Being over positive.

 Treading the spiritual path, isn’t all flowers and “namastes”.

Being over-positive can be stressful, covering up reality warts and all, this can turn life into something which it is not. It is misleading, as it is trying to make what is perfect, more perfect. It also becomes a weight around our neck. It makes claims which are beyond people’s reach, creating hope and fear.

This is a very subtle business. There is negativity and there is positivity: they are both fine and useful. But when we get into negative negativity and positive positivity we run into trouble.

Negative negativity is justifying a mistaken view, the illusion just turned into delusion.

Positive positivity is justifying a positive view, the illusion just returned into delusion…again!

In ancient Sanskrit text, there are three aspects to our sentient being described as the three Gunas: Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. Tamas is a sleepy state. Rajas is an active state and Sattva is an peaceful state. They are called the three thieves!

Tamas represents dullness. Rajas represents excitement. Sattva represents stillness. It’s easy to see that the first two are thieves to our being, but it is not so easy to see in the third – Sattva. It is the clinging to Sattva that takes us down to the other two states. They are useful energies, but can catch us out, creating little demons! Aren’t spiritual people who act spiritual a little annoying?

This is what meditation is all about – constantly letting go. Depending on our temperament, the negative or positive aspects of our nature can be used. We can use aversion as the path. We can use desire as the path. We can actually use ignorance as the path.

Ignorance is interesting. Ignorance means indifference, don’t care, spaced out. Lacking spaciousness. But that can be turned into a spacious, carefree quality.

We can all work in different ways, and we have to be honest. If the life we lead was perfectly perfect, we would want to transcend this pretty prison. Be grateful for the obstacles on the path, they keep us going!