Walking

Walking the spiritual path properly is a very subtle process; it is not something to jump into naivety. There are numerous sidetracks which lead to a distorted, ego-centered version of spirituality; we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are developing spiritually when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through spiritual techniques. This fundamental distortion may be referred to as spiritual materialism.

Chogyam Trungpa;

Cutting through

Spiritual Materialism

&

When in doubt… go to compassion. Compassion moves on self-centeredness in ways that becoming a spiritual technician cannot. The idea that I can somehow fix the mess I got myself into by mastering a technique is fine for normal folks but, for my kind, it is often a fatal deception. It is a fatal deception because I can become convinced that I am doing this bit on my own… even when I am doing “good deeds”. This is where the subtlety that Chogyam Trungpa speaks of, that he calls spiritual materialism, can lead me astray. Kindness of heart is achieved by tapping into the source of kindness. True compassion arises out of unity with the Heart of Compassion. Unity with the Heart of Compassion happens the same way any creative relationship works. A creative relationship works when one partner is in love with the other and wants nothing more than the other’s happiness. It is a mutual trust and caring for each individual. The vehicle of surrender; the opening of heart, one to another, compels me to kindness. It is within the Heart of Compassion that the power of virtue radiates. No longer is it my will… but Thine be done.

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