What is the domain of spirituality that helps the most in pursuit of survival?

[Ode]

I've always been super interested in spirituality, however I've never been able to push myself to pursue any of it in any meaningful way and while that is completely ok, I also feel like I have some material advantages to be gained from some spiritual work, maybe that would motivate me to pursue it more. Would like to hear your thoughts / experiences about this!

[Ode]

To put it more simply, for example as a video title it would be "How to gain competitive advantage from spiritual work"

[JosephKnecht]

24 minutes ago, Ode said:

"How to gain competitive advantage from spiritual work"

"How to have a cake and eat it too" would be a better title.  

In other words, what you are asking is impossible. 

[Princess Arabia]

It's the same thing already. What people are after is a better experience/feeling. There's no difference between spiritual gain and material gain but only in context/content. I made a thread about this a while back:

 

[Ishanga]

52 minutes ago, Ode said:

To put it more simply, for example as a video title it would be "How to gain competitive advantage from spiritual work"

Clarity, You see Reality and Situations more clearly, not filtered as much by needs and wants, or the way You think it should be..

Greater Intuitiveness, due to higher Clarity, You will see outcomes and consequences better, read ppl better..

Calmer more Peaceful, less reactive, which gives You more access to the natural intelligence within Us..

[gettoefl]

Seek ye first the kingdom and all the rest will be added unto you. Spirituality is radical but it also admonishes you to be normal. Blend in and don't make a song and dance of all this. So actually you can have your cake and eat it too. If you are not happier your spirituality is misguided. God is happy and doesn't put a foot wrong.

Edited yesterday at 01:50 PM by gettoefl

[ryoko]

Spirituality is a post-survival. It's death. 

[Ramanujan]

i heard that there are things out there called dark meditation , which is used to achieve things in life instead of freeing ourself from things

[Joshe]

Alter ego construction. The idea is that you intentionally construct an ego with a full-fledged identity, worldview, values, etc, and learn to fully embody it on command. 

[UnbornTao]

Practices like meditation can enhance your ability to control your mind (not doing so much silly stuff with it), thereby increasing your effectiveness in life - like removing layers to see something more clearly, to put it metaphorically.

Edited 18 hours ago by UnbornTao

[Joshe]

3 hours ago, UnbornTao said:

Thanks to practices like meditation you may start to enhance your ability to control your mind (not do so much silly stuff with it), thus increasing your effectiveness in life. Like removing layers to see something more clearly.

Those practices will show you how silly the pursuit of things you want are, thus decreasing effectiveness to attain them. So, if you can't unsee, you have to create something new. 

Edited 19 hours ago by Joshe

[UnbornTao]

11 hours ago, Joshe said:

Those practices will show you how silly the pursuit of things you want are, thus decreasing effectiveness to attain them. So, if you can't unsee, you have to create something new. 

Maybe that could happen to a degree, depending on one's commitment and how far one takes the practice. But it doesn't hurt. Controlling your mind is just that, and you could use it to better direct yourself toward your goals.

Edited 7 hours ago by UnbornTao

[Joshe]

34 minutes ago, UnbornTao said:

Maybe that could happen to a degree, depending on one's commitment and how far one takes the practice. But it doesn't hurt. Controlling your mind is just that, and so you could better use it direct it towards your goals.

Not if you see the futility or absurdity of your goals. You sort of lose a lot of drive once that is seen, and it can't really be unseen once it's seen. 

Ever hear "ignorance is bliss"? In a way, it is, because it allows you to run on specific programs that can be very beneficial for worldly attainment. But once you see those programs for what they are, you can't as easily run on them, and eventually, awareness of them makes it very difficult for them to run at all.

This is the main reason why I think spirituality should not be pursued until near the end of life - when one is actually ready to surrender everything. I'm convinced meditation and spiritual practices will only fuck you up in terms of wordly productivity. At least, this has been the case for me. Can't speak to others, but I'd bet it largely applies to most.

[Natasha Tori Maru]

@Joshe Just curious - is the above based on your experience?

[Joshe]

14 minutes ago, Natasha Tori Maru said:

@Joshe Just curious - is the above based on your experience?

Yes

[Natasha Tori Maru]

I love how wildly different everyone's experience is!

My experience with spirituality cemented my resolve, love, awe and inspiration to commit to expressing myself within limited reality.

The pointer went smack bang right back to where it IS. I felt a totally renewed interest in perusing reality and expression, from abundance, rather than any lack.

This time, in REAL authenticity

 

Edited 15 hours ago by Natasha Tori Maru

[BlessedLion]

Pursuing spirituality if done properly will make you stop caring about material pursuits, that's the crux of it, it's like the tech ceo who starts meditating to get a competetive edge (creativity, focus, productivity) then the meditation wakes him up to the realization that what he is doing with his life is purposeless and will not bring him happiness, because the happiness exists within. 

 

If you do spiriutality for material gain, you can almost guarantee it will blow up in your face, this is serious shit and if you aren't serious about it you won't get anywhere. True spirituality is ripping away all your attachments and ideas of reality it requires serious discipline, but the fruits of it are unexplainable, life is 1000X better than what you can get from chasing material pursuits. You literally awaken to yourself as Love, Freedom and God. 

[Joshe]

53 minutes ago, Natasha Tori Maru said:

I love how wildly different everyone's experience is!

My experience with spirituality cemented my resolve, love, awe and inspiration to commit to expressing myself within limited reality.

The pointer went smack bang right back to where it IS. I felt a totally renewed interest in perusing reality and expression, from abundance, rather than any lack.

This time, in REAL authenticity

Maybe I half-assed it, lol. Didn't go far enough. 

Nah, I had to stop because I wasn't ready to surrender it all. I knew that I was about to take it too far. I saw the path and what I would would become if I didn't stop. Now, I'm having suppress spiritual development. Everyone around here is trying their best to attain it, and I'm fighting to keep it at bay. lol. It used to be all I wanted, now it's a hinderance. 

Really cool that it worked out for you like that though. 

Edited 14 hours ago by Joshe

[Joshe]

30 minutes ago, BlessedLion said:

Pursuing spirituality if done properly will make you stop caring about material pursuits, that's the crux of it, it's like the tech ceo who starts meditating to get a competetive edge (creativity, focus, productivity) then the meditation wakes him up to the realization that what he is doing with his life is purposeless and will not bring him happiness, because the happiness exists within. 

I concur. It's funny you thought of the meditating tech CEO. So did I. I thought of those high-functioning guys from that show "Billions". 

[Natasha Tori Maru]

40 minutes ago, BlessedLion said:

Pursuing spirituality if done properly will make you stop caring about material pursuits, that's the crux of it

Yes it reveals how hollow it is - literally!

The attention goes elsewhere, from abundance, rather than lack.

You can still generate material things, but they are a by-product and no longer the main focus.

Just a means to some end. 

Just in my personal experience - apathy did not arise at all for me. The spiritual process has been one of clarification.

If one experiences the total unity and oneness, it becomes hard to neglect responsibility. I do what I do, to help. To give back, to express love. I look after myself with honour and respect, so I can be there 100% for those that need it. 

 

Edited 14 hours ago by Natasha Tori Maru