Religion and/or Spirituality

Most people are not ready to focus on attaining total spiritual freedom, or enlightenment so called.  ‘Salvation’ is to be delivered from suffering, and everyone who is suffering is happy to get some relief, if not complete relief.  Those who are not suffering have no need of salvation. If we have a genuine sympathy for humanity, metaphysical practitioners should have the basic goal of relieving suffering.  Practitioners should not concern themselves with those who are not suffering. Buddhism teaches that suffering is caused by attachment in general to the natural part of our being. The attainment of Buddha consciousness, total enlightenment, perfect ‘salvation’, is not a desirable nor a realistic  ambition for most. Most people are not ready to totally disassociate with their natural being, but to be relieved of some of the weight of our natural existence is always nice.  Metaphysical practitioners can facilitate some measure of enlightenment, and lessening of suffering through encouraging the awakening process.  It is crucial to recognize that for a person to even make any progress whatsoever towards an enlightened state, they need a strong sense of self, as a thing worth enlightening, so attachment to our natural self is essential at first.   The first step is to discover the “self” as something other than the body.  Metaphysical practitioners must help people to first recognize the importance of understanding what the self is and how it is impacted by external phenomena, so the cause of suffering can be understood.   

We are in the era where individuality is where it is at.  Humanity is starting to escape the reality of the herd, and that is why religion is diminishing world wide.  Religion is spirituality of the herd.  If a person starts out spiritually in a religion, inevitably they will outgrow it.  Of a necessity, the religion must give way because our spirit is truly individual in its essence.  We can share the routines of spiritual practice, but once it morphs into an identity with any sort of proscribed limitation on the individuals own right to a customized point of view, where there appears a hierarchy, someone, an organization, or a dogma standing between the person and the Divine Light, individuality has taken a hit.  A person can attend the services of a religious group while maintaining a strong sense of self which is independent to the group.   A person can be part of a religious group for non-spiritual reasons, and there is no harm if they are aware of the impact the group has on their heart and mind.  The danger is that most people end up magnetized by the herd if they are not aware of that danger.  If the individual can’t protect their own personal rationality as sacred and essential, the individual will be hindered and limited by the herd, or creed, or social organization which defines the religion.  Even if the individual does not attend meetings, if they identify in a fundamental way in their mind with a creed or group, there is a metaphysical boundary that is not ideal for their immediate  development.   A person is capable of metaphysical development within the confines of a religious identity.  The seeds of true spiritual life often germinate in our minds for many years before they sprout.  People need to be allowed to shelter in a religious identity until their spirit is ready to survive in the identity of a metaphysical individual. 

Obviously, not everyone is ready as an individual, to fully enter the road to enlightenment, which is the spiritual path to true consciousness as an individual, and the end of all suffering.    Metaphysical practitioners should not try to yank sheep away from the herd where they currently shelter the storms of existence.  Suffering will separate people from the herd, when they no longer find relief in the herd.  Metaphysical practitioners are not in the business of rounding up a herd to lead, they are rightfully engaged in helping individuals to make there own independent way.  Individual metaphysical practice is not a religion, but people are capable of practicing religion on a certain lower level of their existence, while simultaneously, even subconsciously, developing on the higher, metaphysical level.  It is important to know that we don’t have to abandon religion for metaphysics, while we should also not mistake religion for real spirituality.