Spirituality in the modern world.

Can true spirituality co-exist in a world that has become so material, that spirituality itself has become a business rather than a way of life?

Those of you who know me well enough, know that my life has been dedicated to the expression of my spirituality, and as such, and particularly at this particular moment in my life, I should say first of all, that the following article as much as I have tried to be as objective and observational as possible, is my current view on the subject, I understand that some of you if not all of you will be offended by what is written, but also please remember that if I do offend you, and I probably will, there are many principles that you profess that you are applying to your life, now is one of those times when you should be doing just that, I write on this blog, but in reality I am sharing a little piece of what has been changing within me, I share with a big piece of humble pie, the same humble pie I ate while I was getting to understand, what I have understood up until right now. Which in all honesty is not as much as you would think it would be, but enough to understand that most are living a pretense and not a deeply felt experience which is true spirituality.

In my humble and personal view, I would determine spirituality as the practical demonstration of whom you are right now rather than where you think or aspire to be some day. There are claims being made today that though may have been possible to believe in a time when information was poorly available, most of which though unbeknown to you go back to the New Age Movement, whom have been responsible for much of what spirituality is today, but in an age where information is freely available there is no reason for such movements to still exist, for those of you who still are wondering why I am saying this, if such movement is responsible for such advancements in todays spirituality is because the movement is a sect, a cult. And like such it is designed to control what you think and what you know. Even todays events that most of you are blaming on the G8 a group of very wealthy families that control the world finances and resources, you may find that the “New World Order” was actually initiated by this very cult, and not the G8.

But what is a cult? According to the free dictionary it means: A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader. The followers of such a religion or sect. A system or community of religious worship and ritual. The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual. A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular diseaseObsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing. The object of such devotion. An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.

So basically, every single religion out there can be classified as a Cult? The answer is indeed YES. The excepted ones are known as religions, the not widely accepted as cults, but they all have the same agenda, creating the illusion of a spiritual way as long as you adhere to their belief system. The only group that may be classified as such but for whom in majority this is not so is maybe the Buddhist, in as much as its founder Siddhartha Gautama (also known as the Buddha) gave only teachings to master our mind and ego that can lead to enlightenment, and this can be historically proven to be the case, everything else added since are opinions of followers. There are also other paths that may be considered to be pure and can lead to enlightenment, however like with Buddhism, they have been “Lost in translation” it seems, maybe due to the different objectives a mindset has.

East vs West.

