Spiritual Virtues

A little girl runs toward the giant hand of God.

Spiritual Virtues

Summary: Virtues such as humility, simplicity, and detachment are not goals to attain, but the natural fruits of a deepening consciousness. By practicing with constancy and determination, we align our existence with fundamental harmony to harvest peace and fulfillment.

Texte

When we embark on an authentic spiritual path, certain virtues are welcome, such as humility, simplicity, detachment, and devotion (bhakti). It is not a matter of acquiring these virtues to deepen one's consciousness; it is the deepening of consciousness that makes them flourish. Constancy is also a beautiful virtue for a spiritual practice, but it does not come naturally: one must strive for it.

Everyone will give a different meaning to these words, according to their understanding. Here are some explanations for humility, nonetheless:

"A virtue that gives us the sense of our weakness, which represses in us the movements of pride." This is the definition given by the Académie Française. The weakness, here, is that of our human nature and its limits.

Humility is the result of objectivity: gauging oneself as one is, without narcissistic illusion or self-disregard, which would border on masochism. Humility also allows one to attend to something other than oneself.

Simplicity comes with the regular practice of a sadhana, the precepts and practices of an authentic spiritual path. Everything that pertains to the divine—or, if one does not believe in God, to fundamental harmony—is simple. When it is not simple, when it is complicated, it is because it is a human invention.

Detachment is a freedom not to be confused with indifference. When detachment is advocated, some evoke hermits who cast away beings and things. That is not detachment. As long as one rejects and despises, it is because one considers the object or being to be dangerous.

True detachment fears neither objects nor people. It consists of attaching oneself to the love of God, or to the simplicity of fundamental harmony, to this inner peace. When we are there, then we are detached. Since detachment is not indifference, it is entirely possible to love a spouse, one's family, friends, children, country, and work while being detached.

Devotion is made of love and gratitude. It must not be confused with bigotry. Here, the meaning of this word is not: "zeal in Roman Catholic religious practice," as the dictionary suggests. Rather, it is a limitless love for God. This love is born from the recognition of having found peace. The devotee maintains a regular and strong relationship with the Divine. He sees His Grace in every event of his life.

The Path's Fruits

Add determination to these qualities and you have the winning combination in spirituality. This is what allows one to know true happiness, harvesting, without having sought them, the just fruits of your practice. These fruits are:

-Fullness: the state of being full of meaning and reason.

-Fulfillment: the state of doing what we are made for.

-Love: here, it refers to the love that each person carries within and which depends on no one and nothing. It is the love of God.

-Peace: not the absence of war, but the state of being in the present moment, complete and without question.

If one does not taste these fruits, perhaps the spiritual approach is insufficient. What do you think? There is always room for improvement. Life is, among other things, made for this: to progress toward deep consciousness and toward liberation from the suffering caused by ignorance.

If you have any questions, please write here:

madhyama.marga@gmail.com

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