In this article, we are going to discuss two points; Compassionate spiritual practices, and Self-enquiry. For the sake of this article, we shall focus only on a certain aspect of spiritual practices.
Before we start off, the author would like to mention that what is shared here, is only based on his own opinions and experiences. We are not weighing one view up against another, we are merely discussing or exploring different views.
With this said, let's discuss!
A selfless practice
Some philosophies or religions bring a lot of focus to the practice of kindness and compassion. Depending on the philosophy, we may start to perform certain ritualistic actions which we do for the sake of benefiting others. We start to take on an attitude of selflessness, and we perform every single action with the intention of benefiting those around us.Needless to say, this has a great effect on ourselves and our surroundings. Imagine each person was acting selfless and with compassion. The world would probably be free from a lot of suffering!
Yet, we tend to still identify ourselves as the 'practitioner', or the 'doer' of the practice, and we still see 'others'. If we are not careful, our spiritual practice may just strengthen the idea of a separate self, a doer.
This may also imply that if we take accountability for our 'good' deeds, we also take accountability for the 'bad' deeds, which leads to guilt, regret, etc.
This has the potential to keep us in the illusion of duality. We continue taking ownership of whatever happens, and we continue the discrimination. We keep believing that we as individuals are the doer...
An effortless 'practice'
Let's consider Self-enquiry. In short, we start to investigate what we are, we realize that we are not this, not that. We get a glimpse of what we truly are, and as we investigate our True Nature, we find out that there was never any 'self' or 'others', this was an illusion. All along there has been only one Actor, playing all these different roles. This actor, is none other than ourSelf.When we consider this, the path of Self-enquiry is not a path of ritualistic action. This brings about effortless compassion, effortless kindness.
By simply being, we are already benefiting the whole Universe, because our True Nature is togetherness, love, peace, free from desires and attachments.
It boils down to the fact that once we know our True Nature, selflessness and compassion are not something we practice, it is simply who or what we are.
No longer do we falsely identify as separate 'me' or 'doer'. This is freedom because there is no 'me' that will die, that is lacking anything, or that seeks fulfillment. There is no 'separate self' to protect, defend, or sustain. See, with Self Knowledge, we can renounce all the compassionate practices. Loving-kindness and compassion come naturally...
Of course, this is all very subtle. It goes much deeper than what this short article shares. What we want to consider, is checking up on whether our practices are enforcing separation, or if it is dissolving all the illusions of a separate 'me' and 'others'.
Ignoring the Truth brings suffering, while Self-Knowledge brings us lasting peace and fulfillment.
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| Knowing our Self results in effortless compassion, kindness, and happiness. |
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Being here and now - 26 March, 2021
The I thought - 12 March, 2021
The spiritual ego - 08 March, 2021
Very well written. The more we learn to know ourselves the more we feel compassion for the suffering of others.
ReplyDeleteDear reader, thank you for your valuable comment. Yes, there is indeed a great link between Self-knowledge and compassion.
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