Spiritual growth involves self observation. Such quiet observation allow us to see that our lives begin as pure vulnerability. As defenceless infants, we depend on our guardians to protect us and teach us about the world. We are quickly taught what is appropriate behavior and what is not, based on when our parents accept and reject us. Cycles of acceptance and rejection continue as we enter social situations and become increasingly aware of the ‘other’.
Hardwired into the human infant is the need to belong. Instances of not belonging are increadibly painful, hence we begin to avoid situations where we will feel that pain. By associating certain behaviours with pain, we learn patterns of behaviours that we adhere to automatically, patterns that continue well into adulthood until awakening. We begin to map the world around us based on these emotive reactions. A complex web of beliefs, expectations and patterns compile into our internal reality. This reality is ultimately built on the fear of not being accepted. This fear is so powerful because non-acceptance directly means non-safety.
The map of reality we create is unique to our individual environmental factors such as upbringing, cultral and societal expectations and experiences. Therefore, every persons reality differs in some way. There of course will be cross overs in people’s realities that allows for cooperation and functioning society. But by the opposite, differing realities are the cause of conflict. Conflict results as people attempt to cling onto their ‘reality’ as truth and deny someone elses. The tight clinging onto one’s reality is an attempt to find safety by following mans fundamental instincts to be certain, controlling everything around you in order to maintain certainty and therefore safety. This gives rise to an indignant sense of right and wrong.
So it is clear that there exists a form of external world as well as a mental construction/mapping instinct within humans that gives rise to an internal world.
We all live in a goldfish bowl
This can be illustrated by the idea of one living in a goldfish bowl. Every person is residing within their own, unique goldfish bowl which they themselves have naturally created. When one looks out, it appears to be the external world but is actually the goldfish bowl. Furthermore, as one looks out to the external world the view is somewhat distorted from the glass and does not give an accurate depiction of the real world.
Suffering arises when we believe our internal world is the external world. That we have expectations for how things should go, or how things should be in the external world based of the map of our internal world. The greater our belief that we can predict what will happen in reality based on our internal world, the greater the suffering.
As beings that naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain it is natural that if one suffers enough within their life they may seek an alternative path that offers relief from their suffering.
This is usually where the dark night of the soul comes in, a period of huge suffering and disorientation that leads to a spiritual journey.
The spiritual journey is the slow unravelling of the goldfish bowl. Working through past traumas, learnt behaviours, limiting self beliefs, conditioning until you reach the fundamental tendencies and beliefs of human that can also be unravelled. Allowing one the ability to peer over the goldfish bowl.
The journey deep into the self reveals the human tendency to identify. The knowing of an I feels irreputable. Yet as we try to find an I, all we discover is a sort of space within, where phenomenon arises such as emotions, thoughts and pictures. This relinquishes the need for a self or I, meaning we can allow even more space for the arising phenomenon and to experience it without identifying with it. Allowing it to pass smoothly and quickly, and eventually arising less frequently as it becomes easier to love and accept whatever arises with spaciousness.
When the goldfish bowl is removed one is able to interact directly with the external world, exposing the truth that there is no requirement for an internal world. One is able to have a much simpler existence interacting with nature, as a part of nature. Not an object separate from it. Since the illusion of separation falls apart, the external world enters into the space where your mental, emotional and physical phenomenon arises. Leaving one with the awareness that there really is no me, there is simply experience. Nothing is other, everything just is. At this point the mental translator that objectifies and describes every ‘thing’ turns off when not required, such that the seen is simply the seen.
With that experience, it becomes obvious that, despite the illusion of stability, the universe is in constant flux. And that really there is no substance, there are simply changes in energy that we naturally abide by, experience and flow with. This is especially disconcerting to the mind who is tasked with ensuring safety and survival for the body and rather wishes there is substance, something to grasp onto in order to orientate. The urge to know is very strong and can lead to a period of restlessness as the mind thrashes around in this ‘new’ environment (although it was always here like this) attempting to find something concrete to know.
When the mind can accept that there is nothing to know it settles into simply being. Accepting all the universe in any way it manifests.
Pure conscious acceptance – the end of spiritual development.
That is the end of the spiritual journey. It is the end of suffering but not discomfort. It is the awareness of all interconnected. It is the end of illusion. But it is the not the end of the road. Whilst it is not possible to regress or become unaware of something you have become aware of. It is possible to slip into unconsciousness and old patterns.
This is because our brains create pathways based on patterns. It also tries to conserve energy through cognitive easing — following the neural pathway of least resistance. As such it is the case when you first awaken that your alternative pathways that lead to unhelpful behaviour are well grooved. Making it easy to fall into unconscious behavior. This is simply something to be aware of as once full consciousness is achieved, it will always return.
Once at this place, it seems to me the point to life is to experience. Experience what you can whilst you can, feel as fully as possible into everything, allow joy and nurture playfulness.
https://medium.com/@existinghuman/what-actually-is-the-spiritual-journey-e9fc7c30705a
