3 MAIN STONES
Before describing the principles of spiritual growth of a modern person, it is worth, in my opinion, philosophizing on the topic of “unprincipledness” in yoga.
In this context, “unprincipledness” is not just the skill of the mind to question any axiom, assertion, view or attitude to something, twist and revise, expand, deepen, and sometimes recheck with opposing concepts and ideas, but also understanding , that in different situations, at different levels, this same principle can change if there are grounds for it.
Also, this “unprincipledness” is relevant and very useful at the initial stages of a person’s spiritual growth, including if we are talking about the growing of a person in an esoteric system, under the guidance of a teacher. In order to build a new one, one must destroy the old and be open to the fact that the “old” is revised, and often simply thrown away in large pieces.
Each person’s path is unique, however, there are several pillars suitable for almost every practitioner.
So – the principles/stones for the spiritual growth of a modern person in the context of Big Yoga:
- In order to talk about some kind of spirituality, a person must have options and opportunities to choose in his mind, that is, degrees of freedom and the ability to refuse his choice/path/road – that is, awareness of the flexibility and variability of life as such. Having this certain number of options – a person’s choice becomes more conscious and large-scale (that is, a person takes into account more factors before making a decision and understands the consequences). In general, the principle is “The ability to choose among several options and to make this choice consciously.” The more holistic a person’s worldview, the more flexible and developed – the more layers will take into account this choice and the more responsibility a person will have for this choice before himself, moreover, relying on this choice, the person will remember all aspects of his decision every time and it will give him the strength to move further in the chosen direction. From my observations of working with people of different cultures, ages, and from my own experience, I can say that the ability to choose consciously, understanding the consequences at different levels, is already a great spiritual gift.
- The next principle of spiritual development is “conscious compassion”, that is, a sufficient amount of knowledge, a formed worldview and understanding of many cause-and-effect relationships of this or that phenomenon, behavior, event. In order to consciously sympathize, one must gain experience, knowledge, and skills in this or that issue, go through crises, and also feel a specific situation deeply enough. Conscious compassion makes it possible to interact with the world and people in such a way as to maintain a delicate balance between allowing a person to experience his own experience and, if possible, guiding and prompting if there is such an inner request. Moreover, having this skill of conscious compassion, we immediately build a model of behavior with a person that will make it possible to develop missing qualities or recognize unconstructive forms of behavior. This principle is impossible without working out the ego, impossible without a developed worldview, understanding of different realities and love for people as a whole.
- Stable internal principles (and this is not a tautology) and reliance on one’s desires, orientations and values, even if you are in a society where 100 (any other number) people tell you the opposite. This is not about stupidity, but about a formed worldview, about understanding one’s path. This does not mean that the principles are not revised and external realities are not taken into account, it means that any change in the formed worldview is checked and rechecked at all levels – including the practical one, and this means that there is a willingness to follow one’s path and desires regardless of external circumstances .
I wish everyone success on inspiring road of a spiritual growth. To know more, please contact me.