How to find your spiritual path? Spiritual development of man. Moral and spiritual development of the individual The shortest path is the most difficult

Spiritual development− this is the study of the structure of REASONABLE LIFE, through knowledge of YOURSELF, your feelings and thoughts, where and how they are born, how they affect us, on a personal and general level.

The real Spiritual path of development (growth of the Soul) is not possible without real knowledge of yourself (your inner world of feelings and thoughts).

Not everyone is able to come to this Path. Someone is busy getting their daily bread, someone needs to arrange their personal life, that is, most people are immersed headlong in “everyday life” and they simply have no time to stop and think about something else. Fear also has its place. After all, even realizing the meaninglessness of the “race” for new acquisitions and growth of one’s social significance, it takes a lot of courage to boldly look into oneself and try to change the usual way of life, and at the same time transform oneself.

Such people can be forced out of their “comfort zone” only by some out-of-the-ordinary event that can shake a person - it could be stress, a sudden insight caused by shock, the death of loved ones, etc. The event should make him understand the illusory nature of such a life, where values ​​come, but human life, by and large, has no meaning.

When understanding comes and the familiar world collapses, a person is faced with a choice - how to live now, what to believe in, what or who to serve? What can stimulate a person to believe in himself and think about eternal and unshakable values? At this moment, a difficult path of change and transformation of his spirit opens up before him, an opportunity opens up to touch his Divine beginning.

Evolution of Spirit and Soul

Spiritual development is the Path of evolution of the spirit and soul, which distinguishes people from animals, and for the sake of which we all incarnated here on Earth. After all, the meaning of life is to cleanse the mirror of your soul from dirt through moral victories over your shortcomings, character traits and habits, strengthen your spirit and continue to improve beyond the boundaries of our reality, in higher worlds and in more subtle matters.

Real Spiritual development is possible only under these conditions, when a person goes beyond the framework of the Destructive Mind, in which there is the creativity of illness, death, doubt...

Our body is the seat of the soul and through the spirit is connected with the Creator (God or Creator). We can also say that every person, animal, insect, plant, mineral or atom collectively constitutes the body of God, or he manifests himself through everything that surrounds us and this all evolves and develops according to cosmic laws and cycles.

Having reached human nature, the soul and body are subjected to severe trials. On their way, obstacles arise in the form of ego, dubious desires, negative emotions, a sense of self-importance, etc. In the fight against these factors, a person sometimes lives many lives until conditions mature and form in which a person can no longer continue to live like this without changing yourself.

The essence of Spiritual improvement

The most important thing on the path of Spiritual development is to find the integrity of your views and aspirations with the desires of your soul, and then it is possible to become like God not only in image, but also in content. Love is the key to unlocking limitless possibilities within yourself. Love is the language of God. Learning to truly love is not easy and many have no idea what it is. Their understanding does not extend beyond carnal friction against each other and a possessive attitude towards their lovers.

We must learn to give love to the entire world around us, without expecting anything in return, because God has already rewarded a person with everything that one could dream of even at birth. However, for some this is not enough and they rush from one extreme to another. Hence wars, rivalry, and fornication... This is the path of suffering and dissatisfaction, which destroys the body and destroys the soul.

But how, by what means and methods do you come to an agreement with yourself? Perhaps prayer will be a consolation for someone, but it is not capable of providing an impetus for evolutionary growth. Religion is an unnecessary intermediary between man and God. Nowadays, it increasingly serves as a tool for manipulating people, a means of profit and dirty machinations on the part of the church or higher authorities.

Only evolution matters now. Therefore, by choosing a voluntary, firm and conscious intention to know and change yourself, you can achieve the desired result. As they say, there are many who seek the Creator, but not many find Him. The Creator lives in each of us, but without awakening him, we turn away from ourselves. He does not hear the voice of our desires, requests or laudatory odes - he responds only to manifestations of the spirit expressed in actions.

Doubts in one’s abilities and fear of an unknown future and, most importantly, an unconscious choice of the Spiritual path will very quickly return an immature person to a familiar and comfortable way of life. To remain true to your choice, especially at the initial stage, you need to be vigilant, listen to yourself and pull back whenever the ego begins to dictate its terms - complete control of thoughts and actions.

• You need to accept yourself, having understood your delusions, mistakes, grievances, albeit not immediately, but over time. First of all, you should learn to always remain honest and be yourself under any circumstances. There is no need to blame anyone for the current situation, or even yourself - after all, this is a school where we all undergo training and grow our souls with each class.

Freed from the burden of past mistakes and grievances, a person gains lightness and self-confidence. The surrounding world begins to create favorable conditions for a person, fills space with guiding signs, life becomes joyful and transforms right before our eyes. Having felt inner peace and the desire to live, a person in the future will never be able to repeat the mistakes of the past and will not make new ones.

Reading philosophical literature, spiritual practices, and meditation will help speed up evolution. Religious literature contains too many conjectures and falsehoods, so a person ignorant of such matters can easily accept anything on faith. There are a lot of ancient and modern literary artifacts that can acquaint the traveler with the structure of the universe, with cosmic and spiritual laws, with concepts that reveal the very essence of a human being and much more.

Spiritual development is possible only if a person sincerely wants to know his inner world, really change the structure of his feelings, give himself the opportunity to find out how to really live, breathe, love, without feelings of fear.

Literature:

E.P. Blavatskaya, D.L. Andreev, the Roerichs, Sri Aurobindo, Osho, ancient Indian epics - “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana”, Bhagavad Gita, Vedas, Philokalia, AllatRa and many other books that are recommended for deep study by those who chose the path of the spirit.

Today there is no comprehensive, unambiguous and final answer to the question of what spiritual development is. Why is this so? There are a lot of reasons - from differences in religious views to differences in the political and economic structure of a particular country. Naturally, the individuality of each person and the historical path of society and society with its traditions, labels and prejudices also influence. But what to do?

