The End of a Spiritual Path

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The End of a Spiritual Path


It was after several years of yoga and meditation, seeking in books

and from teachers any clue to that ultimate goal, enlightenment. I had come

across the mental dialogue in a Hatha-yoga class, an internal swirling of

words and ideas that I was not aware was occurring. It was a shock to feel

the background noise come to the surface. My search for a quite mind

began.


I sought through books the themes of religion, meditation and

philosophy. I attended meditation classes and undertook a daily regimen of

meditation, prayer, and study that lasted for more than ten years.

After all that time of study and meditation I noticed the search

subsiding. I had explored energy and light in my meditation practice

thinking them to be signs of progress. I had used visualization and

breathing techniques, but what I felt after long study was emptiness. Not

loss or negation but just being, simple, present and clear. As my spiritual

search dropped off I was also left with the feeling that there was nothing to

find, nothing to go towards or achieve.


It has been a few years since that feeling replaced the spiritual

search, and I hope now to share some of the ideas and experiences that I

went through during my study for those who may be seeking. It was with a

good amount of zeal that I searched for “spiritual” results, a spiritual

righteousness that was a definite phase in my study. This is no longer the

case now, and I feel I am just a regular person with no greater knowledge

than anyone else, and no enlightenment to speak of. I think, however, I can

offer some simple advice from my experience. Advice that does not have

the weight of a certain lineage or heavy belief structure, just common

advice in plain language.


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