I know (only by email and phone) an astrologer by the name of Das Goravani who is also a trained Hindu priest. One of the problems he pointed out about spirituality, as it is viewed and practiced in America, is that life is still not viewed holistically. It is viewed in terms of materialism vs. spirituality. One analogy similar to his that I remember reading before is that many people in new-age or alternative spiritual paths are simply trying to learn the alphabet (all of life's lessons) by focusing all of their attention on the letter 'Z' (enlightenment). There seems to be a severe lack of acknowledgement that all our experiences lead the the same goal, both material and spiritual. My experiences with 'SOME' of my family and friends is that their avoidance of material activities and focus on spirituality has created two-fold problem: 1. They're still not enlightened, nor do they seem any closer to it after 10-30 years, and 2. They are unable to provide for their own material needs and therefore are dependent on others. And what's worse is that they function with the attitude that because they are 'spiritual', somehow they deserve to have their material needs provided by others because they are on a 'higher' path and are clearly 'higher' beings above alleged 'lowly' activities.
Moreover, there seems to be a lack of acknowledgement that we are in a cycle of birth and death. Some people recognize it intellectually, but they don't really make their decisions in life based on that reality. I know the TMO and MMY specifically taught the 'enlightenment in one lifetime' concept. Das Goravani and David Frawley (who is a legitimate trained Vedic Scholar, not self-proclaimed) have indicated in their teachings that it's prepostorous to think that way. They point out that it takes many lifetimes just to get our consciousness to a point where we would even be curious or interested in spirituality. Then to achieve enlightenment (Cosmic consciousness) is quite some time. And then it doesn't stop there. You can be in CC and stuck in this cycle of birth and death due to burning off past karma or rising to GC. I know a lot of this is speculation though, and I am certainly no authority. Basically, if you were to look at Kwai Chang Cain's character played by David Carradine, I think you're looking at a truly evolved person. By all means he is the epitome of spirituality. He is humble, philisophical, balanced, he meditates, and he accepts reality for what it is. But at the same time, he is capable of dealing with material life, in fact he's better at it than any other character in the series. In addition to being able to fight, his work ethic is relentless. Therefore, my synopsis, as incorrect as it may be, following a spiritual path in the midst of extreme material incompetence is a sign of nothing more than studying the letter 'Z'. You still have the rest of the alphabet to work on. And until we learn the whole alphabet, guess where our soul is going after this cycle of birth and death? Nowhere but right back here. seekliberation --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@...> wrote: > > "A lot of hippies and babyboomers are learning that painfully now." > > Or perhaps materialism is better and spiritualism for existing on this > planet? Those who worship wealth may fare better than those who follow > a spiritual path? I often found it hard once on a spiritual path to > focus on money. What income there was seemed to come incidentally. But > then maybe it is just all karma for there are certainly folks who kept > following a spiritual path yet became wealthy. I also find it very > interesting what kind of people have jobs now and those who are unemployed.
