The paradox of spirituality

Yogic as well as Buddhist philosophy is centered around letting things go and flow as they will, not grasping them or wishing them to be different. On the other hand we are also bombarded, in books like, The Secret, by the idea that through the power of our mind, we can create the life we wish. We are told that through right thinking and positive emotions we have the power to change our circumstances. We are stuck in a paradox, or so it seems.

On one hand we are told that suffering is created by not wanting to live life on life’s term. That to find joy we must learn to surf the waves of life and not swim against the currents. At the same time, we are also told to change our thinking, to make vision boards, write down affirmations and recite them throughout the day, to keep our emotions positive, to visualize our goals as if accomplished and to have absolute trust and faith that the universe will manifest our desires. So which is it? Should we accept life as it is, with it’s up and its down or should we actively work at creating the life we think we want?

As a Buddhist, I very much believe that our suffering and stress comes from wanting things to be different than they are and from trying to change things we have no or little control over. I also believe that everything is energy and that to a degree, we can create own reality. There are things in life that are in our power to change and others that are not. The sun will rise and set, the seasons will pass, people will become sick, people will die, you will have good days and bad ones, those are absolutes. Certain things, however much you visualize them and wish them to be different will always be.

Magical Arts teaches that once the spell is cast, the magician must release and let go of it, allowing the powers that be to work in the fastest and most practical way possible. Grasping gets in the way of manifestation. Any kind of attachment creates fear and anxiety which block and limit our ability to create and change our life. Fear is the opposite of faith. To have faith and trust in something we must be able and willing to relax and let go. We see that acceptance and manifestation are not as opposite as we first believed them to be. In the end, they are complementary rather than contradictory.

The more fear you generate, trying to keep things the same or make them different, the more you grasp. Acceptance is the opposite of grasping. With acceptance there is nothing but ease and freedom. From the point of view of the law of attraction, whatever you fear and put your attention on, you actually draw to you. Meanwhile you are wasting precious life energy worrying and stressing. If you were to accept that this ‘negative’ situation, whatever it may be, is a part of life and thus a possibility, you would instantaneously relax and feel energized. This would allow you to look at the circumstances of your life, without fear and worry and decide calmly and with equanimity which are in your power to change and how you might proceed. It is that simple, no drama, no dread, only peace. Free to be at peace with yourself and at peace with life.

Being filled with stillness and faith, you would then be able to heal yourself, change your financial situation or find a more satisfying place to live. If you are diagnosed with cancer, how can you fight the cancer and concentrate on being healthy when at your deepest self you are angry and ragged with fears of dying? You can’t! Now if you were to first make peace with death and accept that it is a possibility, you could shed the fear that depletes you and be fully awake and open to healing.

Accepting death as a possibility does not mean that you lay down and give up, it is not a death sentence, but simply a way to force open death’s grasp on you and give you the freedom to get past it. We can accept that the world is not always fair or kind or peaceful and still fight for and live our life in fairness, kindness and peace. Acceptance doesn’t mean that we develop a helpless or indifferent attitude towards life. Acceptance simply allows us to stop being angry and afraid, it liberates us from bondage and disappointments and gives us the space, energy and freedom to create and bring about true change. Only then can we build a life filled with joy, peace and contentment.

Live fully, live joyfully, live kindly.

-ivc-