By Writeart227
Digital delivery
To achieve spiritual enlightenment we need to know what causes us to suffer. According to the Buddha's second noble truth, the reason we suffer is due to what he called "clinging and grasping." This principle causes us to stay in an unenlightened life. Because we do, we can never achieve spiritual knowledge, nor holiness
We live in a materialistic world, a world we see as real. We have grown accustomed to striving for material wealth. According to the Buddha taught, material wealth is an illusion. It appears to satisfy our cravings, but the struggle to accumulate wealth never satisfies. We always crave for more. But the constant struggle keeps us entangled in our physical existence, from which we cannot extricate ourselves.
The Buddha discovered that happiness and fulfillment are spiritual principles. We cannot achieve either if our egos drive us to accumulate wealth and possessions. The more we have, the less happy we become. We suffer because our focus on materialism is wrong.
The physical world we live in appears solid. But this apparent reality deceives us. We believe that happiness is contingent upon what we want. Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong in the desire to improve our lives through wealth creation. The error comes when we focus exclusively on wealth creation to the detriment of spiritual wealth creation.
The Buddha was correct in the impermanence of all things physical, But he did not intend us to throw away our dreams of creating a better life for ourselves and those around us. There is nothing wrong with being ambitious. We do not need to live an ascetic lifestyle, which the Buddha found did not lead him to a better understanding of life.
Clinging and grasping has an effect upon us in the case of death when a loved one suffers and eventually dies. We grieve. This is not a bad thing. We suffer because we have been accustomed to having loved ones around us. This kind of suffering is natural. Stoicism is just as unnatural and can also lead to suffering.
Once we have grieved enough, we can set aside our feelings and get along with life. Our loved ones may not exist in physical form, but we can value our memories of them. The grief we feel for them can become a positive spur to make ourselves better spiritual beings.
Some points can help you set aside your focus on material wealth and become a well adjusted spiritual being:
Accept the Fallibility of the Human Condition
As you are a physical entity in a physical world, you, like everyone and everything around you are subject to dying. Everything that grows in the ground or breathes will eventually decay. You cannot change the ultimate outcome of your life. You can only accept it. You can accept the inevitable and find joy in just being.
Become Mindfully Aware
We would like to believe we will live forever. Unfortunately, many people go through life without really being awake. They aren't aware of their time as it slips by. They have no goals to achieve. They merely drift until one day they realize that they had not accomplished any dreams.
The Illusion of Living
We look at life from a perspective that often isn't real. We have differing opinions of others and the world we inhabit. We don't see the reality for what it is. We prefer to live in a fantasy world of our own making. Our illusions cause us to suffer.
Coexistence of Life
It's easy to think that we are alone. We believe our actions have no effect on the world at large. As the Buddha pointed out, we are all interconnected in some way. Our efforts can harm ourselves as well as cause others around us to suffer. Peace, prosperity, and happiness depend on how we treat others. Our survival depends on our goodwill to others. The food on our tables depends on the production by farmers and on those involved in the distribution of that food.
Spiritual Values
Whether you are Christian, a Buddhist or a Muslim, you are aware of the principles as outlined in the Bible or the Koran. These principles exist to guide us into living a spiritual existence. We begin to realize that life is not about accumulating wealth, fame or power. These will be provided in the natural course of living as we were meant to live.
Bio; Mario Carini is a pensioner whose love is digital art and writing. He has written a book of fiction entitled: A Harvest of Thorns and is currently for sale on Amazon and other online bookstores. He creates works of digital art available on Fine Art America: www.mario-carini.pixels.com
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