Spiritual materialism occurs internally in the form of ideas, concepts, and ideologies – or what Trungpa loosely defines as the mind. Just as we rely on our physical objects for comfort, we can rely on our minds to navigate life more comfortably. “Nationalism, communism, existentialism, Christianity, and Buddhism all provide us with identities, rules of action, and explanations for how and why things happen as they happen,” Trungpa says. Mentally, we use ideologies, beliefs, and concepts to protect us or soften ‘what is’.
That’s right: How often do we rely on our beliefs to calm ourselves? Even the common spiritual saying, Everything happens for a reason-Can sugar cover the present moment. And when we use spiritual truths to console ourselves, we sometimes lose the opportunity to encounter doubt, uncertainty, and confusion, which, frankly, is, The best teachers.
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