Where are you spending your spiritual capital?
Where are you spending your spiritual money? In Buddhist parlance, and other disciplines, your spiritual bank account consists of virtue. Virtue is accrued through good karma, kind acts, generosity, charitable giving...service to others. Virtue is gained through refraining from stealing, killing, cheating, cruelty, greed and selfishness.
Think of your every thought and action as a coin. Each one has a frequency and vibration of its own, and either goes to your bank as virtue, or removes virtue from your bank. I could probably wrap up this article right here, because that is such a clear illustration, but it would be a pretty short read.
Consider that EVERY thought and action does this. Every. Thought.
Have you ever stopped and observed the great, relentless river of thought that pours through your mind during the day? How much of your habitual thought process is negative? Complaining? Judgmental? It's an unfortunate truth that the human mind seems hardwired to think this way. We are often trained to it from the cradle, listening and observing people around us. In time, it forms a hard scaffolding around the mind that enables it to function in a way that seems acceptable, or at least familiar. In reality, this habitual thought is a prison that holds us in place, creating actions that reflect it, and hemorrhaging virtue. Eckhard Tolle considers the egoic mind as a parasite, a deadly thing that is destroying the human race.
"The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven." —John Milton
All you have to do is look at politics today (I really try not to...) to see that when a mind is made up to something its almost impossible to change it, unless one is dedicated to improving that part of oneself, and takes steps to undo that bondage. There are ways to accomplish this!
Meditation of course, is a powerful way to sit with oneself, observe the thoughts that flow through, and let them float by.
A person could be motivated strongly to disciplining the mind, when it is seen that we empty our pockets every time we think a mean or hurtful thing. Or when we don't perform some act of kindness, when we have the opportunity to do so. "Someone else will pick up that stray dog." The gold coin sails away, to find a more congenial home. "I'm so tired of listening to your blah blah blah!" Adios dear peso! "No one will notice if I help myself to that sweater...." someone else's bank just got fatter and happier. It motivates me!
“The mind is the source of all suffering, and it is also the source of all happiness.” —Pema Chodron
Master Sha teaches, in essence....
The soul speaks to the heart, the heart speaks to the mind, the mind speaks to the Qi, the Prana energy, the Qi vibrates into physical form.
It's the power of the soul and physics together, as it always been. If we can be still and let our beautiful souls speak, this Divine vibration and frequency can shimmer out into the world of form. Learn to be still. It is the sweetest place! I call it precious time, because it's the singular authentic experience that you can have. Value a quiet mind, nurture it, love it, bless it. Hear the call of your own eternal immortal soul. It is very happy to speak to you. To quote Eckhart Tolle,
"Stillness speaks."
Let us learn to hear it.
When I wake up in the morning, I instantly start spiritual practice. By the time my feet hit the floor I have already done three separate disciplines to start the day, and I feel great! Then, die hard habit picks up the phone and checks Facebook. AAAAIIIIII!!! This very morning, within 3 minutes of rising I found myself embroiled in a vigorous and prickly discussion about climate change. This time I decided I wasn't going to blow all my spiritual capital, and turned it off. A biblical quote came to me,
"Be in the world, but not of the world."
It is imperative that we learn this if we are to survive as a race. To train ourselves to simply watch, and keep our own peace and council. See drama for what it is, toxic noise. To serve in all ways that we can, as selflessly as we can. Save your spiritual money, you'll need it.
Kristin Strachan compassionbuddha.net
