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Spiritual consumerism is the scourge of our time
“The modern age may be called not only the age of strife or machines, but also the age of consumerism. The best entertainment for us is shopping. We change things very quickly, not because they go bad, but because they get bored.
People consume not only things, but also impressions. Different amusement parks, movies, theaters, travel (not always pure consumerism, but often). People consume each other. They change spouses like gloves, treat children as things that can be deposited, hand over elderly parents to special institutions, no one values friends for a long time. We were told that this too can be done, that there is nothing immoral about it.
As Radhanatha Swami says, we've all gone a little crazy. After all, the idea is to use things, and you need to love people. We love things and use each other. This is also about our consumer attitude to life. But that's not the limit.
“Now another fashion has come. Spiritual consumerism. At one time, this topic was closed and forbidden in Russia. And then there was so much diversity that it turned out that you could believe in God in different ways. And develop spiritually differently. You can read different books, try different practices. You can also go back and forth and listen and read and try this. ?
And you can take your religion out of there, from here everything you like, remove everything unnecessary. Consider yourself a highly spiritual person. In time, you can become God (and what?).
You can change your religion every six months as soon as you get bored. As soon as religion demands something from you, you jump into another. Where you're so excited. And in that same place you can start saying that your past religion is a nightmare! You will most likely be respected and appreciated for such words. Till we get bored here, too.
You can also treat God like an ATM. You are his prayer through his teeth, he is your money, husband, children and happiness. You again bribe him in the form of prayer - he again gives you the blessings you need. Comfortable! And let him try not to answer the prayer!
You can love some distant and abstract God and hate all the people around you. They are spiritual, they are worthless. But it's like wanting to marry a woman while rejecting her children. What kind of love is that?
You can become a fanatic, usually not for long. At first a man is a fanatic of some faith, when any other is a nightmare and a path to hell. And then he becomes a fanatic of another faith, and his past faith becomes a sin and the object of his personal hatred. Is there any faith in that?
A lot of things you can, sometimes there is a feeling that everything is possible, to report to someone like no one. If we do not see God with our eyes, then our hands are untied.
You can spend your whole life jumping back and forth and thinking of yourself as a highly spiritual person. And it even seems to be much more spiritual than being an atheist. But you know, sometimes those who don't seem to believe in God live more honestly and correctly. They have the same commandments in the form of principles and internal rules. They do good deeds and try to improve the world without growing a huge ego. There are not many of them, but there are.
And vice versa. Believers believe in words and live as if there is no God. It's like nobody's seeing them right now. They violate all kinds of commandments without even blinking an eye. They lie, betray, commit violence against the psyche of other people – and at the same time look down on those who do not believe in anything.
It is also possible to speak of the unity of God and all religions, without taking any steps towards it in any of them. Do not read books about Him, do not pray, do not try to commit any austerity. It's like looking at a map where ten different roads end up taking you to the same place. Look at the map, look. And stay where you are now.
You can wear the paraphernalia of some faith, for example, a cross or khantimala, but at the same time behave not in a Christian or Vaishnava way. I once saw a “highly spiritual girl” coming out of the temple and kicking a stray dog that was lying in her way.
Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” And for some reason we heard that no matter how much sin he will let go. You can confess and then do the same thing again. Until the next confession. Everybody's writing anyway.
Religion often attracts us as long as it does not require anything from you. While she might surprise you nicely. While it's fresh to the mind. As soon as it is time to observe the commandments, principles, prayer circles and rules, interest is lost. And in return, something new is sought.
When religions are tried and tired, you can engage in “pseudo-spiritual” directions – try different types of “spiritual” meditation, for example.
But religion is not a buffet where you can choose only what you like. Every religion is a whole system with its own principles. And the principles are the same everywhere. There are different rituals, words, and names of God. It's the same thing. And in order to get to the bottom – you need to start moving along one of the roads. Pick her up and start moving.
In any religion, a woman’s body must be clothed from head to toe. What are the Muslims, what are the Christians, what are the Vaishnavas, what are the Slavs? In any traditional culture, women covered their bodies with long dresses, sundresses, capes, saris. The heads were covered, and this is not just a Muslim idea.
In any religion, violence, theft, treason are condemned. There is no divorce in any religion. Everywhere the same negative attitude to deception, theft, murder. In different languages and different words, it’s all about the same thing. How are they different? Taste.
These are different fruits on your table. Some sweeter ones, some with a beckoning sourness, some knit, some slightly bitter. Everyone has their own fruit, with their favorite taste. Everyone chooses what is closest to them.
All religions say the same thing. Different words and different images. But the point is one.
