When the journey resembles a razor’s edge, it is wise to adhere to guidance.
If you’re perusing this, you likely possess enough optimism in your existence (also referred to as karmic merit) to relax spiritually. For life! There’s no need to flee to the Himalayas and dwell in a cave, yearning to awaken your concealed potential.
You will lead a reasonably comfortable existence. You’re intelligent, compassionate, and likable. (You probably wouldn’t even have the inclination to read this if it were otherwise).
Thus, it is probable that spirituality serves merely as a supplement for your mental wellness. It’s the salve that comforts your spirit when nothing else suffices.
A catalyst indicating that there is more amidst a modernity that emphasizes ‘this is all there is.’
And this is plainly insufficient.
The world’s suffering must ignite your awareness.
You must inspire your essence before, during, and after each spiritual practice session with a distinct type of motivation.
To flourish for others. To be such a potent source of positivity that you can guide their journey away from the currents of despair.
Virtue comes at a price.
Positive karma is indeed regarded as a chain forged from gold.
By directing your attention to your karmic outcomes, it still binds you to yourself, which is the root of all attachment to illusion.
It is golden because you have truly earned it — whether in this life or a previous one — to savor such rewards.
However, awakening is not for your small illusory self. Nor is it about finding satisfaction in a realm of limitation.
Its purpose is infinity: to extend beyond all imagination, into a condition of perfect gnosis, ultimate love, and deep power.
So why engage in meditation?
You might find motivation for a healthier mind. Perhaps you’ll even achieve one of the stages of awakening, like stream entry to nirvana.
But you probably lack the intense desire to reach ultimate reality, in order to carry out its function (which is to bless and benefit all living beings, for all time, and beyond spacetime).
Recently, a teaching from one of my Tibetan instructors jolted me into this harsh realization. I’m practicing spirituality for motives that will not genuinely lead me to the destination of that path!
From this point forward, I’ll commit to cultivating the most exalted mind of awakening I can muster.
A heart that awakens like mist, ever-welcoming of all that is, in the most beneficial manner possible.
Because this life isn’t meant for me to live solely for myself (that would merely amplify all the delusions that have brought me misery for so long).
Life is shared, in every imaginable way. We simply overlook this when we succumb to our illusions.
So if you wish to enhance life with spirituality, at the very least, have a purpose for doing so aligned with the reality of how things are!