The West’s Spiritual Pillaging

[zazen]

Still formulating my thoughts on it but found this interesting.

Here’s what I think so far:

A sort of spiritual and spiral dynamics supremacism exists that subtly degrades in their own grading - other civilisations and “religion”. This has been used by empire to justify empire and still is today via interventionist neoliberal democracy spreading.

Just like the idea of coming from below vs from above - I think one can approach “organised religion” from above also. After studying plenty of non-duality, Osho (in my anti-religion phase lol) etc I actually came to understand religion (its depth) a lot more and find an appreciation for it.

I get that religious literalism and superstition can be irrational because it takes what should be a metaphor for reality as reality itself - but can’t crystal alignment new ageism be just as irrational? 

Muslim prayer according to the suns timing is seen as lesser than Sadhguru prompting seekers to pray at the “auspicious” time of 6:20pm local time..because Western new age has validated one but not the other. Marcus Aubrey needs to sign off on fajr (Islamic sunrise prayer).

At the same time - I don’t see any of these as total nonsense either. They can be ritual or psychics guard rails, as long as they aren’t mistaken for reality but ways of engaging with reality ie the menu is not the food.

Organised religion basically socialised spirituality into a social operating system for society. The issue comes when the two get conflated (spirituality with society/survival) which unfortunately happens for many. But awakening to that doesn’t negate the value in that organisation or that one can engage in society from a place of spirituality - which is what aspects of organised religion try to inculcate.

It’s like spiritual libertarianism, similar to political libertarianism - attractive from the get go (because freedom always is), but then you realise the short comings in a lack of organisation scaled up to and extended towards a social order itself.

Humans can’t unneed what they need - one of those needs is structure. We literally are the “formless” existing in the structure of “form” to begin with.

So when societies develop structure it’s shallow to view them as mere constructs or un-realities that need transcending - as if you can escape form altogether. Even an enlightened master is in-forming you of his awakening, in the form of words, through the form of his body, before he leaves that very form we think needs transcending. Where are we transcending to? Can you go anywhere but here?

It may be semantics but perhaps the word transform is more accurate. As in transforming how to live and engage with form, not seeking to escape form all together. What we have is a formless reality (Oneness, God) that transcends the duality of form - but we don’t transcend that form, only transform in it by awakening to that which transcends it.

In the same way, we can be awakened in “organised religion” - while realising it as a spiritual form-ality. Just as the world of form (material) is itself a formality (means) for the formless (spirit) to live through and enjoy. 

The form of religion can then be approached from above as having a strong belief (in an operating system) held loosely, whilst its essential kernel of spiritual truth being grasped tightly and in total.

There is a meaning people and societies find in all this that shouldn’t simply be discarded or taken for granted. People find meaning in having a means to an end (purpose), but how is meaning sustained after reaching that end? By having that end be endless - which is God itself. That makes life not just a means but meaningful for many.