As a counselor I am discovering that so many people are struggling now, from the richest to the poorest…Perhaps the most widespread feelings I am encountering are disappointment, a lack of hope for the future, and a gnawing sense of non-completion. The great temptation of being human is to try to fix ourself by looking outwardly and thinking, “If I only had more money, if I only had the perfect partner, if my dreams came true, if society were different, THEN I would be complete.” This strategy unfortunately only sets us up for deeper levels of disappointment because it attempts to fix an inherently spiritual or inner issue with outer things, something that can NEVER work.

I have learned that you can only heal from such a predicament when you understand that your soul is being tested. A spiritual test can only be “passed” when you shift from an outer perspective to an inner one, when you realize that your current struggle is actually an opportunity for you to spiritually evolve. For a true test forces you to confront your own insecurities and emotional issues, the blockages and impediments that have been holding you back from true joy for your entire life. For instance, instead of seeking fulfillment through an outer relationship, when you are tested you confront the question, “Why am I not happy with myself when I am alone?” Instead of seeking completion by meeting your list of goals, when you are tested you confront the question, “Why do I not feel complete and totally loved just as I am?”

When you face these difficult questions directly, you will find that only God can complete you. Paradoxically, you will find that you have always been complete, and that your sense of non-completion is merely based on the illusion of the ego. When everything in your life seems to be breaking down, you can learn to find comfort in the eternal aspect of you that never changes, that is Peace Itself. When you finally give up on trying to fix yourself outwardly, and find peace, joy, and love in the ever-present reality of God whatever your circumstances happen to be, THEN the outer will begin to change as well. This is the great secret embedded in Jesus’ saying, “Seek first the Kingdom of God (Spiritual Enlightenment or God-Consciousness) and His righteousness (work on your issues and how you treat people), and all these things (your outer needs and desires) will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6 – parentheses added).

Once you understand this principal, you will actually be grateful for your suffering or testing, because you will realize it is purging you of everything that is obstructing real happiness from manifesting in your life. You will thank God for every closed door and every “disappointment,” and you will embrace the Real Shalom which can only be found in the spiritual life. You will realize that by blocking what you thought you wanted from happening, God was merely drawing you closer to Himself because He loves you too much to allow you to chase after counterfeit versions of happiness (or idols).

Paradoxically, and according to Jesus the Messiah, when you have passed the test, the outer will ALSO mysteriously start to change as well in accordance to your level of surrender! A test is therefore a priceless opportunity to seek fulfillment in That which can actually fulfill you, and to prove to God that your devotion to Him is not based on mere circumstances or your ego getting its way. It is an opportunity to turn to prayer, meditation, and the Grace of God to be your anchor in times of trouble. Or you can become bitter, turn to the world to fulfill you, and only end up more disappointed in the end. The choice, alas, is ours! – Jeffrey

Introduction: There are no “Shoulds” in God

One of my goals as an author is to bring God “down to earth,” and help people connect with the Divine within themselves in practical ways that can be integrated into daily life.  In the West, most people view “God” as something outside of them to be believed in, and do not realize that He/She/It is within them (and ultimately IS them), and can be experienced ever more deeply through spiritual practices like meditation.  Although we are already one with God right now in this very moment, most of us still need to do spiritual practices to remove the ignorance that veils us from It, just as fog veils our reflection in a mirror.

People often view spiritual practice as an obligation, but in reality it is a celebration for people who understand that God is Ever Present, Ever New Bliss, as the great Master Paramahansa Yoganada once defined It.  A wise woman once told me that, “There are no shoulds in God,” because the spiritual path is ultimately about connecting more deeply to Love, Joy, and Bliss, and not about pleasing a Deity outside of you.  For once you realize that God is the Source of all Joy, seeking Him becomes potentially effortless, because you realize that He is what you have been seeking all along!  Furthermore, once you realize that you are One with Him, and that He is actually the One experiencing “you,” your own seemingly ordinary life becomes transformed into His very expression, “The Kingdom of Heaven within you” (as Jesus expressed it) or “Nirvana” (as the Buddha called it).

Here are six practical tips for communing with God in daily life as a working person with a 9-5.  For a more comprehensive explanation of my spiritual views, read my book Daily Bliss in the link above.  If you do not believe me, or if these methods don’t work for you, I simply don’t care.  As Hafiz once said, God and I are having a wild party, and will enjoy Ourselves no matter what, but it would also be great if others joined in the Fun!  All my writings are merely expressions of what works for me that will hopefully inspire others to seek the Divine within themselves.  And don’t be fooled:  No “how to” manual or “___ step method” can lead you to God if you do not love Him more than worldly things, and are not willing to sacrifice lesser goals to realize Him.  Only His Grace can open your eyes to the fact that He is the goal of life Itself and that, apart from Him, there can be no lasting happiness.

