Practical spirituality for a complicated world.
***image1***The single most important thing any of us will ever do, in any lifetime, is to establish a relationship with the Creator. Nothing, I repeat, nothing, ever takes precedence over this. The establishment of this relationship is what I term a "spiritual path" and I often speak of walking your own spiritual path. In fact, there can be no separation of a spiritual path from career, family or any other path we might engage in. Much of the confusion, chaos, and pain which people experience result from the imbalance caused by the exclusion of Spirit from their lives. This is not a new phenomenon; however the absence of Spirit from so much of modern life is far greater than it has been for a long, long time. Ironically, the most common substitutes for Spirit, namely religion and politics, are stronger than ever. The most powerful religions are fundamentalist in nature, and currently manifesting as fundamentalist Christianity, fundamentalist Judaism and fundamentalist Islam. The most venomous expressions of politics on the planet right now are fascism, Marxism, nationalism, multiculturalism, imperialism, and capitalism. There are two things that all these systems, both religious and political, have in common: 1) a vocabulary of care and concern, 2) repressive, controlling hostility to anyone who might challenge their beliefs. This reaffirms the importance of paying very close attention to what people do, and of not paying too much attention to what they say. Enlightenment will not come to you through membership in a group or through following a set of rules. Enlightenment will be encountered in the quiet of your own heart. Conversely, if you are seeking material world wealth, political power and influence, and ego sense gratification, then you want to become as involved as possible in politics and religion. It's a valid path, especially if you enjoy all the drama of incarnating in this material world.
When we begin paying attention to the promptings and urges of Spirit, speaking through our hearts, we may well find ourselves called to explore spiritual traditions that are not part of our heritage by birth. For example, I found my spirit leading me to investigate the ancient Vedic traditions of India. When I first heard Indian devotional music, Vedic chants, smelled the aroma of sandalwood, and tasted the exotic prasadam offered in temples, I was enchanted. That enchantment led me to study the spiritual literature of India, especially the
Bhagavad-Gita
. I discovered a system of spiritual life, of personal devotion that spoke to my own soul. For many years, I'd tried to experience that in the religion into which I'd been born. I saw my family and friends seemingly benefit from church, Bible, and all the accoutrements of Christianity, but I always felt an outsider. As much as I tried, I could never experience that in my heart, in the way they seemed to. I felt like a failure. When I finally gave myself permission to explore, I began to open to my own truth in a way that allowed me to access Truth. At first, I was surprised, for I found as much rigidity, judgement and fundamentalism in Hinduism as I'd seen in my native Christianity. I finally woke up to the understanding that we, as individual spiritual seekers, are responsible for creating and walking our own paths. In the end, we don't need anyone else's permission or approval. That's what makes it our own. That's how we come to a profound appreciation of the intimacy of a walk with God, or as I usually say, a spiritual path.
I honestly don't think it is any of my business how others walk their spiritual paths, or how others reject the things of spirit. I have no interest in trying to convert anyone, or to hassle them into compliance with my values. I try to stay quite busy living my values, not because I'm a saint, but because when I'm focused on my own path, I have less time to be judgemental or critical of others. Instead of trying to convert others, I'm satisfied with sharing my own spiritual experience, strength, and hope. I enjoy hearing about that from others, and I'm especially grateful to have this forum where I can share my insights. I'm not threatening anyone with the eternal fires of hell if they don't live as I say. I like the fact that you can read this column and hopefully find something of use in it, or if you don't, throw it out. It's simple in that regard. There are no followers or groupies promoting "Robertism."
One of the things I appreciate most about Hinduism is mantras, some of which are designed for liberation from dense materialism. A mantra is a sound vibration that exists in and of itself. It does not require anyone's belief in it, in order for it to be effective. You don't even have to understand how mantras work. Their power and efficacy lie intrinsically within themselves. For five years, I've ended every one of my columns with the ancient mantra OM. I've always liked the fact that I have this powerful mantra sound in my name twice. An Indian teacher once told me that it was a great boon (blessing) and that I should never change my name, as God had already "OM-ed" me twice. Hinduism tells us that there are great epochs or ages through which history moves. We are now in the Age of Kali, an epoch characterized by a general degradation of civilization. We notice a falling away of the valuing of spiritual life, alongside a manic pursuit of material goods and ego pleasures. Of course, it's possible to have both in balance and harmony, but very, very difficult in the Age of Kali due to the lowering vibrational energy on the planet. However, God is not absent. The Creator actually sends advanced, realized souls to point us in the direction of enlightenment.
Hinduism also gives mantras for the purpose of cleansing our consciousness. The Vedas, which were already ancient before Abraham was even born, tell us that the human consciousness, through the illusions and karma of many lifetimes, becomes encrusted. They compare it to a mirror, which has accumulated many layers of dust, and can no longer reflect the light. What we want to do is wipe off the mirror, so it can reflect our true selves, our divinity. The problem is that most of the things we try only add another layer of dust and grime to the mirror. We need some spiritual Windex, hence the mahamantra, the sweet, celestial music emanating from Lord Krishna's cosmic flute. The sound vibrations themselves are the spiritual Windex cleaning the mirror. You don't have to believe in mantras, or understand them, in order for them to be effective. These Sanskrit mantras were carefully crafted, thousands upon thousands of years ago, to achieve their results. I recommend it only because I've tried it and it has certainly worked for me. I'm not a wild-eyed cult member. In fact, any cult worth its salt would never want to claim me as a member. I'm just a simple Redneck Hindu hanging out in Santa Fe.
If you're interested in customizing your own spiritual path, consider coming to my class on October 22. The details are in an ad in today's Santa Fe Reporter. In the meanwhile, be courageous. Be independent. Walk your own path in the beauty of your own truth.
OM
To ask Robert a question, visit his Web site at www.RobertOdom.com, email desertrj@msn.com or send mail to PO Box 33, Santa Fe, NM 87504.
Santa Fe Reporter