Though both mentalities are becoming more and more unified within todays global tribe, there is a more recent and ancient mindset within the people raised in one place rather the other and I am not the first one to point this out, like I wont be the first one to tell you while in appearance we are alike the main difference in our culture is that one side believes in a multitude of lives after which there is an after-life the other believes in just one life, after which there is an after-life both mind-sets are given by …..???? Religion and belief systems! Which, as we saw before are nothing more than accepted cults. While as I have already said, the religious and spiritual practices are thankfully on the up where the 2 cultures are mixing, but in the mix, there is also another “Deity” that is also growing strongly in both cultures. “Money”. And it is this Deity that seems to be corrupting both sides in all ways. Though personally I see money as nothing more than the representation of an exchange energy it is also true that because of this very necessary need of this form of that energy we are sometimes fooled into thinking that we are able to generate a flow of energy through our spiritual practices. In spite of the fact that we are still in the process of healing ourselves. The alternative to which is an almost impossible one, as to try and develop and nurture our spiritual needs and to be able to conquer that energy called money is opposite and conflicting for the most, and it deprives you of those vibrations that you are giving to something else, someone else, in exchange for that money energy which in todays society and values is what has transformed a simple energy into a Deity. So many of you are stuck in this attachment that is either work and money or your so-called spirituality. This need is actually as I mentioned earlier an attachment to an outcome, to your survival, which though undeniably legitimate is not a position in which you can obtain a state which I would define as spiritual state of peace and wellbeing, it is because of this very reason that some masters like the late Osho decided that his followers should be financially independent people as it is extremely difficult to maintain a strong and continues vibration and state of being while you are being burdened with the necessities of your own survival. I know, I have been there before you like I have developed in the past a certain ideology that gave a meaning to what I was doing back then. It’s a lot like when you fall in love with someone, no matter what the universe says, your first commitment is to that love. But in all of this we forget that our real love is seen in those periods when love runs scarcely in the relationship, and not when it is needed or wanted. Likewise we do the same thing with what we believe to be reality, it matters little if that is actually reality based or not, if we believe that to be so there is no outside practice or truth that will move you from that perception, the difference between love and what is essentially faith is that faith can change a person, in love, people change. Neither is permanent as neither is usually based on truth or reality but need. The reason for most people to come closer to a new approach to their health is usually that of a need, be it physical, mental or emotional, in the field of studies into human nature known as the Holistic practices or sciences, is quite easy to find many such answers, as by following even part of a healthy life as per teaching, can and does bring forward several positive aspects for anyone, there are many short courses that last just a few hours or even days, but you forget that you are no longer in school though you are in a classroom setting. What I mean by this is that the teachings that are often given during these courses are often valid or have some validity in the obtaining of a good, healthy lifestyle, but there are reasons why each technique was developed and why it should be practiced regularly and many times so as to obtain true mastership in a particular practice. That mechanical memory that is needed for the development of such mastership is of approximately 10.000 times or hours, and that figure is the starting point for Mastership in any discipline. By the time you have practiced what you have learned that many times you will know it under every aspect, and that is what makes a master, not a course or a diploma, but the consciousness you have developed during that time, the knowledge, the wisdom and above all the awareness that such practice gives you, is what will make you into a true Master of something. Persistence, thought, word and actions all in that same direction, no distractions. As you maintain the practice something else also happens to you, you develop coherency, one of the most important steps to becoming master and a true spiritual experience. While this is the path of any master of any value, it is not necessarily the way of the teacher. A teacher, especially when dealing with spiritual matters, should be born and never made into one. Though some who have developed to a point where they are seen as being ready to handle the responsibility of a master’s position, not all of them are able to teach and most from what I have observed in the last few years should not teach, this is not a question of knowledge in a subject but a question of how and why a person may be in front of you to learn, what is being asked and given to you as a teacher, and what you as a teacher are committing to. Teaching is a bit of a grey area for many, but it is really quite simple, if you have developed the skills, experience, knowledge and wisdom of mastership as described above, and have such love and devotion to the subject you are teaching, and would like to share what you have learned with the world, while still having the best interest of your pupils at heart, then maybe, you might consider teaching, if you are able to help others developing their own abilities and know when to push them and when to hold back, then maybe you are a teacher, when you find those with more potential that you ever had, and can bring that one individual to surpass you and others and guide them so that it is only their abilities and energy that rises, in perfect harmony with all, then you should be a teacher, or you may be on your way to be one, but there is no title, no piece of paper, no amount of studying that will make you into a teacher, for a true teacher is born and then developed, not the other way round. I have met few people like it in my lifetime, those who were, had the same understanding I do. There is one other type of person who is worth mentioning as they have been in the past classified as a part of both, though I understand how or why they would be. I am talking about monks and in particular Buddhist Monks. To better explain what I mean, I would cast you back to the cults, and yes, monks have been part of a society who’s secrets have been kept secret for centuries, but it is probably a lack of communication in the first instance, something I find still present under many aspects like the use of the English language. (This I actually find true in many cultures), Like in many groups that follow a particular belief system, there is always a founder of such group who is usually very knowledgeable in the subject of what such group is all about, because of this his or her teachings are always revered. Imagine then that that teacher was able to teach anyone their own path to enlightenment. Would you not hold his words as sacred? To understand those words as intended, would you not also need to understand the language they were written by him in? Imagine further still that contact with the outside world, not only is a nuisance as it disruptive and interferes with what you are trying to learn, but you are also dealing with people who do not understand you or your language, nor do they want to. Would you not set your self aside from the rest of the world, and work on your ambition? Obviously after his death the number of people who tried to solve the cryptic puzzle that were his writings were many, each seeing and interpreting those words according to their prospective, and so the different branches of Buddhism were born, historically though this is more or less what has happened in the past in all such creed systems like within Christian and Muslim cults. Unlike those cults however, the pursuit of those monks does not entail the worship of a God, but the pursuit of Enlightenment which is the connection to all that is and is not in my understanding. Living in such a closed knit society means that everyone has a role, those who had succeeded in attaining mastership would be in charge of others who were still learning, and those born as teachers, would be guided to be the best teacher they could be, full of knowledge but most of all, the wisdom of understanding their fellow man. I could continue to write about this subject for hours, but that would take me away from the point of this article, which is can modern society truly live a spiritual life. With Buddhism being the oldest of these newer belief systems it was maybe obvious that it would be among them that we would see the first signs of demise, not due to a question of knowledge, but attendance and following. Have you wondered why after so many years many Masters and Teachers within the Buddhist community are now teaching openly even over social medias?