An attempt to define

Although it is clear from the above that there cannot be a single answer, it is still necessary to outline some framework for further consideration of the issue. Spiritual development is a certain indicator of certain qualities of an individual person that are associated with his ethics and morality. This is an understanding of your purpose, mission. The spiritual development of the individual is inextricably linked with the degree of understanding of the universe and its integrity. And also with the awareness of one’s own responsibility for all events occurring in life.

Movement towards self-improvement

Spiritual development is a process, it is a path. It should not be seen as a result or a line to be crossed. If this process is stopped, then the person will immediately begin to degrade, since the spiritual development of the individual cannot be paused. This movement from less to more is a process that has its own specific characteristics, like any other. These include speed, direction, magnitude of changes. What can really be improved is something that can be measured in some way. This means that it is possible to qualitatively monitor the dynamics of development at different levels (or stages). How to navigate the issue regarding direction? It’s very simple - you need to look at the result. If practice makes life better, easier, brighter and more interesting, if a person becomes kinder, more tolerant, there is harmony and peace within him - he is on the right path. If a person experiences inspiration, joy, and elation from the fact that his personality is growing, becoming mature, morality is improving, and his ability to penetrate into the essence of things is increasing, then his path is correct.

Path directions

Spiritual and moral development in today's society is achievable through different methods - alternative and traditional. What could it be? The spiritual development of the individual must begin with social and cultural activities. In addition to this, there may be: literature - the Bible, Koran, Vedas, Avesta, Tripitaka; spiritual personal practices - meditations, rituals, ceremonies, exercises; visiting holy places such as Mecca, Vatican, Tibet, Shaolin. As you can see, there are a huge number of options, and they are all individual. Perhaps the beginning of the spiritual path will be hatha yoga or the Church. You need to listen to yourself, your heart.

A small note

Life shows that a very deep misconception on such a path as spiritual development is the prevalence of external influence on the will, personality, body, mind, feelings and these are only external, unimportant circumstances. At first they may play an important role, but as progress progresses they should fade into the background or disappear altogether. True spirituality begins and grows within. The world itself gives the practitioner certain signs about where to move next and how.

Need for companion and support

Any process is subject to certain laws. If there is any development, for example, a nuclear reaction, then it is subject to the laws of physics. Spirituality is the values ​​that are inherent in every person. On this path it is important to have an assistant, a companion, a partner. You should not be embarrassed to discuss certain aspects with your significant other or with a friend. If the interlocutors do not share aspirations, it’s okay. Just lead by example. Naturally, qualitative growth and development will be noticeable, and there is a high probability that the partner (or comrade) will also be interested in increasing his own level of spirituality. It is necessary to provide him with help and support so that the person feels confident and comfortable.

Personal development or spirituality?

The word “personality” is a set of socially significant qualities (interests, needs, abilities, views, moral beliefs). In this case, we can say that personal development is work that is aimed at revealing individual characteristics, self-realization in society, and self-expression. This is an indicator that is created by man. But what is spiritual development? In the literal sense of the word, it is the manifestation of the spirit in man and in the world. It turns out that this term may not be associated with implementation in society at all. You can say “spiritual development of culture.” But how will this concept be applied to individual individuals? Naturally, you can combine the words and say “moral and spiritual development of the individual,” but what is the difference between them and how significant is it?

Distinctions

Personal development is the process of effective implementation of a person in society. In this case, the boundaries are set from the outside, that is, by society. The external environment stimulates action, and it also limits it. Personal development is the material side of human existence. This includes the desire to be successful and earn good money. But spiritual development is a search for internal boundaries, determined by oneself, the desire to meet one’s “I”. At the same time, there is no desire to “become someone,” but there is a need to get answers to eternal questions: who am I, why am I, where did I come from? The spiritual development of a person is the process of understanding oneself, one’s nature, one’s masks, which do not depend on any external indicators and circumstances.

Path difference

Always implies some goal that must be achieved within a certain time frame. There is an end point and there is a starting point. That is why we can say that this is the “path of achievement.” It is assumed that there is something outside that limits us, and overcoming this limitation is the way to achieve what we want. What if there is an intangible goal, for example, to be happy? After all, this is an internal feeling, subjective. In personal development, it is replaced by certain material objects - a million dollars, marriage, and so on. If there is a certain goal that you need to strive for and achieve, then this is not spiritual development. After all, it comes from a completely different state - it is comprehension, search, experience, feeling, knowledge of reality here and now.

Discovering Yourself

Personal development requires someone, some kind of obstacle. You need to become better and more perfect than someone else. This is exactly what is important and necessary. Spiritual development of a person implies discovering oneself through accepting oneself. A person begins to be interested in himself, in what he already has. There is no desire to become “someone” different. This is an exclusively internal process, because nothing and no one is needed, there is no need for support or approval. Inner knowledge and inner strength appear, various illusions about the surrounding reality and oneself disappear.

Attitude to the future and present

Personal growth is completely and absolutely built on images of the future, on futuristic pictures. If we don’t have something now, then we must take some steps to make sure that “something” appears in the near future. We are focused on tomorrow and live for it. The biggest problem in such a way of life and worldview is the devaluation of present time, since in this version it is not of particular value. Spiritual development implies a completely different attitude towards time - the absolute irrelevance of the past and the future, because only the present exists, and only it is valuable. Attention is directed to awareness of the current moment of life. External situations only provide incentive for research.

Availability of guarantees

Personal development cannot exist without any guarantees. Although it is clear that no one knows a 100% future in this constantly changing world, it is the illusion of security and stability that is important. In this case, everything becomes only a means, and freedom - the goal. Everything is perceived not as an ongoing event, but as a reward for work. The spiritual development of a person is devoid of any guarantees - it is complete and absolute unknown. Everything is perceived as a process of comprehension, without subjective assessments.

