Exaggerating Our Spirituality
When we exaggerate our spirituality by thinking we are doing something special, we are, in fact, exaggerating our self-image, which is the very thing that causes our suffering, and which we want to transcend. It’s our attachment š If we feel a little tetchy (irritated) about this, we’ve lost sight of the path. In acknowledging this irritation, we discover that we are indeed on the right path, but we’re now noticing that our path has more problems and confusion than we thought. š This is part of our progress ā noticing more.
If we feel that we want to be beyond ‘normal’ and don’t want to be like everyone else, we’ve simply fallen into the common trap of spiritual materialism.
Spirituality isn’t about not being human. It’s concerned with the true state of being human, acknowledging that we are, in fact, pure consciousness embodied in a human form and engaged in human activities. This state is beyond words, rituals and materiality, but not separate from these.
Spirituality is truly being at one with the material world, rather than feeling we have to keep ourselves apart from it. Interacting with others is a catalyst that brings about faster progress, although there will be times when we need to keep ourselves apart to recharge our batteries.
When we exaggerate our spiritual life,
we generate an atmosphere that closes the door to others.
An open door embodies true compassion.
BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. In this way, Dzogchen is practical - no bells and whistles required. 