Though Buddhism has increased in the amount of people studying here in the west, the number of young people who are pursuing the goals of the global tribe is on the increase, as east and west traditions meet, and try and merge into the global tribe, the values of the traditions past are dying out and belief systems, especially one as hard as Buddhism to follow, is probably the worst hit. So, some 30 years ago just before the coming of the new millennia, All the leaders of the day in Buddhism met and decided to open their doors and their teachings to the modern western people and many of the Teachers including some Bodhisattvas and Buddhas started to travel the globe Teaching their until then secret traditions. Buddhists were not the first by all means to follow this process as some 20 years before them, some Indian Gurus and Yogis had already done the same thing in the 70’s but very much with a similar result we are seeing nowadays. Having had the good fortune of living and growing up in 2 separate parts of the globe, I have a perfect understanding of both the English and Italian languages, though both are now common use in everyday vocabulary, I see and hear grammatical mistakes as well as the acceptance of a word similar but not quite the same as the original meaning in the original language or dialect, as I have said in the beginning, some things are literally lost in translation, something easily done when you are speaking a language you do not know as well as your native one, or one as the cliché would have it, that you have not fully mastered yet. In every tradition the most ancient and sacred of words are rarely written, if not by the original teacher themselves, and the reproduction of such words is viewed as a breach of that which is sacred to us. Imagine that you do not fully understand the language you are using, then try and explain words and phrases in that language, when you would struggle to make people fully appreciate their meaning and value in a language that you have mastered. A hard task is an understatement to say the least. If you also take into consideration that some of the teachers and masters rely on other people to translate for them, you must then take 2 things into account, the first is the mastery of the language being translated to, and the second is the interpretation given to what the other is saying as an interpreter also has a view or opinion according to which they will translate. This is also another cliché as it is exactly how a teaching is then broken down and ramificated into different understandings of the teachings.

So, what happens when East meets West?

The basic difference between the 2 cultures, is that one believes in the existence of man and that he has just one lifetime to achieve and demonstrate his or her spiritual existence while simultaneously needing to make a mark on the world and ensure the continuity of their genes, while the other is almost opposite in as much as they believe that the spiritual existence is continues and that we achieve this by repeating life until we can reach that state of being which is truly spiritual known as Full Awakening or Enlightenment (A created word by us in the west to try and understand the state reached). In order to fully appreciate why the difficulty of wanting to understand and appreciate the a culture that is obviously more advanced in this quest, we should also look at something that is not quite so obvious to the naked eye, which is the fact that although You as a conscious person may believe in the possibility of a multitude of lives in order to reach this status of being, Your subconscious still believes that if it is to achieve this, it only has one lifetime to achieve it, and that is this one and you must also achieve what the rest of society expects from you. Also a Monk doesn’t have to go to work like you in order to be able to survive, as the community takes care of those who are in pursuit of Enlightenment as they are the one who will guide them when they need it. A perfect reflection of this is seen in the way that monks seek for food and travel around their country. Very much like our western monks used to, they go around the markets and ask for donations in food and cash for those who are in their temple, the difference being maybe the humbleness of the monk and temple, that regards each donation like a treasure, as such each gift is revered and those who are the givers will receive the council and the blessings of the many advanced students, masters and teachers within it, not to mention the gratitude of those who are still growing within the temple. Those blessings and gratitude bring good things to those who give, and it had become standard practice to exchange goods for services among the people and the monks. The difference between temple and those who travelled was mainly that though all and any monk would go to town to collect for the temple, travelling monks were always very learned students transferring to a temple more adapt to their personal practice, masters and seldom the odd teacher travelling between temples, due to this it was considered not only a great honour to give them a bed and a meal for the night, but it would usually change the lives of those who lived within those walls, as their closeness to enlightenment would transfer some of those strong vibration into their lives. Those vibrations will more importantly produce good karma for the generations to come, ensuring like this their continuous lineage and genes. Now as reported it gives a very romantic view and things have changed dramatically since these were common occurrences even in the east now. But historically it is how Buddhism both spread and was revered by the East, it is also why Buddhist monks have never needed to expand or extend this knowledge to anyone outside the countries they are in, and why only few in the past had the opportunity to enrol in their temples.