Ideals

In personal development there is always some kind of ideal, a desire for it. Be it the ideal relationship, the search for the ideal job, the ideal life. This is necessary to feel the significance of yourself and your life. That is why in personal development such assessments as “good” and “bad”, “moral” and “immoral”, “moral” and “immoral” are used. There are no evaluative concepts in spiritual development, since any action has its own hidden meaning that needs to be cognized. There is no ideal, but there is a desire and desire to know the essence.

There is so much noise in the modern world that it is difficult to find a place in your mind where it is quiet enough to listen to the more subtle realms. And in order to hear the right voice, you have to calm your mind, because only then can you begin to truly listen. It is then that intuition turns on - guidance coming from within.

The real path and attention of the heart begins when you stop clinging to the result and focus your attention on the Source. The spiritual path is not about making the right choices; it is to remain in constant contact with the Divine.

The main thing, in general, is to shut up and listen - in other words, it requires attention, joyful receptivity, which gives submission to God, or love for Him, wanting to fulfill His will. A person wants to serve God and others, and this makes him receptive to the inspiration that comes from grace, which not only tells him what to do, but also gives him the strength to do what is told. It is a very dynamic and rational state, a state of growing sensitivity to life in the presence of God.

Each person's destiny is fully fulfilled when our heart is open every moment to the Beloved Deity.

The role of a person is to humbly and at the same time courageously participate in co-creative process, acting together with the “Higher Power”.

When we identify ourselves with something less than the infinite potential of our soul, we kill the free, spontaneous flow of this potential towards embodiment, we build a dam in its path. We need to live fully in the present. Neither the past nor the future actually exists.

Finding a spiritual path, by definition, does not mean getting to where we want to go. It means allowing the wind of wisdom to fill our sails and carry us wherever it pleases. However, this does not mean that we can just relax and enjoy the trip. Wisdom requires us to use our abilities and engage in co-creation that culminates in action—and only we can do it.

To follow the spiritual path, you need to believe that sooner or later you will get the answer, and not focus on the outcome. Sometimes I only hear hints of the path and then I have to put them together like a puzzle, and sometimes it just appears in front of me - bang! If I don't see or hear anything, the first thing I have to ask myself is, “Am I focusing too much on the outcome?” These are the main reasons for silence, so you need to remain open to discern the answer, in whatever form it comes.

“Cultivate contentment instead of desires. To desire is to lack. From contentment grows generosity and inner peace. If I train myself to want, then no matter how much I get, it will always seem to me that I am missing something. You must understand the absurdity of desire and longing. People often misunderstand the renunciation of desires as the renunciation of having any aspirations, but when a person is satisfied, he has access to energy, which is drained if he worries about how to get enough of everything. A contented person spreads peace around him.”

Part of cultivating contentment is to give yourself time to rest every now and then and leave all the noise behind. This opens access to silence, refreshing the soul and helping to achieve harmony with the Spirit of the path.

“The belief that God is not there is the biggest illusion on the spiritual path.” God is always near us; we may not be near him. The path is always open, but we may not see it. And we usually don’t see it because we live in our own noise or our own ego.

“...To hear how our path calls us, we must open a corner within ourselves where there is only peace and quiet.”

This corner can be opened in different ways: through meditation; through a beautiful and harmonious environment; through walking and other physical activity; through music; through chants; through simplifying life to such an extent that we are no longer consumed by the constant need to receive, spend and save many things that we can live peacefully without.

Of course, you may think that silence is a property of secluded places, but in reality silence is primarily a state of mind. Anyone who has tried to meditate knows how many thoughts are suddenly interrupted. In just twenty minutes you can re-examine your entire life, full of fears and hopes... things you should and shouldn't do. When our mind is not occupied with anything else, it tends to cling to one thing or another. This habitual chewing of the mental cud—which for most people almost never stops—creates internal noise, whether you're sitting alone in a virgin forest or hurrying down a busy street.

One of the results of constant meditation is the stabilization of attention; the mind calms down and begins to work more measuredly. You will feel a peaceful, sensitive silence rising within. The internal dialogue does not stop completely, but we stop identifying ourselves with it. We understand that we are not equal to our thoughts, our essence lies deeper.

The peace and contentment that accompanies this understanding gradually changes your daily life. External circumstances no longer affect you as much, and it is easier for you to maintain balance, like a spire with a low center of gravity. Moreover, the vision of the further path spontaneously comes from that level of consciousness that is not limited by the usual capabilities of cognition.

The spiritual path... requires that the level of openness and awareness continually increase. Throughout our lives, we are led to open up to absolutely everyone and everything that surrounds us, because anyone can become a messenger of God.

The willingness to be present and see what is happening now, without allowing yourself to be hooked by judgment, passion, fear, residue from the past, or thoughts about where and in what circumstances you would rather be now. Rev. Cynthia Bourgeau explained the essence of inner freedom very simply: “A deep willingness to live in the present moment, to experience it in its entirety, and an understanding that whatever your path is, it will be the right one, allows you to surrender to the moment, so that your path can manifest to you myself".

You may not know where this path leads you, but as you learn to sense it more and more clearly, your confidence in the correctness of certain steps will grow within you.

This is why the practice of transcendental meditation [in other words, a meditation in which you are not trying to experience anything, learn anything, or achieve anything, but simply open yourself to what comes] is so important. She accustoms us to this level of knowledge. It doesn't necessarily get us there, but it does reduce the number of obstacles in our path - most of which are due to us relying too much on our current abilities.

Ultimately, we seek our spiritual path because by returning to our true selves, each of us has the opportunity to take meaningful and compassionate actions that will help bring a little more clarity to our confused, conflicted world.

In this article you will be able to understand in detail where to start spiritual development and what it really is. This article is written based on the experiences and research of many people who follow different paths of spiritual growth: within and outside of traditional religions. You will definitely find here all the necessary information to begin self-awareness.

First you need to understand the basic concepts, especially what the concept of “spiritual development” means.

What is spiritual development really?

