Contribution of Physical and Spiritual Aspects to Quality of Life

[sravna]

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Physical or material aspects are important but only up to a certain extent. Beyond that spiritual aspects are only important. For example take the case of money. We cannot survive without money. As our wealth increases , happiness also increases but only up to a certain point. Beyond that money ceases to correlate positively with happiness.

Another interesting example is our physical appearance. Being in good shape makes one attractive. The better the physical shape the better the attractiveness. Let us say that a 43 inch chest and a 32 inch waist is attractive . Increasing the chest size to 46 and decreasing the waist size to 30 does not make one more attractive. Higher harmony creating factors begin to make one more attractive after a certain level.

Finally consider acquisition of knowledge. To a certain extent the scientific approach helps in the acquisition of the needed knowledge. A scientifically or technologically deprived society is not desirable. But even science, I mean the science as we know, ceases to acquire right knowledge beyond a certain level. It hits a dead end. Beyond that spirituality has to take over.

Similar with thinking. We need to be good at analytical thinking first before our spiritual thinking takes over.

So I think up to a certain level physical and material aspects seem to correlate positively with the quality of life of people but beyond that spiritual aspects become the sole factor in increasing the quality of life.

 

[renuka]

Dear Sravna,

But you haven't defined what exactly is meant by spiritual aspects.

Without defining it..there is no way we can say that it improves the quality of life.

Frankly speaking I really do not know the actual definition of spirituality.

Today out here in the newspaper there was a story about a 40 something Chinese male doctor who does endless Seva to poor patients and also serves the poor in countries plagued with problems and disasters ravaged.. ranging from Africa to Nepal.

He said mostly he is asked if he is a spiritual or religious person becos of his service and he said he is an atheist.

He said religiosity and morality need not always be connected and he feels as a human its his duty to make his life a meaningful one by helping others.


Ok Sravna...He has a good quality of life...he is happy helping others...he does not identify with being religious or spiritual..an atheist in fact...so I dont really feel spirituality is needed for a better quality of life.

Its only a perception that gives us a false impression that we are on a different path when there is actually no path at all.

 

[sravna]

Dear Renuka

You may call spirituality by whatever name you want. But the idea is it is putting inner reality above external reality. By inner reality I mean the reality that cannot be sensed by sense organs but only by the mind. What I say is beyond a point focusing on inner reality alone increases happiness

 

[sravna]

A clarification:
When I say focus on the inner reality it means treating others the same as self. One can feel and experience ones happiness or sadness, pleasure or pain. But they cannot in the same way experience the feelings of others. But if they do empathize, they are connecting at the level of mind and so operating at inner reality.

 

[sravna]

Another interesting example is our physical appearance. Being in good shape makes one attractive. The better the physical shape the better the attractiveness. Let us say that a 43 inch chest and a 32 inch waist is attractive . Increasing the chest size to 46 and decreasing the waist size to 30 does not make one more attractive. Higher harmony creating factors begin to make one more attractive after a certain level.

I would like to make a slight digression. It seems one's body shape or beauty or even intelligence can be enhanced by spiritual energy. One can be made more muscular or be made to lose weight or think with more clarity by spiritual energy.

Would that not be irrefutable proof of spiritual energy?

 

[renuka]

A clarification:
When I say focus on the inner reality it means treating others the same as self. One can feel and experience ones happiness or sadness, pleasure or pain. But they cannot in the same way experience the feelings of others. But if they do empathize, they are connecting at the level of mind and so operating at inner reality.

Dear Sravna,


I had been thru a stage before where I could not read the newspaper for almost 6 months becos each news of killings and be-headings affected me so badly that I felt guilty being alive.

My mind was in imagining mode..that is imagining the same happening to me and I could not stand it at all...so was it love for myself or love for others that made me feel this way?

I feel self identifies with pain and pleasure of others purely for self and not for others.

 

[renuka]

I would like to make a slight digression. It seems one's body shape or beauty or even intelligence can be enhanced by spiritual energy. One can be made more muscular or be made to lose weight or think with more clarity by spiritual energy.

