Hey There Guys,
Blogging has been fun. I have found a great many interesting blogs that I find cool and inspirational. I am going to add a list of cool blogs to my side bar and of course when it get filled i will make a page about it.
I got a question asking me how does being married affect my spiritual practices and vice versa. Its a tough questions but maybe the answer might be of assistance to someone of you who read this. When i first thought of marrying my wife I asked my teacher his opinion on marriage and he told me “Dave, never trust someothign that can bleed for 7 or more days and still be alive”.
Marriage is at the same time one of the most rewarding and painful things you can experience, thankfully its bee more me more rewarding than painful. My spiritual practices arent odd at all I dont hang upside down from the ceiling or take laxatives and starve myself. I take a few minutes every day to meditate do my exercises and thats it. The other time Im jsut Dave, from teh jokes I tell and the crazy shenanigans i pull i doubt in real life you would consider me a seeker.
I always felt that now a days having a balanced life is key. Some people are called to spiritual path and some people arent. Thats perfectly fine, the questiosn alawys is can you recognize someone walking on the spiritual path? Do you expect them to be a vegetarian ? have beard and grey /white hair, not work a real job 9-5. would you be surprised if they were soldiers gym teachers ? garbage men?
Spirituality comes in all different flavors like ice cream. If you look at soemones outward form you wil really know much about who they really are. Even us in our daily lives are always trying to access who we a really are. We can feel the disparity at time betwen what we are doing whats we want whats others think of us and how we conceive of ourselves?
If you associate spirituality with extrenal things like fasting and looking or appearing pious then it will be a problem to married life. I dont make any dramatic production when i pray its totally inward. I am a vegetarian 95% if the time my wife isnt at all. It doesnt matter. My wife doesnt sit in emditation with me that doesnt matter. What matters is that she helps me, and is there for me during my trials and tribulations. When life beats me down she is there and thats all that matters. What she does for me what ever it is is done out of love not because she feels she has to or that its her role as a wife.
That to me is service, real service that is the essence of spirituality. Real service means that youa re doing something out of love not because if you feed a homeless man 10 times you will go to heaven, or also nto because if you dont do your duty you will be a punished horribly in in the burning pits of hell. It has been said that great spiritual eople have been able to reach such high position in teh eyes of god more so through their service.
“The hands that help are holier to me than the lips that pray “
If your religious belief and practices are creating emnity beyween you and ur family take time to look at them again. They should in essence be bringing you together, making you more compassionate patient and tolerant.
I feel , and this is my opinion I am not a marriage counselor, that if both you and ur spouse are of different religions you have a unique opportunity to see how another culture experiences the absolute. Will you argue about externals? or come together over the best of what each has to offer?
-just my two cents – hope that answered the question
Here is a funny picture