Initially, it would be worthwhile to understand the term “spirituality” itself, which, upon certain consideration, has a rather negative connotation. If we combine information about this term with what is happening in modern spiritual movements, a complete picture emerges, which, again, does not have the most attractive appearance.

You also need to understand the clear difference between spiritual development and cultural or moral development. For example, some people sincerely believe that going to museums and theaters greatly elevates them, even though it may bring certain benefits. But this is a mass misconception, especially considering the direction in which contemporary art is moving today.

A person can do certain things for decades and think that he is progressing spiritually. But in fact, he will not advance one bit on the path of self-realization.

True, there is one nuance: if a person has talent in the field of art and he is, for example, an artist. Then visiting exhibitions and other events related to this area can help a person in spiritual development.

Why? Because:

Spiritual development implies that a person will follow his own path in accordance with the talents that he has, and also develop sublime qualities of character.

Also, before engaging in spiritual development, you need to clearly understand why it needs to be done.

The main goal of spiritual self-development

It is no secret that many of those who have embarked on the path of spiritual self-improvement have experienced certain difficulties before this. It could be a difficult financial situation, a breakdown in a relationship, or a health problem.

One way or another, life’s difficulties push a person to a more conscious life. The entire world around us is waiting for us to come out from under the influence of illusion and begin to look at this world with sober eyes.

The main goal of spiritual development is awareness of one’s true nature and development in accordance with this knowledge.

Understand that the goal of spiritual development is NOT going to temples according to a schedule or unconsciously repeating prayers because some priest said so. Everything is simpler.

We must learn to live according to our hearts or conscience, to be humane and decent, to gain real knowledge, to develop intelligence and abilities that are called supernatural.

First, try to start living with an eye on your heart (the voice of conscience). And you will see that real spiritual development has begun.

In general, real personal development (spiritual development, if you like) is always noticeable and brings results in the near future. If a person does a lot of spiritual development, prays several hours a day, visits temple every week, reads spiritual treatises, but miracles do not happen in his life and he does not really become happier, then he is NOT developing spiritually and, most likely, has gone down the wrong path ways.

Often people fall for the deception that is imposed on them by religious figures: now you need to be humble, endure and develop spiritually to the best of your ability, but after death everything will be fine. This is another monstrous lie that helps make people slaves.

You need to live here and now. You need to be happy in the present moment.

People who endure everything and are afraid of everything are ordinary cowards and ignoramuses, and do not develop spiritually or evolutionarily at all. But brave and determined people do not shake with fear and do not blindly believe in non-humans, who often dress in sacred robes.

To be fair, it is worth noting that There are also pure people within religions. There may not be as many of them as we would like, but they are there.

Where to start spiritual development: tools and their choice

If we talk about traditional religions, then in general the instruments of spiritual development are the same: choice of religion itself, prayer practices, spiritual treatises, communication with like-minded people, search for mentors and spiritual teachers. And it is believed that this is quite enough to go into the spiritual world AFTER death (or achieve the Kingdom of God).

To a person who has been familiar with “religious cuisine” for many years, sooner or later it becomes obvious that among the followers of religions there are quite a lot of unhappy people. Moreover, there is a lot of information about what crimes are committed by religious leaders: fraud, theft, child abuse, drug trafficking, murder and more. All this raises many questions among reasonable and sensible people.

What to do?

To follow the path of any religion or outside of it is the choice of a particular person. The purpose of this article is to teach you to distinguish between false spirituality and genuine spirituality. Therefore, below we will discuss in more detail the tools of spiritual development that are used both in official religions and outside them.

These are the tools:

• Life according to your heart;
• Choosing a spiritual path;
• Prayer practices;
• Scriptures;
• Elevated surroundings;
• Mentors and teachers;
• Altruism or selfless activity;
• Additional tools to help you grow spiritually.

Living according to your heart or how to listen to the voice of conscience?

Today it is becoming increasingly clear that living according to your conscience or according to your heart is the safest way, in which a person will not be deceived by pseudo-spiritual personalities. Relying on conscience, a person may not be afraid of anything, since in this case he is guided by his most faithful assistant.

How to learn to listen to your conscience? No one will give specific recommendations, since this process occurs differently for everyone. But absolutely every person knows which action is bad and which is not, and inside the heart there is always a response to any action. The only question is: does he listen to his conscience or not.

In my opinion, this tool on the path of spiritual development should become more important than religions, spiritual teachers, prayers, temples, etc.

How to choose a spiritual tradition?

If you decide to follow the path of any religion, then you need to take its choice seriously. And in this matter, too, everything is individual. One religion may be suitable for one person, another religion for another, and a third spiritual tradition for another. By the way, this does not mean that they should compete with each other - only fanatics do that.

Also, a person does not necessarily have to be in the exact religious tradition in which he was born. It often happens that, having matured, a person chooses another spiritual tradition that is “closer to his heart.”

Choose your religion (tradition) wisely, using the following criteria:

• This tradition must lead to the Personality of Godhead (if in the tradition the philosophy is that only their path and “their god” are the only right ones, then this is either a false tradition or false and ignorant followers);
• In this religion there must be many truly Holy Persons (not 2-5, but hundreds, thousands and more);
• Tradition must be based on authoritative Scriptures that are many years old (at least 500 years or more);
• Many people should follow the path of this religious tradition and achieve certain results along it (for example, people reach a higher standard of living, renounce violence, immorality and debauchery, etc.);
• In this religion there must be a spiritual (prayer) practice that every sincere follower engages in;
• You should feel good about this tradition; if you experience constant discomfort, then perhaps this is not what you need;
• It’s good if you like the customs and rules of this religion (at least at the initial stage you’re happy with it).

There are more than enough criteria listed for choosing a spiritual tradition (religion) at the beginning of spiritual development. Take them into account.

