Where to start spiritual development: a step-by-step guide. How to act on the path of spiritual improvement

Department of Education of the Kogalym City Administration

School stage All-Russian Olympiad schoolchildren

in physical education

2012-13 academic year

Boys and girls (grades 7-8)

Full name ___________________________________________________________________ KL__

Correctly completed tasks are scored 1 point.

The task completion time is 40 minutes.

1. The term "Olympics" ancient Greece meant...

A. synonym Olympic Games.

b. a meeting of athletes in one city.

V. four-year period between Olympic Games.

G. the first year of the quadrennial, the onset of which is celebrated with games.

2. When are the Olympic Games celebrated?

A. This depends on the decision of the IOC.

b. During the first year of the celebrated Olympics.

V. During the second calendar year following the year the Olympics begin.

G. During last year the celebrated Olympics.

3. Tasks for strengthening and maintaining health in the process of physical

education is decided on the basis of...

A. hardening and physiotherapeutic procedures.

b. improving your physique.

V. ensuring full physical development.

G. formation of motor skills.

4. The health value of physical exercise determines its...

A. form. b. content.

V. technique. G. hygiene.

5. Improving the spiritual and natural powers of a person is mainly characteristic of ... activity.

A. professional b. physical education

V. corrective G. sports

6. A healthy lifestyle is a way of life aimed at...

A. development physical qualities of people.

b. maintaining high performance of people.

V. maintaining and improving people's health.

G. preparation for professional activity.

7. The initiator of the revival of the Olympic Games of our time is

A. Roman Emperor Theodosius I.

b. Pierre de Fredy, Baron de Coubertin.

V. Ancient philosopher and thinker Aristotle.

G. Juan Antonio Samaranch.

8. Physical exercises used to correct various deformities of the musculoskeletal system are called...

A. leading. b. imitation.

V. corrective. G. general developmental.

9. The development of endurance corresponds to a work-rest regime, when each subsequent exercise is performed in a phase...

A. not complete restoration of performance.

b. full restoration of functionality.

V. Beyond recovery.

G. increased performance.

10. The main criterion for the effectiveness of long-term sports training is:

A. maximum fund of motor skills and abilities.

b. the highest level of development of physical qualities.

V. athlete's health.

G. highest sporting result.

11. The system of organizational and methodological measures that makes it possible to outline the direction of specialization of a young athlete in a particular sport is called:

A. sports selection.

b. sports orientation.

V. pedagogical testing.

G. diagnosis of predisposition.

12. Name the main principles of the Fair Play code of sports honor.

A. Maintain self-esteem under all circumstances.

b. Do not strive to win at any cost; maintain honor and nobility on the sports field.

V. A combination of physical perfection with high morality.

G. Treat with respect and be honest towards opponents, judges, and spectators.

13. Sports and gaming activities are characterized by...

A. educational and developmental orientation.

b. a small number of relatively standard situations.

V. lack of constancy and uncertainty in the structure of the participants’ activities.

G. high importance of the quality of role performance relative to the desire to win.

14. Need for physical improvement belongs to the category...

A. biological b. motives

V. habits G. beliefs.

15. The emergence of physical exercise is historically due primarily...

A. level of development of primitive people.

b. conditions of human existence.

V. the nature of labor and combat actions of people.

G. geographical location of human habitation.

16. A condition for strengthening health and improving volitional qualities is...

A. hardening of the body.

b. participation in competitions.

V. daily morning exercises.

G.

17. The main indicator characterizing the stages of development of an organism is

A. biological age.

b. calendar age.

V. skeletal and dental age.

G. sensitive period.

18. Physical education is...

A. a way to master the values ​​accumulated in the field of physical education.

b. the process of performing physical exercises.

V. a way to improve performance and improve health.

G. security general level physical fitness.

19. The load of physical exercise is characterized by...

A. the magnitude of their impact on the body.

b. tension in certain muscle groups.

V. time and number of repetitions of motor actions.

G. the preparedness of those involved, their age and state of health.

20. The basis of the methodology for developing physical qualities is...

A. age adequacy of the load.

b. learning motor actions.

