Having an interest in developing ourselves spiritually is very good; However, the spiritual search is not free from the traps of the ego. Frequently, in our binary mind we pose things as perfect opposites, in such a way that there are things or activities that we consider spiritual and others that seem mundane to us. However, the great spiritual masters have emphasized that true spirituality lies in how we deal with mundane tasks on a daily basis. The wise Shantideva declared, in his famous book The Way of the Bodhisattva, that all happiness and joy are a consequence of celebrating other sentient beings and contributing to their well-being, while problems, tragedies and disasters are consequences of attitudes that instead of serving others they serve only one's own being, so that actually serving other beings is as spiritual, or more, than meditating, performing rituals or singing praises.
This can be difficult to digest. After all, we live in an era in which business ethics has led us to think that the world revolves around us, as individuals and as a species. Individualism and mercantilism have torn apart the social fabric by weakening communities, and the exploitation of animals and ecosystems has been and continues to be devastating, so much so that, unless we decide to close our eyes and ignore information and signals, we can not but accept that the consequences of environmental devastation are reaching us. Shantideva explained that one's own being and other beings have the same innate desire to be happy and transcend suffering. Therefore, if we see it from a spiritual perspective, going after our personal interests at the expense of others does not make sense.
Recognizing the right that each person has to be free from suffering can change as we look at the world and is one of the core parts of spiritual development, since it allows us to realize how if others are happy and satisfied, we also rejoice. On the other hand, if the others are suffering perpetually, we also suffer. In other words, we can thus understand how the interests and well-being of others are intrinsically related to our interests and well-being. In the words of the XV Dalai Lama:
The world becomes smaller and smaller and more and more interdependent. Today more than ever, life must be characterized by a feeling of universal responsibility, not only between nations and humans, but also from humans to other forms of life.
So keep meditating, but also remember to serve others and respect the right of other beings to be happy and free of suffering. Recognize the sacred spark of life in every plant, tree, mountain, animal, insect and form of nature. Look for ways to contribute to the welfare of other beings and thank them for contributing to your spiritual development.
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