Remez Sasson Blog » Spiritual Growth

Pleasure, Attachment and Spiritual Growth

Remez Sasson — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:41:51 +0000

Making progress on the spiritual path does not mean that you have to reject any kind of pleasure and fun and live an austere and harsh life. This idea sometimes holds people from taking the first step toward spiritual growth. Walking on a spiritual path does not require that you avoid everything coming through the five senses, and treating yourself harshly and rigorously.

Pleasure and enjoyment do not hold you from making spiritual progress, but the attachment to them does. It is the attachment that has to go. Attachment is a kind of fear, addiction and lack of freedom. It is the fear of loss.

It might seem to you as a paradox, but you can enjoy life, but at the same time stay unattached anything you experience.

It is the inner attitude that is important. Someone, who has progressed on the inner path, can live and enjoy life, like anyone else, but at the same time not be attached to anything. Such a person may not seek pleasure deliberately, but when there is pleasure, he/she can enjoy it while it lasts, without being attached to it. When the source of pleasure is gone, there is no clinging to it or wishing it stayed, neither there is regret and or a feeling of loss.

Here is what Ramesh Balsekar says on this subject in his book “Who Cares?!”:

“The difference between the sage and the ordinary person, in regard to the enjoyment of sensual pleasures, is that while the ordinary person is continually in search of such pleasures, the sage does not hanker after such pleasures, but enjoys them with zest when they happen in the ordinary course of life. The sage does not seek pleasure, nor does he reject it when it happens.”

Ramesh Balsekar also quotes the words the sage Ashtavakra: “Absence of attachment to sense objects is liberation; passion for sense objects is bondage.”

Overcoming attachment and developing detachment lead to peace of mind and happiness.

The Spiritual Path and Material Life

Remez Sasson — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 07:26:56 +0000

People who are on the path of spiritual growth are sometimes perplexed and don’t know what to do. They want to advance on the spiritual path, but they cannot devote all their time to this quest and abandon the material world. Most of them have responsibilities and duties they feel they cannot ignore, and have material needs they have to take care of.

Some people say that in order to walk on the spiritual path, one needs to give up all material possessions and money and live in seclusion. To prove their assertion, they point to the swamis, monks, yogis and fakirs living in the East. True spirituality is an inner state, and is not gauged by external lifestyle. Living like them is not fit everyone, and it does not always leads to real inner growth.

Did you ever stop to think that there might be people living ordinary lives, with job and family, even people whom you might know personally, who are well advanced on the spiritual path, but yet neither you nor anyone else know about this? They just prefer to hide this fact and there is nothing in their external life to denote their inner state.

Most people won’t be able to live without material possessions of some kind, and it is also not necessary. One needs a place to stay and sleep, clothes, food, health care, and all this costs money. Without them, it will be more difficult to concentrate or meditate, because the mind and the survival instinct will continuously distract and disturb your concentration.

Spiritual growth is an inner path, and with some inner detachment, one can live an intensely spiritual life, wherever he or she might be.

Not everybody is willing and ready to leave completely the material world. Many have families to take care of, and it would be irresponsible and egoistical to leave them. Many don’t fit into a life of seclusion and abstinence, and they function better in society.

Living in seclusion and with no possessions does not necessarily bring spiritual growth and spiritual awakening. A person living this kind of life might be distracted and disturbed in other ways, and might still find it difficult to concentrate or meditate. It is the mind that has to be conquered and not material possessions. Spiritual awakening and enlightenment are not dependent on what you wear, what you eat and where you live. They depend on inner maturity, ripeness and on inner work.

It is true, in an ashram or monastery there are other people walking on the same path, and living with other like-minded people certainly helps. The atmosphere and vibrations in these places might be more harmonious and positive, and there are also spiritual teachers available there, who help and facilitate their development. These facts cannot be argued, but as said earlier, not everyone can afford to leave everything behind and live in such places, and it is not necessary.

