A post about the error we fall into trying not to work physically.
At the beginning of our studies in Gnosis we try to work physically as little as possible. We create a strong aversion to it in fact. Thinking that working physically in an office, at a construction site etc. takes away our time so that we need so much to work on ourselves.
The result is that we go about trying to work less, and we do. But is that the best thing for us and our Gnostic esoteric work? Also is that all that happens we work less or does something else happen to us in the background of our psychology.
We stop physical work all together or we work less with the good intention to work more on ourselves. To mediate and study more. To pray more, to vocalize more, to try and astral project etc. etc.
However, after a while we notice that we are not really all that better off. We notice that our time is taken up just as much as before, but this time with the nicer things of life - which is still life. So we are really back in the same situation as before but on the nicer side.
We are gardening, organising things of life, cooking, talking to people, going out, sleeping, resting, walking in nature, strolling in parks, doing yoga and exercises etc. etc.
Usually such good things can't last for all that long, we have karma to pay and especially if we break balance 'good times' have to go.
We also notice that we tend to get and do annoyed about having to help others. We get annoyed in general about anything that means losing our precious time to participate in something that is outside of our interests.
We tend strongly to go into time protection mode and we become very stingy too with money. In other words selfishness very quietly grows in the background. We don't notice it, but it grows and that is what is behind the annoyances we feel.
In effect, instead of weakening the ego we are making a big ego which is very detrimental to the path grow and strengthen in us. The result is that we are not really working on ourselves very well. We are basically strengthening the egos in ourselves and we don't know it, we think we are doing well not wasting time on physical work.
This is obvious that this happens, because our centre of gravity is in life, so when we decide to stop or work less, we so naturally gravitate to life. In this case the nicer side of life. To really make use of not working we must have our center of gravity in the work. Which takes one a long time to develop. We certainly don't develop it in the beginning years. Basically the serious hard working Gnostic students and missionaries who spend most of the their week involved in Gnostic activities are the ones who have this centre of gravity in the work.
The people who do stop work or work less in the beginning without a concrete plan to work on a defined project for the work (prepare classes, write a book, die in one ego) are not all that better off. They are the same that they have been for years. There are no big visible changes. Because we become weaker as time goes by - we get very comfortable in our comfort controlled life, the ego gets stronger and there is no revolution.
The balance is the right action. Work physically without avoidance so as to not strengthen selfishness, laziness, greed for time, pride which feels one is above working when we are not. Don't over work either which is to avoid working on ourselves. Balance uses everything to work on ourselves. Physical work offers many opportunities to work on ourselves and to learn as well as leave our comfort zones and develop new virtues.
Plus we have to think a bit about our future - no one in Gnosis is going to look after us. Maybe if we have been a missionary for years and have helped people for many years - all that merit comes back to us to be looked after, as we have watched over the spiritual life of so many. We have to have some superannuation these days to live ok when we are old or either we have to live off the government which may be difficult, which is what we deserve as we could have worked but out of delusion we decided not to, so to basically enjoy life more rather than work on ourselves.
The below shows what people do after they stop work., This is what the 'Gnostic' who does not have a centre of gravity in the work does too when they stop work.
End (4734).
No comments:
Post a Comment