Would that not be irrefutable proof of spiritual energy?

?????LOL


Are you marketing Spiritual Energy?

If what you say is true..why no present day Sanyasi or Swami ji has a 6 pack muscular body and as good looking as Greek God?

Most Shankaracharyas we know are over weight and old looking with flabby abdomens or some Guru ji's are skinny with low muscle content.



BTW good looking Greek Gods with perfect abs are into modelling or film industry!

 

[sravna]

?????LOL


Are you marketing Spiritual Energy?

If what you say is true..why no present day Sanyasi or Swami ji has a 6 pack muscular body and as good looking as Greek God?

Most Shankaracharyas we know are over weight and old looking with flabby abdomens or some Guru ji's are skinny with low muscle content.



BTW good looking Greek Gods with perfect abs are into modelling or film industry!

Dear Renuka,

Yes to sell our ideas sometimes we need to do it though what people like. But what I say seems to be true. I am testing it on myself. Let us wait for the result.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renuka,

Yes to sell our ideas sometimes we need to do it though what people like. But what I say seems to be true. I am testing it on myself. Let us wait for the result.

Wow Sravna....now you are using spiritual energy to enhance your looks and body and intelligence...isn't that too much identification with the body?


I myself take good care of my appearance by regular exercise and eating organic/natural food only ..why do we need to use so called spiritual energy for this?


Marketing Spiritual Energy for Aesthetics defeats the whole purpose of being spiritual.

How different is it from Vanity and you have become a business man!LOL

 

[sravna]

Wow Sravna....now you are using spiritual energy to enhance your looks and body and intelligence...isn't that too much identification with the body?


I myself take good care of my appearance by regular exercise and eating organic/natural food only ..why do we need to use so called spiritual energy for this?


Marketing Spiritual Energy for Aesthetics defeats the whole purpose of being spiritual.

How different is it from Vanity and you have become a business man!LOL

No Renuka it is not for vanity. It is experimentation with spiritual energy. It also need not be identification with body. I believe you know that according to Ayurveda, the ideal body type is one that has a perfect balance of doshas. Your western greek god type can either be classified as one with kapha predominance or perfect balance of doshas. In most of the cases it is the former because I believe a perfect balance of doshas is also a perfect balance of gunas.

So I hope you understand that aiming for a perfect balance is not identification with body alone. It improves the overall interaction of spirit-mind-body.

 

[sravna]

Dear Sravna,


I had been thru a stage before where I could not read the newspaper for almost 6 months becos each news of killings and be-headings affected me so badly that I felt guilty being alive.

My mind was in imagining mode..that is imagining the same happening to me and I could not stand it at all...so was it love for myself or love for others that made me feel this way?

I feel self identifies with pain and pleasure of others purely for self and not for others.

Dear Renuka,

Please don't reduce everything to selfish motives. Think of Gandhi or Mother Teresa. It is possible to be not selfish and yet understand the feelings of others.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renuka,

Please don't reduce everything to selfish motives. Think of Gandhi or Mother Teresa. It is possible to be not selfish and yet understand the feelings of others.

Dear Sravna,

Gandhi and Mum Theresa both had motives too.

Gandhi wanted to project Ahimsa at any cost...gave Ambedkar a hard time..went of hunger strike too and did nothing to help Bhagat Singh.

Why didnt he go on a hunger strike to save Bhagat Singh? Nope...cos if he supported Bhagat Singh..that would mean an end to his Ahimsa obsession and he wont be the star anymore...so finally a bullet ended his Ahimsa journey!


Mother Theresa...what the heck so great? Really! She was converting everyone left right centre.

Isn't that all selfish?

I knew a person here who died a few years back ..he ran an orphanage where children were never converted to any religion.He would arrange for christian children to be sent to church..Hindu children to be sent to temple and muslim children to attend mosque.

That is a person who was totally selfless

 

[sravna]

OK Renuka. It is fine if you realize that it is possible to consider others equivalent to self.

 

[renuka]

OK Renuka. It is fine if you realize that it is possible to consider others equivalent to self.

Nope....its not possible to consider others equivalent to self without identifying with self first.