I would like to draw your attention to one point. Over the past 200 years, not the best things have been happening in religions and it is my duty to inform you about this. Don’t be lazy and study the article:

For people who do not want or are not yet ready to choose a specific religious tradition, there is an opportunity to develop spiritually outside of religion. This is written in detail in the article:

Prayer practice: when, how and why?

Now about another important topic - prayers and mantras.

These practices are certainly useful and important, but only when a person engages in them consciously and sincerely. When this becomes an automatic process and a person prays simply because he has to, then the effectiveness of prayer tends to zero.

At the initial stage of spiritual growth, the daily practice of prayer or mantra will be useful. It will purify a person’s consciousness and elevate him. Everything new in this world bears fruit, but for the time being.

Over time, when a person is “drawn into” spiritual life, the effectiveness of prayer decreases and it often becomes automatic. And the following situation may occur: a person seems to be actively engaged in spiritual development, praying, but no particular result is visible. This means that he is not going the right way.

Prayer should be an addition, but not the main goal of spiritual development. People who live according to their hearts are often much happier and more powerful than those who, like a robot, pray for hours to no avail.

God responds only to sincere prayers when a person consciously turns to him, and does not think during prayer about what he will do after prayer or how he was unfairly treated. It’s better than automatically repeating a prayer to do some kind and selfless deed for people or other living beings. More about this in the video:

Scripture Study

We know a lot of Holy Scriptures, but the question is how intact have they been preserved in our 21st century? Through various studies, I have learned that all major spiritual treatises are subject to distortion to one degree or another. By the way, this is mainly done by representatives of official religions. Why? Because they serve a single supra-religious leadership.

The Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Torah or something else - today you need to read it carefully, with your mind turned on, and you cannot accept everything on blind faith.

Does this mean that spiritual treatises should not be read at all? Of course not. Even in distorted scriptures, many profound things remain. You just need to know what to choose to read and what to follow when studying treatises.

When reading any scripture, one must be guided by the heart. The most important commentary on what we read comes from God within us. If a person lives according to his heart, then he cannot be led astray even by rewritten books. The Almighty will always help you find something that will help a person in his spiritual development.

You can find out how spiritual treatises are distorted in the article:

About exalted surroundings and mentors

It's hard to develop alone. It is impossible to progress spiritually outside of society. Therefore, a person must have relationships with other people. That is, he should not withdraw into himself, considering this the height of renunciation. It is in interaction with other people that we are “polished” like a stone in order to give a beautiful and graceful shape - to make us truly spiritual people.

It is beneficial to have communication with like-minded people who are also engaged in spiritual development. You can communicate with them, share experiences, discuss interesting topics, etc. This gives inspiration, energy, and can also give unexpected clues in situations that are incomprehensible to us. In times of difficulty and doubt, such an environment is a very good helper and friend.

True, it is not always easy to find such an environment. But, as they say, a sincere person who lives after his heart will never be left alone and God will definitely find him company when needed.

Even better if you find a mentor, which will tell you what to do and how to do it, point out errors, etc. Keep in mind that any situation or any person can be a mentor for us if we know how to perceive them in the right frame of mind.

But it is not so easy to become a true mentor who will give us advice and we will follow it. Such a person himself must lead an exalted and pure lifestyle for many years. The same goes for spiritual teachers.

One of the most important marks of a spiritual teacher is that he teaches the disciple to do without him, and does not try to become an intermediary between God and him. A true spiritual teacher helps a person become himself, and not someone else. A true guru speaks about God in the heart of the disciple and teaches him to live based on it.

Not all mentors and teachers meet the criteria described above. But what can you do, these are the times now... Live according to your heart and God will definitely tell you where the teacher is and where the swindler and scoundrel are.

Selflessness for spiritual growth

It is impossible to separate real spiritual progress and the commission of selfless actions. A spiritual person always lives on the basis of his talents, and it is in the talent destined for us that we can be truly selfless.

At the initial stage, while we are not in our talent, we can and should look for ways to manifest selflessness. There are really a lot of them these days. The importance of this quality and its development is written in detail in the article:

Important points at the beginning of spiritual development

In addition to the initial steps in spiritual development, you need to take certain actions in other directions.

First of all, this:

• Daily routine;
• Cleanliness;
• Nutrition;
• Intoxication.

Without putting things in order in your everyday life, it is impossible to progress on the spiritual path. Therefore, you need to strive to eat right, sleep at the right time, maintain personal hygiene, get rid of bad habits and much more.

During the day Pay special attention to getting up early.

Cleanliness is especially important for spiritual development and one must strive for it. This is the cleanliness of the body, linen, surrounding space, psyche, etc.

To start, start showering every morning.

Nutrition largely determines our level of consciousness, our character traits and even actions. For example, if a person likes to eat meat, then he will have a tendency to violence and lust, and this will be a serious obstacle to spiritual development. Regarding the usefulness or harmfulness of meat.

How to be, how to live, what to do and what to do, if there is a clear inner conviction that it is not enough to live the everyday life of most people, that life is spent in daily worries and worries, more and more in everyday life, in family matters... Thanks to you, it is now clear that you can manage at least do something for life, people and the Earth, but what about some personal, voluntarily assumed obligations in the person of family, spouse, children, work? The path of discipleship, the path of Service is the path of self-denial from everything personal; wouldn't he be a betrayal towards them? How long can the formation and preparation period take? Will there be time left and will there even be a chance to bring your help to this world, because just studying Agni Yoga can take a number of years..

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Family

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Every person who decides to devote himself to the Spiritual Path sooner or later asks the question: how to combine this Path with obligations to family, children, and work? And is this even possible if the Spiritual Path is a path of self-denial and avoidance of everything personal? Let's try to answer these questions.

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Let's start with the family, but for this let's return to the article. In it we agreed to distinguish between two concepts: the Path to Light and the Spiritual Path. If we talk specifically about the Spiritual Path, then we can claim that this Path is currently incompatible with personal (family) life. We are talking about the present time, since today's conditions and requirements are strikingly different from the conditions and requirements fifty years ago, when the writing of Agni Yoga was completed. Moreover, we can judge only on the basis of our own experience, since we know almost nothing about other spiritual organizations of our time.