It is true that in ordinary life it would be more difficult to find the time to meditate. There are many more distractions, and one needs more inner strength to overcome temptations and disturbances. Yet, if one is persistent and never gives up, he or she would ultimately gain more inner strength and power, than a person who lives in an ashram or monastery. He or she will have to overcome more external obstacles, but this will strengthen them, and if they are persistent enough, they will eventually be able to gain inner peace and concentration that cannot be disturbed by noises, distractions, people or anything else.

Nowadays there are many books, articles, Internet websites, retreats, and teachers who can offer information and help. One can continue living his or her life, and yet walk on the spiritual path. This is an invisible path. There will be people who won’t agree, but spiritual growth, spiritual awakening and peace of mind can be attained, without making any major external changes in one’s life. It is the inner attitude that matters.

Don’t say that you don’t have time and energy for spiritual growth. If you plan your day right, you can have the time and energy.

You can wake up one hour earlier in the morning, to meditate or concentrate. With a little effort you will be able to secure another, say 30 minutes, in the afternoon for this practice.

After a period of time, when you concentration grows, you will also be able to take advantage of spare and unused time during the day to devote to spiritual growth practices, such as while traveling in a bus or train (not while you are driving), while waiting in line, while walking, while washing, while cleaning the house or washing the dishes, and during other such times, when you don’t need to focus your attention on something in particular. If you add all these minutes together, you will find that you can practice a lot during each day, while continuing with your life and everyday activities.

Articles on meditation
Articles on spiritual growth
Book on gaining inner peace and happiness
Course on inner growth

Mouni Sadhu

Remez Sasson — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:27:00 +0000

Mouni Sadhu was an occultist, a spiritual teacher and author, who lived in the 20th century. He was born in 1897, some sources stating Poland as his place of birth, while others say he was born in Russia.

Mouni Sadhu studied and practiced occultism and magic for years, but after reading Paul Brunton’s book, “A search in Secret India”, his focus in life changed. He was fascinated by Paul Brunton’s account about his meeting and conversation with the Indian sage Sri Ramana Maharshi, and from then on, he developed a strong interest in the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, aiming to self-realization.

Mouni Sadhu discovered Sri Ramana maharshi’s teaching at the time he was living in Paris, but after some time, in 1946 he moved to Brazil, finally settling in Australia in 1948.

In 1949 Mouni Sadhu visited Sri Ramana Maharshi at his ashram in Tiruvannamalai, where his spiritual quest reached its heights. He later narrated his experiences at the ashram in his book “In Days of Peace”.

Mouni Sadhu’s Books

Mouni Sadhu wrote seven books, all of them very practical and full of useful information and advice, written from his rich experience. His books cover subjects such as concentration, meditation, spiritual growth, the higher consciousness Theurgy and the Tarot.

If you are a spiritual seeker desiring to gain control over your mind, to understand what the mind is, and to find who you really are, then Mouni Sadhu books have much to offer you.

One of his books is called “In Days of peace”. This is a diary of a spiritual seeker, and is a captivating inspirational, and lucid account of his spiritual experiences. I have read this book many times, the mere reading of a few paragraph was enough to bring a great sense of inner peace and bliss.

Another book is “Concentration – a guide to mental mastery”, which is in my opinion the best book about developing the power of concentration. The exercises are a not easy to perform, and not everyone might be able to practice them all, but even practicing only the first ones, would improve the concentration and the ability to calm down the mind.

Another one of his books is “Samadhi – the superconsciousness of the future”. It is a sequel to his other two books, and was written from his personal experience. It is a must for anyone wishing to raise his consciousness to high spiritual levels. It is rare to find such lucid descriptions, instructions and guidance about the higher consciousness. Just reading it can transform your consciousness and bring it to a higher dimension.

It is difficult to describe spiritual experiences in words, because the mind, which is responsible for talking and writing, has to be silent during these experiences. Yet, Mouni Sadhu had the talent of expressing clearly and logically these experiences, so as to make it easier for others to walk on the same path.

His book “Ways to self-realization” examines the paths leading to self-realization. Its subtitle, explains clearly what the book is about: “A modern evaluation of occultism and spiritual paths”.

