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Spiritual Growth: How Mind stunts spiritual maturity
The mind is known for playing tricks. It smartly knows your strengths and weaknesses. Hence, it conveniently builds tough notions in the spiritual path.
But, unfortunately these notions become roadblocks and stunt us from growing spiritually. Today, we shall touch upon 4 toxic mindsets that hinder spiritual growth and maturity.
(1) Spiritual Growth: “I am selfless”
This is the most toxic story that the mind spins. When you start following a guru or take up some spiritual practice, the mind starts building stories about spiritual progress.
You start donating to the guru or hold talks or programs for sharing spiritual knowledge. However, as one starts spending money, one fails to realize that all these acts directly or indirectly bust one’s own mind’s tendencies of owning and possessing.
Now, the mind happily catches on the feeling “I am giving.” This feeling is probably even worse than “not to give or share.
Now, the mind builds on stories about your giving and sharing capabilities. It makes you feel important and wanted. Eventually, as we become popular through our donations, the story takes on an ugly shape. One starts publicizing one’s samaritan activities by saying “On that day, we had a program and in that program, I…”
Beware, this loop is very toxic. Instead of busting the myth of existential ambitions, the mind builds richer stories of deceit by strengthening the concept of “Me and Mine.”- but now around a holier outset.
One starts distributing goods and money around, to strongly reaffirm that “I am selfless”. There cannot be a more self-centered objective other than this one.
(2) Spiritual Growth: “I am humble”
Humility is a great mind-game. It is hard to know who are truly humble.
By bowing to others we tend to display or sport humility. This is prevalent in spiritual circles. Especially in spiritual groups we may tell the other “You are so kind and humble, I deserve to be at your feet and serve you.
However, in our minds we might be saying- “I know that there cannot be another rascal like you. I know all your evil-doings. I am praising you just because I am forced to do it, given to the surroundings.”
In short, people do not follow what they preach.
Thus our mind continuously gets into an image-building spree, constantly seeking attention. The most common feeling about humility is that others should appreciate my humility.
They should know me as a humble person. However, this is hypocrisy of the highest kind. Humility shouldn’t rise from hypocrisy.
Instead of letting go we are building more. To become humble, people ape humility, since they have half-heartedly understood the outer guise of humility.
Instead of internally applying the principle, they satisfy themselves with an external show. Thus heading towards self-deception.You are wanting to deceive yourself so that you can somehow coax yourself to believe this deceit and become recognized in society as a humble being.
This is the height of being a narcissist.
It is better to be bombastic and pompous instead, at least in being so, one is genuine although ignorant or even not self-conscious about this feeling. The moment one becomes self-conscious, one applies 101 means to prove to the world otherwise, since it is a socially prevalent norm that humility is good.
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(3) Spiritual Growth: “I care for others”
We are bothered by society and seek reconciliation from it. We want others to praise and recognize us for our actions. Also, we pay courtesy visits to our neighbors and friends.
Although we may be disturbing them, we feel the need to be recognized as caring by others and our ownselves. So, we may thus show unnecessary concern and extend help even if our intentions are otherwise.
We may say this to others “Oh! You should visit us. Give us an opportunity to serve you.” However, in our hearts we may not own a single word and wish thus “You should never come again. Do not ever disturb me.”
Thus, we continue to live in continuous disharmony with our feelings, words and actions. Our disharmony thus represents our own self-imposed goodness.
Owing to our fears, we feels that unless we ‘display’ care, society won’t care for us.
We live in constant fear of being neglected by society. Thus the fear of not belonging to society makes us confirmed hypocrites. Naturally, we are dependent on society.
Though we do not have genuine care, we put up an act so that when we are in trouble someday, there is good reason to expect hospitality.
(4) Spiritual Growth: “I mean only good for others”
Often we decide for our spouse. We decide what our children should eat and drink. We decide what others should wear, especially if they are younger to us.
If asked for an explanation, one says “You know, I only wish for their betterment. I am only asking them to do what is good for them.”
The question is, how do you know whether your choice is good for not.
It’s a common saying- “My medicine is poison to the other man.” A person is conditioned by 100 things and that is the limitation. With this induced limitation how can we decide for the other?
Over and above that, one proudly thinks “I have kept the other’s welfare as my top priority.” Thus, one falsely believes that since I am after their welfare “I am a good man.”
This nonsensical corrosion takes place in most spiritual people. People even try to impose or somehow try to burden others with their so-called goodness or spirituality.
Nothing can be even half-toxic than such imposed spirituality.
Today spirituality is doing more harm than selfishness. Many so-called spiritual men learn new concepts from spiritual lectures and use others as the Guinea pig to experiment and profess. Over and above that people also want to be socially recognized as well-wishers.
Nothing can be as bad-intentioned as this line of thought.
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