Going it alone on the spiritual path rarely lends itself to long term success. Indeed, it takes more than personal fortitude to keep on the “straight and narrow.” It takes: an awareness of a tradition’s deeper teachings, proficiency at the spiritual methodologies a tradition has developed, a commitment to ethical standards (to avoid the psychological and emotional morass that attends ethical violations), and a community of fellow aspirants to support one on one’s journey.
While all the aforementioned are critical to sustaining a long term spiritual life, this list is not exhaustive. And though much could be written about each of these components, in this post I will briefly touch upon the importance of participating in a community of fellow aspirants as a support system for those times when our temptations and failings confront us.
A common term for a community of fellow aspirants is the Sanskrit term “sangha,” a term quite familiar to Buddhist practitioners in particular (“Sangha” is one of the “three jewels” of the Buddhist tradition, reflected in the prayer: “I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, until I attain Enlightenment.”). Other terms one might encounter are “ashram” (common in the Hindu tradition) or “monastery” (common in the Christian tradition). The point is, across all religious traditions spiritual aspirants have recognized the need to gather in community to support one another on the spiritual path, because they have realized that the spiritual path is very difficult to walk alone, like walking across “a razor’s edge,” to steal a Hindu metaphor.
One way to think about spiritual community is to apply Jesus’ parable of the sower (although this was not its original intent, it is still a very helpful metaphor in this context).
"Behold, the sower went out to sow. As he sowed some seeds fell beside the road and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on rocky places, where they did not have much soil. They immediately sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose they were scorched, and having no root they withered away. Others fell among the thorns and the thorns came up and choked them out. Still others fell on good soil and they yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."
We may think of spiritual community as the good soil in which the necessary conditions are found for the spiritual life to bear fruit. Spiritual community provides tradition and wisdom to feed our desire for spiritual growth. It supports us externally through mutual caretaking. And, it prepares us internally for the personal transformation that inevitably takes place on the path.
If your spiritual life has not born the fruit it promises, consider that it is finally time to deepen your commitment and join a spiritual community. The aim of this post is as simple as that - to motivate you to take this next step. Along those lines I invite you to watch closely the “Upcoming Events” page of this site, as the introduction to mysticism class, Return to the Mystic I (which is required in order to join our spiritual practice classes – Return to the Mystic III), will soon be announced. In the meantime, I invite you to read a wonderful short story about spiritual community, entitled, "The Rabbi’s Gift."
Namaste,
Alex
While all the aforementioned are critical to sustaining a long term spiritual life, this list is not exhaustive. And though much could be written about each of these components, in this post I will briefly touch upon the importance of participating in a community of fellow aspirants as a support system for those times when our temptations and failings confront us.
A common term for a community of fellow aspirants is the Sanskrit term “sangha,” a term quite familiar to Buddhist practitioners in particular (“Sangha” is one of the “three jewels” of the Buddhist tradition, reflected in the prayer: “I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, until I attain Enlightenment.”). Other terms one might encounter are “ashram” (common in the Hindu tradition) or “monastery” (common in the Christian tradition). The point is, across all religious traditions spiritual aspirants have recognized the need to gather in community to support one another on the spiritual path, because they have realized that the spiritual path is very difficult to walk alone, like walking across “a razor’s edge,” to steal a Hindu metaphor.
One way to think about spiritual community is to apply Jesus’ parable of the sower (although this was not its original intent, it is still a very helpful metaphor in this context).
"Behold, the sower went out to sow. As he sowed some seeds fell beside the road and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on rocky places, where they did not have much soil. They immediately sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose they were scorched, and having no root they withered away. Others fell among the thorns and the thorns came up and choked them out. Still others fell on good soil and they yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."
We may think of spiritual community as the good soil in which the necessary conditions are found for the spiritual life to bear fruit. Spiritual community provides tradition and wisdom to feed our desire for spiritual growth. It supports us externally through mutual caretaking. And, it prepares us internally for the personal transformation that inevitably takes place on the path.
If your spiritual life has not born the fruit it promises, consider that it is finally time to deepen your commitment and join a spiritual community. The aim of this post is as simple as that - to motivate you to take this next step. Along those lines I invite you to watch closely the “Upcoming Events” page of this site, as the introduction to mysticism class, Return to the Mystic I (which is required in order to join our spiritual practice classes – Return to the Mystic III), will soon be announced. In the meantime, I invite you to read a wonderful short story about spiritual community, entitled, "The Rabbi’s Gift."
Namaste,
Alex
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