It is still a "selfish" act.

I have analyzed this well...

I will give you an example.

My house is just a few meters away from a mosque..Its walking distance.

On Eid Ul Adha where there is Qurban...I usually see bulls tied out side of the mosque for slaughter and when I drive pass I usually feel very sad for the bulls cos some of them have tears in their eyes.

Then I tell myself "lucky I am vegetarian and do not contribute to loss of animal lives".

One fine day I heard a voice in my head ask me "hey are you veg for yourself or for the animal? Dont try to act as if you are selfless"

Then I stopped to think..."hey yes its true...I feel better when I know I did not contribute to an animals death..so its all about me"

Then I extended this to love of family members..."I love my family cos I feel good loving them"

So its all about me again and again.

I do not like to read about killings etc cos I feel the fear and pain the victims would have gone tru..I dont feel happy when I read this..it makes me sad...so its all about me again.

Sravna...be honest..we can only consider others equivalent to self only as a COMPARISON and if we are compassionate its not becos we are selfless..its just that we can not endure stressful thoughts of pain and suffering for others...cos our own "self" suffers.

So Sravna..just admit it..we humans are self based creatures.

 

[sravna]

No Renuka. I do not agree. The fact that you do not want to endure your feelings of suffering when others suffer is not based on whats actually happening to you. I believe it is the mind that first gives out this feeling of empathy and only when those thoughts are transferred to the body the feelings of anguish happens. So before your body reacts the mind decides how that reaction should be.

 

[renuka]

No Renuka. I do not agree. The fact that you do not want to endure your feelings of suffering when others suffer is not based on whats actually happening to you. I believe it is the mind that first gives out this feeling of empathy and only when those thoughts are transferred to the body the feelings of anguish happens. So before your body reacts the mind decides how that reaction should be.

Dear Sravna,

I disagree...I cant stand the thoughts of suffering of others cos my mind cant take it..it makes me stressed and guilty to be alive.

When I was a kid if I were to see a dead dog on the road I would cry for one whole day thinking of its pain and how it died.


I have realized its not empathy...its overdrive of identifying self in all those situations and the mind goes out of control with emotions...so to safe guard my own emotions I wish everyone to be sans suffering....Sravna...SELF would do anything to survive and live in peace.
It might look like extreme compassion or empathy but actually its just extreme preservation of SELF importance.

Think about it...I know its hard for you to admit it cos it might make one feel that one is actually not spiritual but just a self based creature.

Its better to be honest to ourselves..I know I am a self based creature that is why I have a lot of compassion and empathy.

In a way its a defect in my mind and emotions to not be able to disconnect from the suffering of others.

 

[sravna]

Dear Renuka,

It does not mean that when you are empathetic you just cry and feel for others. It is trying to think about a problem if it were to occur to you and go about helping others the same way as you would help yourself. It is proactive and an effective response to the pain and sufferings of others. Only when you are empowered you can feel that empathy. So do not mistake your empathy as something that can only make you sob and pity for others though that could mean you are beginning to enter the empathy zone.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renuka,

It does not mean that when you are empathetic you just cry and feel for others. It is trying to think about a problem if it were to occur to you and go about helping others the same way as you would help yourself. It is proactive and an effective response to the pain and sufferings of others. Only when you are empowered you can feel that empathy. So do not mistake your empathy as something that can only make you sob and pity for others though that could mean you are beginning to enter the empathy zone.

Dear Sravna,

Well my job involves alleviating pain for others to some extent but on a grand scale I do almost next to nothing for humanity.

I am not interested in empowerment...its only adds to a puffed up feeling of being capable or being in charge.

Yes...I do things for others as I would like others to treat me but not over board for those who can fend for themselves.

Example once...my mum wanted me to give free medication to her friend whose son is a rich lawyer..she stays with him..I said No..ask the lawyer to take her to see a doc and pay for his mum.

My mum said I am not helpful..but I felt my mum's friend was always travelling around the world on world tours...so rich..why should I give her free treatment?

But I do give very subsidized treatment to real poor cases who cant afford anything.