“Meditation” is a practical book about meditation, leading the seeker through various stages of meditation to self-realization. This does not mean that by reading the book one gains self-realization. To gain it one needs inner work and persistence. In this book the author brought a wealth of information about concentration, meditation, the mind and what lies beyond it. It is an extensive and useful guide to meditation.

Another one of his books is “The Tarot”. This book is not about divination, and does not teach how to read the Tarot cards. The book analyzes each card from the standpoint of psychology, occultism and magic. In this book. the author speaks from his rich personal experience about the inner powers symbolized by each card, and points to practical ways of using the powers of the mind and of magic.

His last book, “Theurgy – The art of effective worship”, Mouni Sadhu teaches about the power of prayers, with explanations, instructions and examples.

Mouni Sadhu’s books offer the reader real, practical information and instructions, not mere theories. Few books describe the spiritual consciousness and the steps to self-realization, as lucidly as he does, and offer the reader practical tools and guidance to pass from theory to real experience.

I have come across Mouni Sadhu’s books many years ago. One day, while walking by a certain bookstore, I stopped by and entered inside to see if there was anything interesting. A certain book immediately caught my attention. It was Mouni Sadhu’s book, “Meditation”. I picked it up and browsed through it, and was immediately fascinated by it. I bought it, took it home and started reading it.

It was through this book that I came to know about Mouni Sadhu, and became acquainted with his other books, all of which I have purchased and read many times. It was also through his books that I first read about the Indian sage Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Before reading his books, I was aware of the importance of the power of concentration, but after reading “Concentration – A guide to mental mastery”, I came to realize how important concentration is, not just for spiritual growth, but also for using the powers of the mind, for success, and for handling the affairs of everyday life. This led me to follow and practice the exercises in this book, which took time and required effort, but were also very rewarding.

Mouni Sadhu’s books

More information about Mouni Sadhu is available at:
www.mounisadhu.com.

Overcoming Obstacles on the Inner Path

Remez Sasson — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 05:02:17 +0000

People who follow self improvement or spiritual growth techniques, such as concentration, meditation willpower or self discipline, sometimes get bored, lose interest and desire to quit.

There are many reasons why this might happen. If you over practice, your body and mind might resist your efforts. If this is the case, reduce the time you spend on the exercises. Sometimes, doing less is actually doing more.

Like it is with everything else, so it is on the inner path, there comes a time when one becomes bored or tired. In this case it would help, if you were able to motivate yourself to continue. You can do so by thinking often about the benefits of self-improvement or spiritual growth, and by reading about people who practiced what you are doing now and about their success.

There is another point to remember. The mind does not like to be controlled. It wants to stay free and undisciplined. Willpower, self discipline, concentration and meditation are aimed to control the mind and make it obedient to you. When the mind realizes that it is going to lose its freedom, it uses various ways to prevent you from controlling it. It might make you desire to stop the exercises, feel uncertain about the usefulness of what you are doing, make you feel you are wasting your time or just make feel too lazy.

Sometimes one feels as if he or she is being tempted to stop what they are doing. This is the time to show inner strength and discipline. The inner path requires time, devotion and perseverance.

You can help yourself by reading inspiring literature, thinking about what success would mean, not overdoing the exercises, and not obeying the desire to quit.

Sometimes people say that they feel they are losing interest in material things. It is natural, while on the path of spiritual growth, to lose some interest in the material life. One has to use common sense when this happens, and find the balance between the material and spiritual life. It is quite possible to live in both the spiritual and material worlds at the same time. There are people who live in ashrams, who do not care about the material life and about possessions, and there are people who work, have family and possessions, and yet are intensive in their spiritual quest. It possible to go caring about your business, doing the best you can, and the same time have your consciousness, as if in another dimension.

Change and transformation happen on the inner plane and not necessarily on the material plane. Spiritual progress happens inside you, while your external life could continue with almost no change. You may continue working and living the same external life, and at the same time practice self improvement and spiritual growth techniques. As you progress, you will develop some kind of inner detachment, which will allow you to function harmoniously, both on the spiritual and material levels. You will be able continue with your work, job and relationships, but with a kind of free and detached frame of mind.

Recommeded book to help you develop your inner strength:
Will Power and Self Discipline