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“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

Interfaith corollary: “If you single-pointedly worship Me, I will take care of all your needs.” – Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita

This is my first blog post in a while.  I’ve been working full time as a drug and alcohol counselor, a strange and unexpected twist on my spiritual journey that I hope to write about more in the future.  My job has been demanding most of my creative energy, and this blog had to be set aside temporarily.  Lately, though, I’ve realized that I should pay more attention to the inner desire I have to write, and make more time in my week to prioritize it.  This post has no real organization, but is merely me “popping the cork” to a hopefully entirely new generation of blog posts where I will write about spirituality, religion, society, and my own bumbling journey along the path to God.  But enough of my excuses for my lack of involvement in this blog, which probably amount only to laziness if I am scrupulously honest with myself.

So what have I been learning in nearly the past year since I’ve written seriously on this blog?  I’ve been learning the same lesson over and over again that was wonderfully and simply expressed by King David nearly 3,000 years ago in the above Psalm.  Oftentimes we complicate the spiritual path, forgetting that God-Realization is far more important than mundane aspects of our life we incessantly stress about (“the desires of your heart”).  For me, the heart of the spiritual path is turning away from empty material hopes, and placing one’s hope in the higher satisfaction of God-Realization – the actual experience of God/Bliss which many religions attempt to describe, but that no religion can ever possibly contain.

Some readers may be turned off by the fact that I am quoting from the Bible, but do not mistake my feeling of connection to a Bible passage (I am ethnically Jewish, after all) for blind sectarianism. Although I study religions for a hobby, at the end of the day I am a seeker of the Divine Itself. I am not Jewish, not Christian, not Hindu, not Buddhist, but a seeker of the Nameless Bliss and Joy is eternally One with my own natural awareness in this very moment!  Scriptures undoubtedly have spiritual, inspirational, and cultural value, but they cannot generate an actual experience of the Divine; they are like a tiny candle compared to the mighty Sun.  Truly – although I revere God-inspired scriptures such as the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and the sutras of the Buddha –  scriptures become like a hindrance, or even repulsive like animal feces, to anyone who has had a genuine mystical experience.  They are the path and not the Goal.  They are the treasure map, but not the Treasure.

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There is an eternal Spirit that is not affected by the tumultuous events of the world. Anyone rooted in this God-Awareness has a peace that nothing can ever take away. Anyone who rises above the belief that they are the body can be peaceful spiritually even in times of great distress and historical chaos. The events in a movie can be wonderful, boring, or tragic, but the Watcher of the movie is always at peace. Through regular meditation practice and God’s grace, any human being – like Jesus or the Buddha – has the capacity to realize that their Buddha Nature, True Nature, or Christ Consciousness is always free, never dies, and is actually Peace Itself. Things, dreams, and relationships with people can be temporary blessings, but only the realization of our oneness with God/Buddha Nature can truly satisfy us.

This is a hard truth, but until we learn this primordial spiritual lesson, we will circle and circle, lifetime after lifetime, wondering why we are perpetually unfulfilled. Yet when we return to God it is understood that His Joy is infinitely superior to any temporary joy based on human desire; yet in truth we do not “return” to God, for God realizes that He has only been pretending to be “you,” and has been free all along.

Wishing you the highest boon of full awakening in God-Consciosuness that all beings are, whether they know it or not, truly seeking,

Jeffrey

  – A mind stilled by meditation is like a cleaned window that more fully reveals the beauty of the universe.

We are never satisfied by “doing,” by checking off the never ending to-do list, always waiting for an ideal future that never arrives, or musing on a past that is completely over. “If only X occurs, THEN I will be happy….” This part of our mind is never content, and keeps us chained to karma like a hamster on a hamster wheel that never stops and keeps getting faster. Planning and thinking are indeed important in their useful contexts, but we are only truly satisfied by BEING, by stepping off the hamster wheel, being fully present in each moment, and experiencing the beauty of life as it arises.

I just got back to India and wrote this in the Amsterdam airport during my 30 hour flight.  I can’t wait to blog more about my experience in India!

Airports…..Oy Vey! How could I be honest and say they do not annoy me… Yet airports and plane flights are an excellent place to practice meditation, patience, and to develop the “fruits of the Spirit,” as Paul the apostle called them. A person of Spirit does not surf on a wave of light above the annoyances of daily life, but simply views daily “problems” with a spiritual mentality. Every temporary hassle is an opportunity to practice kindness and patience. Every time someone gets angry with me is an opportunity to practice unconditional love. If I spiritualize my life I do not think, “How frustrating is this!” or “How annoying is this person!” but rather think, “This is an opportunity to deepen my spiritual practice.” If you free your mind and view everything as meditation, nothing can hinder your peace. The secret of all the great yogi’s and mystics is that they realized that their own mind is the key to peace, not outer circumstance. For is not our own mind the temple of God Himself, who is peace Itself? Now does Hafiz, that poet of poets, have a verse for this very principal? Of course he does…