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The obvious source of knowledge and study of Hinduism is the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient text in which Krishna teaches Arjuna the essentials of wisdom and spirituality. There are many translations and commentaries available; I recommend Gandhi's. There are many ideas in the Gita that are totally compatible with loving what is and non-attachment. But, I find two concepts throughout that I think are common traps for followers: devotion and dropping of senses.
Devotion Trap. With an attachment like devotion, most are selling themselves out mentally, psychologically and spiritually. It is an attachment which strongly mimics the performances most all of us learned as children when we donned our adaptive personalities. Also, devotion can easily cover over early pain that keeps resurfacing in our lives via difficult life experiences. By covering such pains, we avoid psychological Earth School lessons. You might be the rare exception to my theory that devotees are usually trapped; if you are an exception, then your bodily measurements of tension (Chapter 2) will show your lack of stress (your inner peacefulness).
There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible. Mother Teresa, 1910-1997
© 2008 by Thayer White
Finding Your Soul in the Spirituality Maze
| Excerpt from Be Your Own Therapist: "Three natural thinking patterns predominate in this culture. While as individuals we can change these patterns, we tend to have a favorite pattern that becomes automatic in many circumstances. Each of these patterns has pluses and minuses. Awareness of your favorite pattern can lead to lessening of the minuses associated with it." |
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