Initially, our position on this issue was not so categorical. When our Society was formed, people of various ages and marital status came to us. Some came with their couple or children; several couples were already created in the Society. We sincerely rejoiced at their creation, knowing that it is a man and a woman who have created a family and are united by a spiritual goal who, during spiritual work, are able to maximally unite and mutually strengthen the general energy of their auras - provided that each one gives his best in his movement to the limit. However, now, to our great regret, we are forced to admit the fact that not a single attempt to combine spiritual development with personal life has been successful. And this despite the fact that over the seventeen years of the existence of our organization, such attempts have been made by dozens, if not hundreds of people, including some current members of our Community.

Analyzing this unsuccessful experience, we looked at the issue of human relationships and spiritual development from the perspective of psychic energy - and everything fell into place. Let us share our reasoning and conclusions here.

It is known that a man and a woman who create a couple are connected to each other through a large number of channels. This means that they have many identical energies, which, merging, form a common energy field. The closer and warmer the relationship in the family, the denser it is; its energies are averaged in strength. Children are also in this general field. In addition, a child under seven years old, whose chakras are not yet fully formed, is energetically dependent on the mother and has a strong connection with her. After seven years, this connection remains, but gradually weakens with age as the child gains independence.

We come to the conclusion that any person connected by family ties cannot in any way avoid the mutual influence of the energy of all members of his family. Moreover, by family we mean not only husband, wife and children, but also other relatives living with them under the same roof, since living together helps to average out energy. What happens if one of the family members begins to develop spiritually?

We have already said that in the process of spiritual ascent, a person’s energy is purified, refined and gains strength. If his family does not develop spiritually with him, then gradually the difference in vibrations and levels of consciousness begins to increase between them, manifesting itself in various kinds of misunderstandings and cooling of relationships. Moreover, the greater the difference in levels of development, the less commonality remains between people, to the point that at some point they become complete strangers to each other. Both sides suffer from such distance. One, the one who is developing, suffers from a misunderstanding of loved ones and an increasingly burdensome home atmosphere that hinders his development, while other family members find it no less painful to live in vibrations that are too high and therefore uncomfortable for them, which simply irritate them and provoke uncontrollable outbursts of negative emotions.

The point here is also that spiritual development cannot concern only the inner world of a person, it inevitably affects his entire way of life. Rare people who do not purposefully work on themselves happily accept these changes in their environment, which inevitably affect them themselves. And the reason is not necessarily that they are against the development of their loved one, although this often occurs. People are simply inert by nature, and any changes, even for the better, cause them discomfort, as they disrupt their usual way of life. In addition, everything incomprehensible most often worries and frightens them, especially if it concerns a loved one, and sometimes they are simply afraid of losing control over him. Of course, at first, when he gives up the grossest addictions, this may even be welcomed. But it is very rare to meet those who know how to respect the right of choice of another and are ready to put up with an increasing amount of time and attention, which in the process of movement he begins to devote not to the family, not to its interests, but to the Spiritual Path, which is ephemeral for them. Sometimes such family members, who oppose the development of their loved one, in an effort to avoid change or out of selfish love for him, become unwitting accomplices of darkness. A similar case is well illustrated in K. Antarova’s book “Two Lives” using the example of a pastor’s family.

Some are not convinced by these arguments about the impossibility of spiritual development in the family, and we are faced with statements like: “In my case, everything will work out, my family will understand and support me.” Of course, the family may well not interfere and even support. But we should not lose sight of the energy side of the issue.

The Spiritual Path is a path of cooperation with the Hierarchy, a path of Service, which at a minimum presupposes a person’s readiness to be a constant conductor of spatial energies. In order to perform even such simple spiritual work for the Earth, it is necessary to have vibrations corresponding to the vibrations of space (you must agree: it is simply impossible to convey to others what you have not achieved yourself). In our time, the time of Armageddon, the streams of fiery energies pouring onto the Earth from space have reached great strength and have become incredibly refined, continuing to intensify and refine themselves every day. They are the ones who set the minimum level at which a person can become an employee of the Hierarchy. And now - simple arithmetic: is it possible to achieve such a level while living in a family, if in its common energy field the vibrations of all its members are averaged? Even if a married couple is ready to develop together, there are still children who will inevitably lower the overall energy and draw on strength until they fully stand on their own feet and separate from their parents or begin to develop with them.
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The issue regarding children is generally quite complex. Giving birth and raising a child is a great responsibility that parents take on voluntarily. This obligation can be considered fulfilled when the child reaches full independence. From the point of view of energy, a person is fully formed as an independent personality by the age of twenty-one, but many become independent earlier or later than this period - this already depends on upbringing. Until this time, he remains connected with his parents, exerting his influence on the general energy field of the family.

Now let's see what happens if parents with minor children take the Spiritual Path. (Here we will clarify that in the first years of the existence of our Society, the level of spatial energies was much lower than today and, accordingly, the requirements for those who are spiritually advanced were also not so high, allowing them to move in families - at least to a certain level. This is our experience here. and describe).

We know that a child comes to earth with certain karmic accumulations, both dark and light, which naturally manifest themselves (or do not manifest themselves) in the process of life. The spiritual vibrations of his parents who have embarked on the Path involuntarily influence his Spirit, activating the accumulations dormant in him, lying closer to the surface, which might not manifest themselves in this life. Of course, the child is not aware of this process and cannot control it - this is sometimes beyond the power of a trained adult. And here begin the problems that several married couples from our Society once faced.