This opportunity is taken away from those who practice this way of life here in the west not so much by the mentality of the people around you who may understand the benefits of such lifestyle, but in as much as society as a whole has had what can only be classified as a very violent past with such people, from the foundation of the first church to present, a lot of people resent and fear the established religions, waiting for the next ghost to come out to light, this is due to the corruption that has been well known since at least the last thousand years within the establishment. It is therefore not a surprise that we are maybe a lot more suspicious of anyone who is claiming to be spiritual, but to history will probably turn out to be far from it given the amount of people killed before now in the name of God and creation? Also due to the forementioned subconscious concept of life, not only are they often a contradiction of what should be to us, but as concepts they are almost alien to us, quite amusing when you think that up until not so long ago (About 3 versions of the bible ago) the establishment used to teach about re-incarnations. Amazing what a few hundred years of pushing beliefs down people’s throats can do huh? The beauty of it is that this kind of genetic programming can be done and un-done with relative ease, unfortunately however our primary programming works against us.

While on one side we have the opportunity to learn from our Eastern friends, their way of life is slowly disappearing and the generations to come will no longer be able to access those teachings unless we in the West are able to introduce them and maintain them within our global tribe.

Going back to what I was saying, our programming works against us, but not just on an historical or spiritual level, but also on how our programming influences our prospective. As I speak to more and more people who claim them selves to be spiritual people and that have suddenly become a therapist or whatever name they might have chosen to use as I have seen claims of all sorts around, especially the internet. Do not misunderstand me, there are people out there who do some wonderful things that can be of benefit to many, who have studied and dedicated part if not all of their lives for the benefit of others out there, but few get there without a good marketing campaign behind them. And this is one of those very sore points for a lot of operators and such people. Due to the one lifetime mentality we tend to rush through things without dedicating the just amount of time to either healing or trully growing ourselves, with the added need for survival we find in a situation where something has worked …. Well enough? And move on to the next thing, never really understanding or dedicating the time to fully master a subject or discipline, these practices require a deep understanding of many things and influences, they require wisdom in their use and practice, yet for our own survival we often almost give away those thigs which are sacred to us. Why? Programming. The live of a western personality is greatly influenced by this, and if you were to analyse all this you would probably have to come to the conclusion that the western world requires a much more egotistical approach to life, anything that secures or gives the possibility of being a success is therefore wanted, it is also due to this same programming that most lack the self-discipline to achieve mastership of any type.

Taking yoga as a well known subject of reference, I should say that I have never practiced it in any way, though I know a variety of teachers throughout the world who are accomplished Yogis who have dedicated their lives to the practice, having said this I have often spoken to them about their different practices and techniques, as well as having discussed in depth the spiritual basis for such practice, to my understanding there are actually several schools of thought as to what makes yoga, but those practices all have a spiritual connection and are actually limited to about 5 major schools of thought, so why is it that here in the west we seem to have 50 different types of yoga? The answer I was given to this question is: Well, you can look at this in one of 2 ways, the first which is the most realistic, is that real yoga is tough, not just physically but also emotionally, mentally and spiritually, western people do not have the mindset for it and lack stamina, for this reason some of the masters have created a system which is much simple, but not as effective. To understand the spiritual side alone you need to understand the culture and the people, the tradition and the true benefits of the practice. This has often been taken away from the western world.

The other way of putting it is that in the west, in order for something to survive it needs to be relatively easy and socially accepted, people don’t mind the exercise and that is half the battle, a pure body. I then went on to ask: But what about these silly names I keep seeing? Laughing yoga and so forth? They just laughed and saying: Westerners! And walked away. (Extremely funny as 3 of them are westerners by birth!)

At this point I think its time to bring this long debate to some kind of a conclusion.

Eastern philosophy and practice has proven to be much more realistic and in tune with spiritual philosophy and if it is to survive, it needs to be sustained within the global tribe, and though almost contradictory in it-self, we need to eliminate the programming which has been given so far by these cults whom in the name of spirituality have created a way of destroying spirituality and have created a stronger ego within us, above are but a few of the obstacles we face, and I am not advocating any act other than simply understanding why we are in danger of extinction as a race we have plummeted and squandered most of the planets resources out of greed and in the name of progress, in the name of a better quality of life for us and those who follow, yet there is little future for those to come, only hard work in restoring to what once was, if we still have time to. Because of this way of life, we are also killing what is the most important factor in our evolution, our spiritual and personal growth. We are Souls with a body, not a Body with a soul, if we stop growing spiritually, we will cease to exist, for the only real guarantee in life is change and subsequently evolution, without them we do not and cannot exist. I have spoken of only two such practices, yet many lead to Enlightenment, and each must find their way in their time. Will Spirituality continue to be? It must, so it will. But each of is responsible for everyone else as well as our selves.

If you are one of those who seeks to grow, to evolve, let me ask you this, have you mastered your practice? I am still mastering mine.

Love. All~Ways. Peter <3