Spiritual Path – The Fullfilment Project

Finding Meaning Through Spirituality

What we often lack is meaning and purpose in life. With so many choices that we can make and so many interests and the interests of others pulling us in different directions we can make bad choices with big consequences. The benefit of spirituality is that it gives us structure, boundaries and of course both purpose and meaning, without formalised rules to follow. Without a guide that comes from a spiritual tradition we look for structure, purpose and meaning wherever we can find it.

This is why people join groups, whether it be a gang, supporting a football team or a religion. In any group that we join in order to feel like we belong, the rules and ethics are subscribed, they are the things we adopt in order to be accepted into the group. By and large there is no problem with this, as this is the way social beings live. We accept the laws in the country we live in because we want to live there. Others will accept the teachings of a religion in order to worship in a particular religious building. I advocate for joining a church or mosque, synagogue or temple because the usual end result is that good morals and ethics become central to life.

However, formalised religion is not for everyone. Some wish to choose the rules and practices that they live by, which is a good way to live, as long as you have the ability to decipher what is wisdom and what is propaganda. There are many self proclaimed teachers of truth out there in the wonderful world of the internet.

Anyone can start a YouTube channel and start sharing their thoughts. Some reach a level of popularity and fame that suggests that they may know what they are talking about, people like Russel Brand and Jordan Peterson, who incidentally divide opinion due to their strong views. The rule of thumb when it comes to taking on the teachings of others is to ask yourself if following their advice is making you happier and more fulfilled. If it works then keep listening. if it doesn’t move on.

Walking A Spiritual Path

Happiness, Health, Success

When you are on a spiritual path you are kind of on two journeys at the same time. In one we look to improve ourselves and become better people and in the other we look to improve the world around us and try to make it a better world. In his book Soul Boom, Rainn Wilson describes these like Kung Fu and Star Trek. The TV series Kung Fu represents an individual spiritual journey of self discovery, self discipline and finding meaning within. The original TV series Star Trek represents a better society where there is equality and equity, where an interracial kiss is normal and where meaning is found in serving the greater good.

In his book, Rainn Wilson writes, “What good is a spiritual path that only enriches our own inner peace while hundreds of millions go hungry and conversely how do we sustainably serve those millions if our hearts are hard, cold and filled with selfish ego or materialistic motives. How can there be peace without justice? There is an ongoing dance, a conversation between two moral paths that lie ahead of us. We seek personal enlightenment so that we can serve more, have an outward orientation and help create a better world. And when we undertake this service we are in turn internally awakened and fulfilled to an even greater degree.” [Rainn Wilson, Soul Boom – Scribed from a YouTube interview with Rich Roll where the passage was read out]

Rainn Wilson sees this as a kind of Yin Yang relationship, that each feeds into the other and requires the other. There is no better world without better people and no better people without a better world. As spiritual seekers we can take the best of the worlds religious faiths that speak to our individual morals, ethics and sense of how the universe works and make them our own, but we have to be prepared to walk the spiritual path of self awareness, self betterment and self wisdom, while we also help others around us who are walking their own paths, with their own challenges.

I wrote a poem some time ago called Spiritual Warrior and I feel that this is what walking a spiritual path is like. It takes courage to look at the inner depths of yourself and to try and mould yourself into a more enlightened person. The image of Siddhartha Gautama sitting under the Bodhi tree meditating, having decided not to move from that spot until he became enlightened, comes to mind. As the story goes, as Siddhartha Gautama began his seated quest, the demon Mara sent all of his monsters to tempt and torment him, but they had no effect and when he opened his eyes he was enlightened and became the Buddha. We do not have real demons tormenting us, but we have thoughts, memories and mental conditions that can make it difficult to walk the spiritual path, but, when we walk together, we are the Yin to each other’s Yang.

Serving Others Better

Achieving Goals, Happiness, Relationships, Success, The Pathway To Fulfilment

One of the principles I try to live by is ‘own your journey’ and another is ‘serve others,’ and to me these are very much linked. If we have our own issues with our health, relationships, work, etc that we leave unresolved, because we don’t want to deal with them, we are not in a good position to serve others. Therefore, in order to serve others well we need to make sure we are in a good place.

The way we make sure we are in a good place is to take ownership of our problems and find solutions for them. Anyone who has reached advanced stages of a spiritual practice will be effective in serving others, because they have put in the work of resoling their problems. Whether you are spiritual or not, you still have to do the work.

Imagine having such peace of mind and clarity that you help to solve the problems of others effectively. If more people took ownership of their lives the world would be a better place. Let’s do the work and make it better together.

Attachment To Ourselves

Happiness, Relationships, The Pathway To Fulfilment

In many religious traditions there is a focus on non-attachment to the Self. Sometimes we can have different selves that we are attached to, because the way we see ourselves depends on the context we are in at any given time. We might behave differently at work than we do at home for example. This occurs because we are living our lives through our perceived expectations of others. In other words we are living in ways that fit with how we want others to see us.

When we live this way, we are not being true to who we are in at least one of these places. Part of the work of living a fulfilling life is to figure out our beliefs, values and ethics and to live by them everywhere we are. A part of living a spiritual path is to move away from focusing on a separate Self and to recognise the oneness within which we live. These two journies are very much connected.

Causes and Conditions

The Pathway To Fulfilment

Everything in life is a result of causes and conditions, whether these be man made or simply the circumstances we find ourselves in. The thing to do is to try and understand the causes and conditions so we can improve our situation, whatever it is.

There are many different points of view on how to understand causes and conditions, religious, philosophical and scientific. In my view, when there is an agreement between these three areas of human understanding, the truth becomes available.

You may follow a particular way of thinking or a particular religion, and this should always be your first port of call, but it is important to be open to the ideas from other points of view. If we understand why we are in the situation we are in we can find a clearer way forward and we can live a better life.

Also, when people behave badly towards us, we can try to understand the causes and conditions that influenced the way they are behaving, which then opens up the possibility of treating them with compassion. Even if someone is angry, to be angry is to suffer. Meeting anger with compassion often turns their anger into the emotion behind the anger; sadness, frustration or confusion for example. This opens a door to help them and resolve the situation peacefully.