For some, kind, sympathetic and flexible children suddenly, for no apparent reason, changed for the worse, becoming withdrawn and aggressive, and some began to steal and take pleasure in the suffering of others. All these changes could not be attributed to adolescence, because they happened between the ages of five and nine years. Of course, here we cannot discount possible mistakes in upbringing, but the depth and suddenness of the changes speaks in favor of dark accumulations caused by the spiritual vibrations of the parents. Of course, further spiritual development of the parents in this case becomes impossible, because the aura of the family is burdened by the negative vibrations of the child, and all efforts are thrown into resolving the situation in the family.

Another example is when the vibrations of the parents touch the light accumulations in the child and awaken in him the desire to take the Spiritual Path. In our practice, there were similar cases when children over ten years of age, developing in the auras of spiritually moving mothers, in a very short time reached a level that allowed them to accept fairly high vibrations. Our joy for them was short-lived: the rapid rise was soon replaced by an equally rapid fall, which was, in general, natural. After all, only due to suddenly rising high accumulations, not supported by either knowledge, or mental and physical compliance with the level occupied, or even an understanding of what is happening, it is impossible to maintain the achieved positions for a long time. For some of these children, the sharp change in vibrations did not go unnoticed, unsettling the body and nervous system for some time.

These situations allowed us to conclude: the high vibrations of spiritually pursuing parents can affect their children in the most unpredictable and, based on our experience, not in the best way. Therefore, we consider it reasonable to first fulfill our duty towards children, and only after that think about taking the path of Service. Moreover, everyday problems, worries and troubles associated with raising a child will still make spiritual ascent physically impossible, since they will take up a lot of time and effort and constantly divert attention to resolving issues on the earthly plane.

In our practice, there were also cases when it was children who showed a strong desire for the Spiritual Path. Since the parents, not being spiritual themselves, did not hinder them in their aspirations, but, on the contrary, supported them in every possible way, we began to conduct classes with these children in which we imparted to them the knowledge available at their level. Children are open to new things and, being free from the framework and restrictions typical of adults, perceive information very easily. Having accepted the foundations of the Path of Light that were consonant with them and following them, they began to quickly become separated in vibrations from their families and at some stage began to feel like strangers in them. In addition, when in contact with the outside world, in which completely different principles reign, and when faced with misunderstanding and cruelty of their peers, they began to feel like strangers in this world, the rules of which were unacceptable to them. The result is an internal conflict, accompanied by a deep feeling of loneliness and hopelessness: it turns out that everything that they consider right, that is so close to their hearts, matters only to themselves, while those around them live by completely different laws? And how is it possible to live in such a world? Imagine the mental suffering such experiences can bring to a child who has lost support in life and does not understand the reasons for what is happening to him. Therefore, in order not to aggravate the situation, we were forced to stop all communication with such children, after which their vibrations gradually returned to their natural level and, as a result, their internal state normalized.

What happened became an invaluable lesson for us: you cannot tear a child out of the environment in which he grows up. His first task is to adapt to life in society, whatever it may be. Of course, it is wonderful if a child is raised in the aura of a family striving for the Light, absorbing the correct understanding from birth. But at the same time, it is important for parents to remember that their child will have to live in this world with all its imperfections, and for this it is necessary to strengthen his psyche and teach him to defend himself so that he does not break down when faced with evil, injustice and the principles of others that are alien to his conscience.

After what happened, it became finally clear that a child with a fragile body and psyche, with unformed energy, cannot be in high vibrations of great strength without harm to himself - at least in our time, when there are so many manifestations of darkness around. Most likely, it is the contrast between Light and darkness, Truth and its distortions, that becomes the destructive factor that the child’s consciousness is unable to cope with. Perhaps in the future, when human society learns to live in accordance with the Cosmic Laws, everything will be different and the spiritual potential of a person will be able to unfold unhindered from childhood. But now, when the atmosphere is so unfavorable for this, he should make a decision about embarking on the Spiritual Path only after he has achieved complete independence in all respects. This choice must be made independently and consciously, since a person must fully understand what he will have to give up when embarking on the Spiritual Path, what difficulties he may encounter on it and what responsibility he takes upon himself.
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Now - about spiritual ascent in pairs and why we abandoned this path in our practice.

As has already been said, a man and a woman, united by a common energy field and moving spiritually, are able to work most effectively for space, since joint energies can ideally be amplified up to seven times, and it is in a couple that the unification occurs through the maximum possible number of channels (again , ideally). At the dawn of the creation of our Society, knowledge of this served as our main argument in favor of moving in pairs. But for this movement to occur, two conditions must be met. Firstly, a complete renunciation of the personal on the part of both partners. That is, their relationship should be built on the principles of dedication in the name of a goal (spiritual work for the benefit of all humanity), and everything that is not consistent with this goal should be set aside without regret. Secondly, partners must be on the same level. As it turned out, complying with these conditions constantly is an almost impossible task. People either unnoticed by themselves switch to personal relationships, forgetting about the goal, or there is too large a gap between them in the levels of development, making further movement in a couple impossible.

There are no personal issues. But why movement in a pair is possible only at the same levels should be explained.

In fact, the discrepancy in levels of development is a completely natural phenomenon, because each person has many individual characteristics that affect the speed of his movement. Two people can start a journey together and go through some part of it together, but in our practice there has not been a single case where a normal joint movement lasted more than three to four months (and these are also those rare cases when a couple was not captured by the personal at the very beginning relationships). The higher the level, the stronger the impact of these individual characteristics - from hard work, strength of aspiration and ability to learn to the amount of spiritual accumulations with which a person came into this incarnation. From here, a gradual divergence in vibrations begins, and the larger this gap, the more painful the joint movement becomes for both partners, whose energies are averaged in the common field. At the same time, one, the one who goes ahead, feels the impossibility of moving at full strength and realizing his full potential, since he is pulling the weaker one along with him. And the second, being in unnaturally high vibrations for himself, is in constant tension due to the need to move at a pace that is too fast for him, which causes frequent failures and breakdowns. In addition, in the stronger energy of the partner, his own individuality is involuntarily suppressed, which contributes to the development of uncertainty and loss of independence. Of course, in this state of affairs there is no talk of full-fledged spiritual work - the couple is only engaged in resolving their internal problems. The inevitable breakup of such a couple leads to an even deeper fall: not only is the breakup of a relationship not without emotions and mental suffering, but the former partners also burden their karma by not fulfilling their obligation to the Hierarchy to increase strength in joint work. The burden of this karma in some cases is so heavy that it is no longer possible for such people to move on. It is for these reasons that the Teacher always warns those striving to join our Community about the inadmissibility of moving in pairs. After all, in the Community, any failures inevitably affect the coordinated work of the entire team, and therefore the responsibility for them increases many times over.
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Many people ask us about the need for abstinence for members of the Community. Let us answer with the words of A. Klizovsky from “Fundamentals of the World Understanding of the New Epoch.”