“The essence of spiritual life is not to be called a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, a Buddhist, a Sikh, a Farsi, or a Vaishnava, but to purify one’s heart to transform the envy that lives in our heart into compassion, greed into generosity, darkness into light, selfishness into service, hatred into love.”
We usually have a higher taste for religion. Where the heart opens and sings. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. Chances are, one day you'll hit a wall when you can't go any further. No strength to follow principles, no strength to pray, nothing pleases.
It is said that this is where we stopped in our past lives. Everything was easy for us, from old memory. And here we need to make efforts, austerity, look for opportunities for spiritual practice, look for opportunities to enhance the taste of practice. And it's never easy.
It’s easier to go somewhere else, find something new, something simpler, and switch. After all, life should be easy, joyful – only 24 hours a day. We avoid all difficulties. However, it is the difficulties that make us wiser and deeper.
You may encounter difficulties along the way. As everywhere - and ravines can be, and mountains, and stormy rivers, and swamps. You can overcome all this and become wiser, stronger soul, deeper, more mature inwardly. It is a mature position to choose your path and follow it. You may not be able to immediately reach the point you need, but this progress will definitely not be in vain. Next time you start with a better starting position.
But there is always another option – to remain a child who is just looking for entertainment and ease everywhere, even in a relationship with God. Who wants life to be just an amusement park with cotton candy and artificial roller coasters that go without you at all. This is spiritual consumerism – the thoughtless burning of life and the possibilities of one’s mind and heart, the path is hopeless and leads nowhere.
Should we change our faith? I wouldn't change it if you had a taste for the one you're already in. There are no bad religions, only people who can distort the meaning of the scriptures and spoil this very taste. Therefore, in your faith, you should surround yourself with pure and deep people, communication with whom will strengthen your faith, purify, deepen.
What faith should you choose if you haven’t already? Just follow your heart, it will take you where you need to go. The heart will tell, it will. You will meet people who can give you a taste of happiness from your relationship with God. This will be a signal to you on what path to follow.
“Remember that there is no bad road. Any religion, if it has its own holy people, can give you what you are looking for. Even if it is not official for your country or recognized by your loved ones. Listen to your heart. It never lies.”
And yes, read Radhanath Swami’s book, “Journey Home,” about finding your way in hundreds of different directions. It was this book that helped me find my way and opened my heart to my personal journey home. published
Author: Olga Valyaeva, chapter from the book "Healing the female soul"
P.S. And remember, just by changing our consumption – together we change the world!
Join us on Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki
Source: www.valyaeva.ru/duxovnoe-potrebitelstvo/
People consume not only things, but also impressions. Different amusement parks, movies, theaters, travel (not always pure consumerism, but often). People consume each other. They change spouses like gloves, treat children as things that can be deposited, hand over elderly parents to special institutions, no one values friends for a long time. We were told that this too can be done, that there is nothing immoral about it.
As Radhanatha Swami says, we've all gone a little crazy. After all, the idea is to use things, and you need to love people. We love things and use each other. This is also about our consumer attitude to life. But that's not the limit.
“Now another fashion has come. Spiritual consumerism. At one time, this topic was closed and forbidden in Russia. And then there was so much diversity that it turned out that you could believe in God in different ways. And develop spiritually differently. You can read different books, try different practices. You can also go back and forth and listen and read and try this. ?
And you can take your religion out of there, from here everything you like, remove everything unnecessary. Consider yourself a highly spiritual person. In time, you can become God (and what?).
You can change your religion every six months as soon as you get bored. As soon as religion demands something from you, you jump into another. Where you're so excited. And in that same place you can start saying that your past religion is a nightmare! You will most likely be respected and appreciated for such words. Till we get bored here, too.
You can also treat God like an ATM. You are his prayer through his teeth, he is your money, husband, children and happiness. You again bribe him in the form of prayer - he again gives you the blessings you need. Comfortable! And let him try not to answer the prayer!
You can love some distant and abstract God and hate all the people around you. They are spiritual, they are worthless. But it's like wanting to marry a woman while rejecting her children. What kind of love is that?
You can become a fanatic, usually not for long. At first a man is a fanatic of some faith, when any other is a nightmare and a path to hell. And then he becomes a fanatic of another faith, and his past faith becomes a sin and the object of his personal hatred. Is there any faith in that?
A lot of things you can, sometimes there is a feeling that everything is possible, to report to someone like no one. If we do not see God with our eyes, then our hands are untied.
You can spend your whole life jumping back and forth and thinking of yourself as a highly spiritual person. And it even seems to be much more spiritual than being an atheist. But you know, sometimes those who don't seem to believe in God live more honestly and correctly. They have the same commandments in the form of principles and internal rules. They do good deeds and try to improve the world without growing a huge ego. There are not many of them, but there are.
