✨
The path of the spiritual warrior is not (always) soft and sweet.
It is not artificially blissful or holy and does not pretend to forgive everything. It is not all light and love.
The true warrior is not afraid of separation and division.
He is not afraid of his own shadows.
He is not afraid to lose popularity when he speaks his truth.
He will not beat around the bush where directness matters.
He does not consider his own interests.
He is kind and fireproof and in his efforts to free himself and humanity from egoic attachments, he is very direct and honest.
Avoiding opinions in the name of spirituality is anti-spiritual.
Spirituality that is only floatingly soft is a recipe for a disaster that lets all kinds of manipulation run amok.
True spirituality is a search for truth, in all its forms.
Sometimes we find the truth on the meditation cushion, and sometimes we find it in the heart of conflict or in the middle of the battlefield.
May all spiritual warriors awaken and cry out in abundance.
This planet is lost without them.
The spiritual path ~ The path of the warrior:
Relaxing amidst chaos. Staying with the nervous trembling – with the broken heart, with the growling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness, holding on in this uncertainty, relaxing amidst chaos, learning not to panic – that is the spiritual way. The talent to catch yourself, to be gentle and compassionate with yourself and others, is the way of the warrior.
I bear witness and have experienced myself; spiritual growth can be disharmonious, chaotic, ultimately peaceful.
People think that spiritual work invites a force into our lives that makes everything rosy. The truth is, it means inviting everything into our lives, everything that will force us to grow, and this growth can be disharmonious and chaotic.
Why? Every situation that pushes our buttons is a situation we cannot yet love unconditionally, and the universe directs our attention exactly to it to help us get beyond this point and awaken.
Our comfort zones are an area where it is easy to love. It is life’s task not to respect these comfort zones but to destroy them, to leave them. We are not yet at the mountain top before every conceivable zone feels cozy.
So the last thing you ever want to do is fall into the illusion that spiritual life and spiritual relationships are always rosy, quiet, and blissful.
Spiritual warriors endure the intense pains of becoming aware, instead of continuing to dwell in the dull pain of unconsciousness for the rest of their lives.
Inspired by: Pema Chödrön, Marianne Williamson, Jeff Brown, Mirko.
AHO
Sunny's Journal 