V. performing physical exercises.

G. gradual increase in impact force.

Spiritual development− this is the study of the structure of REASONABLE LIFE, through knowledge of YOURSELF, your feelings and thoughts, where and how they are born, how they affect us, on a personal and general level.

The real Spiritual path of development (growth of the Soul) is not possible without real knowledge yourself (your inner world of feelings and thoughts).

Not everyone is able to come to this Path. Someone is busy getting their daily bread, someone needs personal life arrange, that is, most people are immersed headlong in “everyday life” and they simply have no time to stop and think about something else. Fear also has its place. After all, even realizing the pointlessness of the “race” for new acquisitions and growth of one’s social significance, it takes a lot of courage to boldly look into yourself and try to change usual way of life life, and at the same time transform yourself.

Such people can be forced out of their “comfort zone” only by some out-of-the-ordinary event that can shake a person - it could be stress, a sudden insight caused by shock, the death of loved ones, etc. The event should make him understand the illusory nature of such a life, where values ​​come and human life, by and large, makes no sense.


When understanding comes and familiar world collapses, a person is faced with a choice - how to live now, what to believe in, what or who to serve? What can stimulate a person to believe in himself and think about eternal and unshakable values? At this moment, a difficult path of change and transformation of his spirit opens up before him, an opportunity opens up to touch his Divine beginning.

Evolution of Spirit and Soul

Spiritual development is the Path of evolution of the spirit and soul, which distinguishes people from animals, and for the sake of which we all incarnated here on Earth. After all, the meaning of life is to moral victories over your shortcomings, character traits and habits, cleanse the mirror of your soul from dirt, strengthen your spirit and continue to improve beyond the boundaries of our reality, in higher worlds and in more subtle matters.

Real Spiritual development is possible only under these conditions, when a person goes beyond the framework of the Destructive Mind, in which there is the creativity of illness, death, doubt...


Our body is the seat of the soul and through the spirit is connected with the Creator (God or Creator). We can also say that every person, animal, insect, plant, mineral or atom collectively constitutes the body of God, or he manifests himself through everything that surrounds us and this all evolves and develops according to cosmic laws and cycles.

Having reached human nature, soul and body are subjected to severe trials. On their way, obstacles arise in the form of ego, dubious desires, negative emotions, feelings self-importance etc. In the fight against these factors, a person sometimes lives many lives until the conditions mature and form in which a person can no longer live like this without changing himself.


The essence of Spiritual improvement

The most important thing on the path of Spiritual development is to find the integrity of your views and aspirations with the desires of your soul, and then it is possible to become like God not only in image, but also in content. Love is the key to discovering yourself limitless possibilities. Love is the language of God. Learning to truly love is not easy and many have no idea what it is. Their understanding does not extend beyond carnal friction against each other and a possessive attitude towards their lovers.

We must learn to give love to the entire world around us, without expecting anything in return, because God has already rewarded a person with everything he could have dreamed of even at birth. However, for some this is not enough and they rush from one extreme to another. Hence wars, rivalry, and fornication... This is the path of suffering and dissatisfaction, which destroys the body and destroys the soul.

But how, by what means and methods do you come to an agreement with yourself? Perhaps prayer will be a consolation for someone, but it is not capable of providing an impetus for evolutionary growth. Religion is an unnecessary intermediary between man and God. In our time, it increasingly serves as a tool for manipulating people, a means of profit and dirty machinations on the part of the church or higher authorities authorities.


Only evolution matters now. Therefore, by choosing a voluntary, firm and conscious intention to know and change yourself, you can come to desired result. As they say, there are many who seek the Creator, but not many find Him. The Creator lives in each of us, but without awakening him, we turn away from ourselves. He does not hear the voice of our desires, requests or laudatory odes - he responds only to manifestations of the spirit expressed in actions.

Doubts in one’s abilities and fear of the unknown future and, most importantly, not conscious choice The spiritual path will very quickly return an immature person to a familiar and comfortable way of life. To stay true to your choice, initial stage especially, you need to be vigilant, listen to yourself and pull back whenever the ego begins to dictate its terms - full control thoughts and actions.

  • You need to accept yourself, having understood your delusions, mistakes, grievances, albeit not immediately, but over time. First of all, you should learn to always remain honest and be yourself under any circumstances. There is no need to blame anyone for the current situation, or even yourself - after all, this is a school where we all undergo training and grow our souls with each class.


Freed from the burden of past mistakes and grievances, a person gains lightness and self-confidence. The world around us begins to create favorable conditions for a person, fills space with guiding signs, life becomes joyful and transforms right before our eyes. Feeling inner peace and the desire to live, a person in the future will never be able to repeat the mistakes of the past and will not make new ones.

Reading philosophical literature, spiritual practices, and meditation will help speed up evolution. Religious literature contains too many conjectures and falsehoods, so a person ignorant of such matters can easily take anything on faith. There are a lot of ancient and modern literary artifacts that can acquaint the traveler with the structure of the universe, with cosmic and spiritual laws, with concepts that reveal the very essence of human being and much more.

Spiritual development is possible only if a person sincerely wants to know his inner world, to really change the structure of your feelings, to give yourself the opportunity to find out how to really live, breathe, love, without feelings of fear.

Literature:

E.P.Blavatskaya, D.L.Andreev, Roerichs, Sri Aurobindo, Osho, ancient Indian epics - “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana”, Bhagavad Gita, Vedas, Philokalia, AllatRa and many other books that are recommended for deep study by those who chose the path of the spirit.

These manuals express the very essence of the entire integrity of spiritual knowledge, and bring progress to those who sincerely follow the principles of spiritual development, to those who follow the path continuous improvement your body and spirit.

These principles are the keys to quickly and effective development and improvement of the physical, mental, moral and spiritual “I” of a person.

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In this article you will be able to understand in detail where to start spiritual development and what it really is. This article is written based on the experience and research of many people who go in various ways spiritual growth: within and outside of traditional religions. You will definitely find everything here necessary information to begin self-awareness.

First you need to understand basic concepts, especially in what the concept of “spiritual development” means.

What is spiritual development really?

Firstly, you need to understand the clear difference between spiritual development and cultural or moral development. For example, some people sincerely believe that going to museums and theaters elevates them. spiritually. But this is a mass misconception, especially considering the direction in which contemporary art is moving today.

A person can do certain things for decades and think that he is progressing spiritually. But in fact, he will not advance one bit on the path of self-realization.

True, there is one nuance: if a person has a God-given talent in the field of art and he, for example, is an artist. Then visiting exhibitions and other events related to this area can help a person in spiritual development.

Why? Because:

Spiritual development implies that a person will follow his own path in accordance with his talents, which are the manifestation of God in him.

There is a certain Divine plan for the life of every living being, which is also called destiny. And if a person does not follow this, then there can be no talk of spiritual growth.

The concept of “spiritual development” is discussed in detail in the video:

Also, before engaging in spiritual development, you need to clearly understand why it needs to be done.

The main goal of spiritual self-development

It is no secret that many of those who have embarked on the path of spiritual self-improvement have experienced certain difficulties before this. It could be difficult situation in matters of money, discord in relationships or health problems.

Anyway, life difficulties push a person to be more conscious life. All the world waiting for us to come out from under the influence of the illusion of the material world and begin to develop in a spiritual direction.

The main goal of spiritual development is awareness of one’s spiritual nature, God in the heart and life based on this.

Understand that the goal of spiritual development is NOT going to temples according to a schedule or unconsciously repeating prayers because some priest said so. We must learn to build a relationship with God in our hearts without any intermediaries.

The Almighty is the most close friend and a well-wisher who is with us every second and waits for us to finally pay attention to him. But we ignore God in our hearts and exchange Him for external, often meaningless things: religions, rituals, pseudo-teachers, etc.

The process of realizing God in the heart is not as long as many priests tell us. We are told that we are still underdeveloped to communicate with God directly. But that's a lie. You don't need anything to communicate with God. additional conditions. He is with us right here and now.

Don't believe me? Try to start living with an eye on your heart (the voice of conscience, if you want). And you will see that real spiritual development has begun, and then miracles will begin.

Actually, real spiritual progress always accompanied by miracles. If a person does a lot of spiritual development, prays several hours a day, visits temple every week, reads spiritual treatises, but miracles do not happen in his life and he does not really become happier, then he is NOT developing spiritually and, most likely, has gone down the wrong path ways.

Often people fall for the deception that is imposed on them by religious figures: now you need to be humble, endure and develop spiritually to the best of your ability, but after death everything will be fine. This is another one monstrous lie, helping to make people slaves.

You need to live here and now. You need to communicate with God today. You need to be happy in the present moment. This is what God expects from us. And to do this, you just need to start living according to your conscience, putting God on the altar of your heart.

God is not very interested in people who endure everything and are afraid of everything. He needs brave and determined people who do not shake with fear and do not blindly believe in non-humans, who often dress in sacred clothes.

To be fair, it is worth noting that There are also pure spiritual people within religions. There may not be as many of them as we would like, but they are there. And only God in our hearts will help us distinguish between who is a real man of God and who is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

If the focus of a spiritually developing person does not have this main goal, then no matter what he does, everything will be devoid of deep meaning.

Where to start spiritual development: tools and their choice

If we talk about traditional religions, then total mass The tools for spiritual development are the same: choice of religion itself, prayer practices, spiritual treatises, communication with like-minded people, search for mentors and spiritual teachers. And it is believed that this is quite enough for AFTER death to go into spiritual world(or reach the Kingdom of God).

To a person who has been familiar with “religious cuisine” for many years, sooner or later it becomes obvious that among the followers of religions there are quite a lot of unhappy people. Moreover, there is a lot of information about what crimes are committed by religious leaders: fraud, theft, child abuse, drug trafficking, murder and more. All this raises many questions among reasonable and sensible people.

What to do?

To follow the path of any religion or outside of it is a choice specific person. The purpose of this article is to teach you to distinguish between false spirituality and genuine spirituality. Therefore, below we will discuss in more detail the tools of spiritual development that are used both in official religions and outside them.

These are the tools:

  • Life according to your heart;
  • Choosing a spiritual path;
  • Prayer practices;
  • Scriptures;
  • Elevated surroundings;
  • Mentors and teachers;
  • Altruism or selfless activity;
  • Additional tools to help you grow spiritually.

Living according to your heart or how to listen to the voice of conscience?

It has already been noted above that God, as one of His complete aspects, is in the hearts of all living beings. This aspect is called Paramatma or Supersoul or the voice of conscience.

Today it is becoming increasingly clear that living according to conscience, with an emphasis on God in the heart, is the safest way, in which a person will not be deceived by pseudo-spiritual personalities. Relying on the Supersoul, a person cannot be afraid of anything, since in this case he is under the direct protection of God. In one of the texts of the Bhagavad Gita, God says:

“Give up all religions and simply surrender to Me. I will deliver you from all the consequences of your sins. Don't be afraid of anything."

And that says it all and everything is clear. The main thing in spiritual development is to completely surrender to the Almighty, and then everything will develop with His direct participation.

What is the easiest way to surrender to God? Start listening to your heart, where God is. He is with us always and in currently Same.

How to learn to listen to God in your heart? No one can give specific recommendations, since this process happens differently for everyone. Only He himself knows how everything will happen with a particular person.

Therefore, you just need to sincerely turn to Him and say that you want to learn to listen to Him in your heart. God will definitely respond to such an appeal and begin to guide you through life.

And we are not talking about the fact that they picked you up like a dog on a leash and led you away. Where God is, there are always exciting adventures and miracles. Believe me, you definitely won’t be bored.

In my opinion, this tool on the path of spiritual development should become more important than religions, spiritual teachers, prayers, temples, etc.

How to choose a spiritual tradition?

If you decide to follow the path of any religion, then you need to take its choice seriously. And in this matter, too, everything is individual. One religion may be suitable for one person, another religion for another, and a third spiritual tradition for another. By the way, this does not mean that they should compete with each other - only fanatics do that.

Also, a person does not necessarily have to be in the exact religious tradition in which he was born. It often happens that, having matured, a person chooses another spiritual tradition that is “closer to his heart.”

Choose your religion (tradition) wisely, using the following criteria:

  • This tradition must lead to the Personality of Godhead (if in the tradition the philosophy is that only their path and “their god” are the only right ones, then this is either a false tradition or false and ignorant followers);
  • In this religion there must be many truly Holy Persons (not 2-5, but hundreds, thousands and more);
  • Tradition must be based on authoritative Scriptures that are many years old (at least 500 years or more);
  • Many people should follow the path of this religious tradition and achieve certain results along it (for example, people reach a higher standard of living, renounce violence, immorality and debauchery, etc.);
  • In this religion there must be a spiritual (prayer) practice that every sincere follower engages in;
  • You should feel good about this tradition; if you experience constant discomfort, then perhaps this is not what you need;
  • It’s good if you like the customs and rules of this religion (at least at the initial stage you’re happy with it).

There are more than enough criteria listed for choosing a spiritual tradition (religion) at the beginning of spiritual development. Take them into account.

I would like to draw your attention to one point. Over the past 200 years, not the best things have been happening in religions and it is my duty to inform you about this. Don’t be lazy and study the article:

For people who do not want or are not yet ready to choose a specific religious tradition, there is an opportunity to develop spiritually outside of religion. This is written in detail in the article:

Prayer practice: when, how and why?

Now about another one important topic- prayers and mantras.

These practices are certainly useful and important, but only when a person engages in them consciously and sincerely. When this becomes an automatic process and a person prays simply because he has to, then the effectiveness of prayer tends to zero.

At the initial stage of spiritual growth, the daily practice of prayer or mantra will be useful. It will purify a person’s consciousness and elevate him. Everything new in this world bears fruit, but for the time being.

Over time, when a person becomes “drawn” into spiritual life, the effectiveness of prayer decreases and it often becomes automatic. And the following situation may occur: a person seems to be actively engaged in spiritual development, praying, but no particular result is visible. This means that he is not going the right way.

Prayer should be as an addition, but not as the main objective spiritual development. People who live according to their hearts are often much happier and more powerful than those who, like a robot, pray for hours to no avail.

God responds only to sincere prayers when a person consciously turns to him, and does not think during prayer about what he will do after prayer or how he was unfairly treated. It’s better than automatically repeating a prayer to do some kind and selfless deed for people or other living beings. More about this in the video:

Scripture Study

We know a lot scriptures, but the question is how much have they been preserved in their original form in our 21st century? As a result various studies I learned that all major spiritual treatises are subject to distortion to one degree or another. By the way, this is mainly done by representatives official religions. Why? Because they serve a single supra-religious leadership.

The Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Torah or something else - today you need to read it carefully, with your mind turned on, and you cannot accept everything on blind faith.

Does this mean that spiritual treatises should not be read at all? Of course not. Even in distorted scriptures, many profound things remain. You just need to know what to choose to read and what to follow when studying treatises.

When reading any scripture, one must be guided by the heart. Most main comment regarding what we read comes from God within us. If a person lives according to his heart, then he cannot be led astray true path even rewritten books. The Almighty will always help you find something that will help a person in his spiritual development.

You can find out how spiritual treatises are distorted in the article:

About exalted surroundings and mentors

It's hard to develop alone. It is impossible to progress spiritually outside of society. Therefore, a person must have relationships with other people. That is, he should not withdraw into himself, considering this the height of renunciation. It is in interaction with other people that we are “polished” like a stone in order to give a beautiful and graceful shape - to make us truly spiritual people.

It is beneficial to have communication with like-minded people who are also engaged in spiritual development. You can communicate with them, share experiences, discuss interesting topics etc. This gives inspiration, energy, and can also give unexpected clues in situations that are incomprehensible to us. In times of difficulty and doubt, such an environment is very good helper and friend.

True, it is not always easy to find such an environment. But, as they say, sincere person A person who lives according to his heart will never be left alone and God will definitely find him company when he needs it.

Even better if you find a mentor, which will tell you what to do and how to do it, point out errors, etc. Keep in mind that any situation or any person can be a mentor for us if we know how to perceive them in the right frame of mind.

But it is not so easy to become a true mentor who will give us advice and we will follow it. Such a person himself must lead an exalted and pure lifestyle for many years. The same goes for spiritual teachers.

One of the most important signs spiritual teacher is that he teaches the student to do without him, and does not try to become an intermediary between God and him. Real spiritual teacher helps a person become himself, and not someone else. A true guru speaks about God in the heart of the disciple and teaches him to live based on it.

