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Spiritual Materialism?
betaboy
Veteran
My friend and I were discussing the following:
The worldly man says, "I want wealth."
The 'spiritual' man says, "I want enlightenment."
It is like the same materialistic attitude, consciously or otherwise, is being applied to spirituality - I want this, I don't want that, etc. This is spiritual materialism. This is dangerous because it makes us believe we're spiritual when in reality we're only being materialistic.
People who meditate for peace, for instance, are no different from worldly people who work hard for money. The field has changed, the motivation is the same. Both are materialism, only the former is under the guise of spirituality.
What do you think? Are you a spiritual materialist?
The worldly man says, "I want wealth."
The 'spiritual' man says, "I want enlightenment."
It is like the same materialistic attitude, consciously or otherwise, is being applied to spirituality - I want this, I don't want that, etc. This is spiritual materialism. This is dangerous because it makes us believe we're spiritual when in reality we're only being materialistic.
People who meditate for peace, for instance, are no different from worldly people who work hard for money. The field has changed, the motivation is the same. Both are materialism, only the former is under the guise of spirituality.
What do you think? Are you a spiritual materialist?
0
Comments
The two examples you give are opposites. Assuming, of course, that the people praying for peace aren't sitting there, glorifying in the fact that they're praying for peace. In which case, their prayers wouldn't work, lol.
"The problem is that ego can convert anything to its own use, even spirituality. Ego is constantly attempting to acquire and apply the teachings of spirituality for its own benefit. The teachings are treated as an external thing, external to 'me,' a philosophy which we try to imitate. We do not actually want to identify with or become the teachings. So if our teacher speaks of renunciation of ego, we attempt to mimic renunciation of ego. We go through the motions, make the appropriate gestures, but we really do not want to sacrifice any part of our way of life. We become skillful actors, and while playing deaf and dumb to the real meaning of the teachings, we find some comfort in pretending to follow the path."
Trungpa, Chogyam; Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism; Shambhala Publications, Inc.; Boston, Massachusetts; 1973.
I think this is a very important — although controversial — topic you are raising. Thank you.
At the point that you have started to meditate and practice other "spiritual" things or actions you don't automatically arrive in some spiritual realm.
I say go thru the motions and see how things turn out. Of course there will be spiritual materialism until there isn't.
Don't worry about it.
My understanding of what CTR was saying is when someone uses spirituality as simply a label of the type of person they want to be. Like this person is a sports fan, this person is a nature lover and I'm a spiritual person.
The way you've used it carries with it the implication that there is no difference between a spiritual motivation and a worldly one. That discussion is ok to have, just don't call it "spiritual materialism".
In regards to that I think that it could be possible that someone engages in a spiritual path without a pure motive but along the way hopefully the contents of their practice will lead them to a more wholesome motivation. It isn't as likely that a worldly path would do the same.
spiritual materialism is a term defined to warn a spiritual seeker, to not hold onto any thing whatever he has known or gained through his spiritual practice (which obviously happens as output, when the spiritual journey has been walked over a long period of time in a sincere way) - since everything has to be let go of, so the term 'spiritual materialism' asks to keep an internal check if there is some grasping happening.
metta to you and all sentient beings.
My understanding of CTRs spiritual materialism is more so, as someone else said, holding yourself and your path/system of beliefs as higher than others. Buddhists are just as much victim to the "I found the way! And you should find it, too!" as Christians or others can be. Dropping the materialism means dropping an expectation that you will achieve this or that and labeling any of those things as good or bad. You cannot be present when you are always striving for something and that's especially true in meditation. When we expect to get something in return for our efforts, that kind of defeats the purpose. I'm still reading the book, so perhaps I will feel differently when I am done.