How Spirituality Can be a Way of Life

“Spirituality is connected with practicality.”

Master Choa Kok Sui

In spite of what most people think, spirituality is not just about meditating, feeling blissful and being loving all the time. Spirituality is also about being sharp, intelligent and powerful to produce physical results. Sometimes being loving to all can be equal to being strict with some!

Spirituality is in fact a way of life! It is a constant training to shape our character and become better and better in every aspect of life!

Spirituality does not bring stagnation. There is no end to what we can achieve. It is always improving, developing and evolving.

No one is perfect and everyone is growing! Having achieved perfection is just a delusion that comes from pride and is a formula for spiritual fall! There is a chance of learning from every moment of life and the people we meet everyday.

Although spirituality can be achieved without any form, guideline or schedule, it is safer and in many cases faster if we follow the advice and guidelines of great teachers and masters who have gone through all the ups and downs of life and have achieved realization of their true nature.

“The Spiritual Path is more complicated than the Amazon. 
The Guru has already been through the “forest”. 
Follow the guidance of the Teacher to avoid getting hurt.”

Master Choa Kok Sui

In Arhatic Yoga we call these guidelines The 5 Pillars and The 5 Virtues!

These pillars, virtues and practices are aimed at purifying the soul from unwholesome thoughts and tendencies and bringing about more light, love and power to the system.

“Light, love, power and clarity come from a strong spiritual connection.”

Master Choa Kok Sui

In fact the practice of the 5 pillars and the 5 virtues are necessary for spiritual development and have been designed to easily blend with our life so that after a while they become part of our day-to-day lifestyle.

For many of us, the virtues have been already implanted into our system and our consciousness from childhood by our parents, teachers and guides. In fact one of the best ways to make spirituality a way of life is to practice the 5 virtues. By being loving, generous, honest, industrious and moderate we are actually exercising our intelligence, love and power aspects; we are strengthening our chakras and increasing the size of our spiritual cord; we are bringing more soul energy into our system that can take control over the lower nature.

In Arhatic Yoga each virtue has 2 sides; it is described from a positive and a negative aspect; a yin and a yang; a do and a don’t. It is not just enough to be loving; one must abstain from being injurious as well. It is not just enough to be generous; one must also avoid stealing!

Although these teachings seem to be familiar to many, it is not always easy to practice them. Knowing the teachings is different from living them! In fact being aware of the virtues and applying them in our everyday life is spirituality. The tests come when we encounter a difficult situation and we remain virtuous; when we think, speak and act right!

To make the 5 virtues easy to apply, the 5 pillars of Arhatic Yoga have been designed in a systematic way. The purification techniques, meditations and other practices provide us with the tools and necessary techniques to build our character and remove the negative tendencies, even before they manifest.

To make the 5 virtues easy to apply, the 5 pillars of Arhatic Yoga have been designed in a systematic way. The purification techniques, meditations and other practices provide us with the tools and necessary techniques to build our character and remove the negative tendencies, even before they manifest.

This makes spiritual development a simple and ongoing process. It is the process of building the character and refining it. It is not a separate practice that is added to our life. It is a part of life. It is in fact the purpose of life!

“Spirituality can release blocks, lead you to ideas, and make your life artful. Sometimes when we pray for guidance, we’re guided in unexpected directions… It can seem so humble and picky and that you don’t necessarily think of it spiritual guidance.”

Julia Cameron

References

• Spirituality Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/spirituality.html
• Master Choa Kok Sui. (2004). Creative Transformation, The Golden Lotus Sutras on Spiritual Practice. The Institute for Inner Studies Publishing Foundation, Inc.
• Master Choa Kok Sui. (2004). Beyond the Mind, The Golden Lotus Sutras on Meditation. The Institute for Inner Studies Publishing Foundation, Inc.