How Authentic Life and Awareness Helps You to Liberate from Your Sufferings
You don’t need to be spiritual to wake up from sufferings and live a truthful and conscious life. You are here for ultimate freedom, be aware of spiritual ego.
A new hype around spirituality is being created. People advertise themselves as a meditator or new age spiritualist.
In my large circle of spiritual friends, I have seen few boasts about their spirituality in front of others. Some even look down upon non-spirituals. It is high time to contemplate the genuineness within.
‘Spiritual’ word is neither superior nor inferior. It is a category as simple as male or female. None is superior. Spiritual, non-spiritual, theist, atheist all are equal.
Looking down upon others reflects on you, not the other person—the authenticity to help people, genuine care, motivation, and inspiration matters the most. Tags mean nothing. It is another piece of adornment you have to be very careful of.
Let Go of Your Spiritual Ego — It Bears No Importance
Don’t carry the weight of another word. It is easy to attract a ‘Spiritual’ ego and proudly showcase it. Don't become attached to the word. Be aware of its deeper meaning.
There is no life as spiritual or non-spiritual. There is only life. And each life is seeking independence. Financial, emotional, psychological freedom are parts of a bigger picture of ultimate freedom.
From the depths of our hearts, we all seek liberation — the master of all freedom.
Many are unconscious of this desire. Often you are happy with its small glimpses in form of shopping, vacation, socializing, and aloneness. You feel liberated in those moments.
But the temporary joy from these things ends soon. You again seek to have these little joys. Because of confusion, you become lost in this cycle of momentary happiness. And capitalism takes benefit from such ignorance.
Deep down, our souls know and remember the ultimate freedom. It craves for it. It is an intense desire for a human to be free. But without guidance, many don’t know where to look.
The highest happiness is when one reaches the stage of liberation, at which there is no more suffering. — Dalai Lama
Suffering in Life Is a Blue Pill That Jolts You Awake From Illusions (Maya)
Attachment to outside pleasures is so profound. We become blindly busy with it. Only suffering shakes us to see beyond the mundane.
A sudden shock of death or loss, financial crisis, disease, or relationship dis-balance leads to profound suffering. This intensity knocks you out. The outside glitter fades. It forces you to look beyond what you labeled as ‘normal.’
It makes you aware of the fallacy. You become open to questioning an auto mode of life. Truth becomes the driving factor. No matter how hard it is. You become more accepting and authentic.
In yogic terminology, outer illusions are called ‘Maya.’ This Maya feels real and full of joy. But seeking permanent happiness in impermanent life circumstances is a delusion.
If you are not happy on the inside, world luxuries can never satisfy you. And when you experience the inner ecstasy, no Maya can pull you out.
I always had a meditation routine in my life. I’d go into more profound meditation sessions. Whenever a practice of deeper meditations happened, life would gift me some charming gifts. Be it a romantic relationship or a perfect friendship or anything and it would attract all my attention. I’d slip out of my habit. I understood it was to test my dedication towards the highest.
Maya allures you continuously. It tests your dedication towards truth.
The world as it appears to us through our mind and senses is seen as an illusion (maya). That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, but that it doesn’t represent the Truth, the Real. — Hridaya Yoga
Authentic Living Leads to Openness and Acceptance
You don’t need to be spiritual to practice truthfulness. You need determination.
100% authentic living is not a simple game to play. It requires you to be completely vulnerable, at least towards yourself. It is a daring procedure. Be naked towards your jealousy, anger, possession, attachments, fear, anxiety, dominance, or rebellious emotions.
Authenticity opens your heart. You release the hidden emotions. No matter how ugly, you accept them entirely. Instead of running away from them, you recognize their presence.
More acceptance towards self opens you to accept life and others as they are. As a result, you connect with everyone on a deeper level.
With no judgments, you accept everything fully. It automatically leads to compassionate and loving life. Authentic living means no hiding. Which also attracts true relations and circumstances in life.
To be authentic means to be true to oneself. It is a very, very dangerous phenomenon; rare people can do that. But whenever people do it, they achieve. They achieve such beauty, such grace, such contentment, you cannot imagine. If everybody looks so frustrated, the reason is that nobody has listened to his own voice. — Osho
Awareness Helps to See Through the Illusion of Your Daily Life
Awareness means you are conscious of actions and feelings. Like a spectator watching a movie, you are observing life.
Instead of being an actor, you become an observer. After practicing this witnessing, a gap develops between the actual you and what you considered yours. With this newfound experience, you stop taking things personally.
You become detached. Lightness in the heart takes birth. Situations lose their control. Other people’s drama and opinions don’t drag you anymore.
You can effortlessly see the futility of ego play.
For leading a life of awareness, start by being conscious of your five senses. See the miracles of nature around, smell the divinity in flowers, feel the breeze and ground, eat food slowly and contently, listen to the voices around. Include your awareness in every activity of life.
Slow down a bit. Experience the life flowing here and now.
Why not start right now and here.
- Slow down at your speed of reading.
- Gently move your hand over the cursor.
- Feel each inhale and exhale.
- Close your eyes and feel the breath.
This is the shift from the routine into your awareness.
Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed. — Thich Nhat Hanh
Takeaways
Don’t limit yourself to any category. Be it spiritual or otherwise. You are here to seek the ultimate freedom. Be aware of attachment to previous identities and situations. Be open to life unfolding now.
Renew yourself each moment in awareness. Be authentic. Like freshwater flow, you also flow with life. Don’t become stagnant. Be conscious of the preconditioned beliefs and thoughts stopping you from experiencing life.
Embrace life. See the wonders, smell the fragrances, feel the touch even if it is feet walking on the ground. Slow down. There is no rush. Rest right now and here. Sink a little in the chair and breathe deeply. This is life experiencing life.
The real man knows no other goal than life itself. Living totally is his goal; living moment to moment, intensely, passionately, hot, that is his goal. Then each moment becomes so precious, such a gift. And only when you know those gifts can you be thankful to god, can you feel grateful, can prayer arise in you. — Osho
Are there any hindrances while dealing with your preconditioned beliefs? What problems do you face when you try to be authentic and aware? I’d love to hear your feedback.
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Thank you, Darshak Rana, for the prompt — Practical application of spirituality. Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this, you might also like this:
