The purpose of our lives is to be happy ~ Dalai Lama
I went on trip to India recently with a single intention of finding out what exactly spirituality is. Its easy to assume its meaning and each one of us visualizes it in a different way but then what exactly was spirituality. I was in search for a straight answer.
I visited every holy city in Northern India that you can name, and it was an experience and a story for another day. It was during my last couple days in Delhi, that I met an old Shaman who just seemed to come out of the blue in a crowded bazaar. He made me sit on steps of a temple and asked to read my palm. Just like that.
There seemed to be a purpose in this meeting and the Shaman looked calm and glowed with peace. He was dressed head to toe in orange and with flowers and beads necklaces, there was a clam energy around him. I sat down with and offered my palm with an open mind and heart. And I am glad I did.
He talked about my past, my present and asked me what was I looking for in future. I said, I was In India to find spirituality. And then came the nuke. He asked me how would I find spirituality if all I was doing was running away from my myself. He said I was looking for spirituality in all wrong places. The only place it existed was inside of me. The only thing I had to do was love myself.
Loving oneself requires appreciation for mind, body and spirit which guides you through this soul’s journey on earth. You have all the necessary tools to illuminate your own path toward spiritual enlightenment. He said “There is no other teacher but your own soul”. With that he folded has hands, blessed my forehead and walked off.
There it was. The most profound knowledge in most simplistic way. It was my aha! moment and I felt satisfied with a mission well accomplished. I had found what I came for and realized I did not have to travel around or find someone to teach spirituality to me. It is to be my own journey and my own pace. That is exactly what spirituality is.
First love yourself, then others will love you. Love your mind, the outstanding accomplishments and failures that help you grow. Love your body, the exquisite beauty and faults that make it so. Love your soul, the enthusiastic happiness and the splendid release of sorrow. Self-love is complete acceptance of yourself. To know who you are, where you have come from, and all the places you still have to go. Own it all and this alone will help you find your own unique spirituality.
live the journey 