged in business dealings, still have peace in his mind?

Can someone, pursuing his career, earn millions, still feel happy and love towards all living creatures and planet Earth?

If your answer is NO, means you think that pursuing career and business must be stressful, must be cruel, must step on others and destroy nature? Cruelty is the result of one’s value, not demand of business. Stress is the by-product of one’s thoughts, one’s demand towards the result of the job, not the job itself.

Our thoughts are all entangled. We like to lump everything together and call it life.

Life should be flexible. Lao-Tzu said 上善若水，水善利萬物而不爭.

We should be flexible like water, when water passes through earth, it utilizes its properties to nourish the earth, provide for life, but it does not pay attention to the results. Water nourishes the plant, but it will not feel despair if the plant does not flourish. Water allows life to grow, but it doesn’t care if we treasure it or praise it for its work. Problem with most human, when we do something, we want others to see our hard work. We want praise and recognition. That’s why we are stressed. We feel lonely when recognition is absent. We feel despair when expected return is absent. Some people are passionate about helping people. But they feel despair when their effort is not recognized or praised.

Helping people is the process. Recognition or praises are the results. If the process is truly what we want, then we would have no stress. When we are in love, we want marriage and everlasting relationship. Love is the process. Marriage and growing old together is the result. Enjoy the process of love, and love will always be there. When certain results are expected, the love will be tangled with stress and demand.

Helping people is the process. Recognition or praises are the result.

Everything we do in this life is the “process”. “Results” are simply expectations and demands created by the society.

Spirituality lies in one’s mind and heart. What one tags along in the process of life is only by-product of life itself. “Let go” of those by-products, you’ll find your own true self, the purpose of your soul.