“Speaking of abstinence and moderation, it must be clarified that when a person practically studies the occult, when certain missions are entrusted to him, when he enters an accelerated path of his development, then complete abstinence is necessary. But here one is faced with a rather difficult dilemma. The desire to achieve higher possibilities and higher powers, which requires abstinence, brings a surge of higher spiritual forces, which not all go towards the development of spirituality, but most of which are absorbed by the physical nature of man, and in particular increases those possibilities from which a person must abstain... The wisdom of the law operating in this case is that anyone striving for improvement must inevitably overcome his lower nature and transmute his lower creative force into a higher one. If a person copes with this task successfully, he successfully moves on. If he gets stuck here, then this shows that he is not yet ready for his further advancement.”

We, based on experience, can add that someone who has overcome this stage no longer feels the need for energies of the opposite principle, receiving the required amount of them through the spiritual ray.
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As for work commitments, we can only talk about our experience.

In the first years of our Society's activity, each of us worked or studied. At first, this did not hinder us in our spiritual work - on the contrary, in these circumstances we saw opportunities for improvement. At a certain stage, we all began to feel that these obligations were beginning to oppress us, bringing practically no new experience, but taking up a lot of time and effort. We have seen that we can do much more for humanity if we free ourselves from them and join forces by concentrating on spiritual work. This is how the idea of ​​creating a Community was born. To begin with, we broke off labor relations with government and private structures and tried to organize our own business, tried our hand at different types of activities. Many of our attempts were unsuccessful. However, now, obviously, when internal readiness has set in and all the necessary qualities have been developed, our Community has become financially independent with our minimal participation. Thanks to the help of the Forces of Light, we are now able to focus on our task and do what we came together for. We see that such opportunities for material independence opened up precisely because we realized the incommensurability of obligations to the employer or team and the responsibility that we assumed upon ourselves by creating the Community. It is precisely because we were not afraid of hardships and difficulties, we were not afraid to sever many social ties and, as one of our friends put it, “to die a social death,” we were able to establish such a channel of communication with the Hierarchy, through which the Forces of Light have the opportunity to influence physical plane and help our endeavors. Of course, this would be impossible if we did not give our best in our improvement and even to a small extent possessed such qualities as laziness, disorganization and lack of independence, the inability to plan and foresee the consequences of our actions.
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Now let’s summarize all of the above and answer the question posed at the beginning of the article.

Based on our experience, we believe that only a person who is completely independent morally and financially, free from any obligations to other people, can embark on the Spiritual Path. By obligations we mean obligations to the family (husband/wife, minor children, relatives requiring care), to the employer, as well as the presence of material debts that require payment. In addition, if a person is not able to ensure his material and moral independence, this indicates that he does not even possess the basic basic qualities necessary to embark on the Spiritual Path. And of course, one who shirks a voluntarily assumed duty (meaning raising children and ensuring their well-being) cannot be of value to the Hierarchy. From time immemorial, it was precisely this position that was held in India by those striving to embark on the Spiritual Path: only those who had not yet burdened themselves with earthly obligations, or those who had completely paid off all material debts (that is, put their children on their feet and provided for their family,) devoted themselves to Service. so that she can exist independently).

To be specific, we point out that in our Community there are people whose children have already become independent and do not need care. One of the members of the Community has minor children, but since he divorced their mother long before meeting us, provided them with material well-being and has no claims from his former family, we saw no reason why he could not be our employee.

And yet, what should one do who, being bound by earthly obligations, strives to devote himself to the Spiritual Path? It would be unfair if a person who sincerely strives to benefit this world should not have the opportunity to be useful to the cause of Light.

It is not in vain that we differentiated between these two concepts: the Spiritual Path and the Path to Light. If not everyone can enter the Spiritual Path, that is, the path of Service and self-denial, then the path to the Light is open to everyone. By developing and improving, man is already making his contribution to accelerating the evolution of all humanity. By clearing his aura and expanding his consciousness, he influences his immediate surroundings and, to the best of his ability, cleanses the space around him. If at least he manages to create a harmonious atmosphere around himself, raises his children correctly, instilling in them the foundations of spirituality, and unites other people around the ideas of the Teaching or some good goal, he will already be an assistant to the Brotherhood. If a person does not lose his passion until he is free from all obligations, and uses this time wisely and profitably, sooner or later he will have a chance to become a collaborator of the Hierarchy. In the Brotherhood, this is always perceived as a holiday, but you need to be prepared for it. We have dedicated our lives to ensuring that such people have as many opportunities as possible to develop and bring ideas of good into the world. That’s why we always extend a helping hand.
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As for the time frame required for embarking on the Spiritual Path, they are determined based on the level of readiness of the aspirant, his ability to learn, openness and looseness of consciousness, the readiness of his physical guide and, of course, the presence of the necessary spiritual accumulations. Preparation can take from several months to several years, and many, following their own weaknesses, cannot approach the Spiritual Path throughout their lives. In any case, everything depends only on the person himself. In conclusion, we can say with confidence: if you have an open mind, uncompromising with yourself and the ability to strive to the end, nothing is impossible.