And vice versa. Believers believe in words and live as if there is no God. It's like nobody's seeing them right now. They violate all kinds of commandments without even blinking an eye. They lie, betray, commit violence against the psyche of other people – and at the same time look down on those who do not believe in anything.
It is also possible to speak of the unity of God and all religions, without taking any steps towards it in any of them. Do not read books about Him, do not pray, do not try to commit any austerity. It's like looking at a map where ten different roads end up taking you to the same place. Look at the map, look. And stay where you are now.
You can wear the paraphernalia of some faith, for example, a cross or khantimala, but at the same time behave not in a Christian or Vaishnava way. I once saw a “highly spiritual girl” coming out of the temple and kicking a stray dog that was lying in her way.
Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” And for some reason we heard that no matter how much sin he will let go. You can confess and then do the same thing again. Until the next confession. Everybody's writing anyway.
Religion often attracts us as long as it does not require anything from you. While she might surprise you nicely. While it's fresh to the mind. As soon as it is time to observe the commandments, principles, prayer circles and rules, interest is lost. And in return, something new is sought.
When religions are tried and tired, you can engage in “pseudo-spiritual” directions – try different types of “spiritual” meditation, for example.
But religion is not a buffet where you can choose only what you like. Every religion is a whole system with its own principles. And the principles are the same everywhere. There are different rituals, words, and names of God. It's the same thing. And in order to get to the bottom – you need to start moving along one of the roads. Pick her up and start moving.
In any religion, a woman’s body must be clothed from head to toe. What are the Muslims, what are the Christians, what are the Vaishnavas, what are the Slavs? In any traditional culture, women covered their bodies with long dresses, sundresses, capes, saris. The heads were covered, and this is not just a Muslim idea.
In any religion, violence, theft, treason are condemned. There is no divorce in any religion. Everywhere the same negative attitude to deception, theft, murder. In different languages and different words, it’s all about the same thing. How are they different? Taste.
These are different fruits on your table. Some sweeter ones, some with a beckoning sourness, some knit, some slightly bitter. Everyone has their own fruit, with their favorite taste. Everyone chooses what is closest to them.
All religions say the same thing. Different words and different images. But the point is one.
“The essence of spiritual life is not to be called a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, a Buddhist, a Sikh, a Farsi, or a Vaishnava, but to purify one’s heart to transform the envy that lives in our heart into compassion, greed into generosity, darkness into light, selfishness into service, hatred into love.”
We usually have a higher taste for religion. Where the heart opens and sings. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. Chances are, one day you'll hit a wall when you can't go any further. No strength to follow principles, no strength to pray, nothing pleases.
It is said that this is where we stopped in our past lives. Everything was easy for us, from old memory. And here we need to make efforts, austerity, look for opportunities for spiritual practice, look for opportunities to enhance the taste of practice. And it's never easy.
It’s easier to go somewhere else, find something new, something simpler, and switch. After all, life should be easy, joyful – only 24 hours a day. We avoid all difficulties. However, it is the difficulties that make us wiser and deeper.
You may encounter difficulties along the way. As everywhere - and ravines can be, and mountains, and stormy rivers, and swamps. You can overcome all this and become wiser, stronger soul, deeper, more mature inwardly. It is a mature position to choose your path and follow it. You may not be able to immediately reach the point you need, but this progress will definitely not be in vain. Next time you start with a better starting position.
But there is always another option – to remain a child who is just looking for entertainment and ease everywhere, even in a relationship with God. Who wants life to be just an amusement park with cotton candy and artificial roller coasters that go without you at all. This is spiritual consumerism – the thoughtless burning of life and the possibilities of one’s mind and heart, the path is hopeless and leads nowhere.
Should we change our faith? I wouldn't change it if you had a taste for the one you're already in. There are no bad religions, only people who can distort the meaning of the scriptures and spoil this very taste. Therefore, in your faith, you should surround yourself with pure and deep people, communication with whom will strengthen your faith, purify, deepen.
What faith should you choose if you haven’t already? Just follow your heart, it will take you where you need to go. The heart will tell, it will. You will meet people who can give you a taste of happiness from your relationship with God. This will be a signal to you on what path to follow.
“Remember that there is no bad road. Any religion, if it has its own holy people, can give you what you are looking for. Even if it is not official for your country or recognized by your loved ones. Listen to your heart. It never lies.”
And yes, read Radhanath Swami’s book, “Journey Home,” about finding your way in hundreds of different directions. It was this book that helped me find my way and opened my heart to my personal journey home. published
Author: Olga Valyaeva, chapter from the book "Healing the female soul"
P.S. And remember, just by changing our consumption – together we change the world!
Join us on Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki
Source: www.valyaeva.ru/duxovnoe-potrebitelstvo/