Not all mentors and teachers meet the criteria described above. But what can you do, these are the times now... Live according to your heart and God will definitely tell you where the teacher is and where the swindler and scoundrel are.

Selflessness for spiritual growth

It is impossible to separate real spiritual progress and the commission of selfless actions. Spiritual man always lives on the basis of his talents, and it is in the talent destined for us that we can be truly selfless.

At the initial stage, while we are not in our talent, we can and should look for ways to manifest selflessness. There are really a lot of them these days. The importance of this quality and its development is written in detail in the article:

Important points at the beginning of spiritual development

In addition to the initial steps in spiritual development, you need to take certain actions and in other directions.

First of all, this:

  • Daily regime;
  • Cleanliness;
  • Nutrition;
  • Intoxication.

Without putting things in order everyday life impossible to progress on spiritual path. Therefore, you need to strive to eat right, sleep in right time, maintain personal hygiene, get rid of bad habits and much more.

During the day Special attention pay attention to getting up early. You can learn about the basics of the daily routine from the video:

Cleanliness is especially important for spiritual development and one must strive for it. This is the cleanliness of the body, linen, surrounding space, psyche, etc.

To start, start showering every morning. About the need for this in this post:

Nutrition largely determines our level of consciousness, our character traits and even actions. For example, if a person likes to eat meat, then he will have a tendency to violence and lust, and this will be a serious obstacle to spiritual development. Regarding the usefulness or harmfulness of meat.

Spiritual development is the process of comprehending our Primordial nature, which is a direct part of the original eternal basis of all things. You can read more about this, for example, in the article about who Taoists are.

Few people are familiar with Taoist philosophy and Taoist methods of self-development. For most people, spiritual development represents an increase in moral qualities person, and the process of comprehending one’s spirit remains outside the zone of attention. This vague and incomplete understanding means that spiritual development for many is not directly related to everyday practical reality and is not used to improve life and achieve happiness.

In this article, I want to tell you about 9 reasons to consciously and purposefully pursue your spiritual development using the methods of practical Taoism. Perhaps such a structured and purely practical approach to this issue will help you take a more rational look at self-improvement and push you to practice :-)

I’ll say right away that in my opinion, only the last 9th reason is true. But we are all imperfect and to move forward we need, to some extent, selfish motives.

So, here are these 9 reasons that can push you towards active spiritual self-knowledge :-)

1 Promoting health and prolonging life

Since the methods of practical Taoism involve the harmonious improvement of the body, energy structure, heart nature, consciousness and spirit of a person, we can safely say that spiritual development with the help Taoist methods will help you improve your health, harmonize your psyche, clear your mind and develop your spirit.

However, there are such directions and schools where maximum attention is paid directly to the development of the spirit, and the body is looked after either poorly or not at all. Therefore, I personally believe that it is necessary either to practice the methods of a complete harmonious school (for example, the Zhen Dao school, where they take care of both the body and the spirit), or to supplement spiritual practices with general health-improving and strengthening exercises for the body and energy structure.

As one grows spiritually, one begins to think less selfishly and more clearly. Such changes in consciousness also lead to a transformation of worldview: a practitioner in a stressful situation behaves calmly and collectedly, interacts more harmoniously with the world, values ​​what he has more and is less dependent on his desires. All this has a beneficial effect on health.

Since spiritual development is a long process, the Taoists created and honed a set of practices to prolong life. After all, it is unknown what the next incarnation will be, and therefore it is necessary to try to fully realize oneself spiritually during this life. Of course, not everyone will be able to achieve high level in practice, and extend your life to 200, 300 or more years, but the very presence of such a potential opportunity still warms my soul ;-)

The longer you live, the more pressing question health. It’s best if you start taking care of him not when it’s time to go to the doctor, but right now! Prevention is more enjoyable, requires less effort and produces greater results. And in healthy body As you know, the spirit feels better, which means it will be easier to develop it.

2 Personal growth and improvement of social skills

Spiritual development is always accompanied by personal growth, as a person learns to look at the world impartially, without the distorting prism of the Ego. The process of spiritual growth releases primordial wisdom (knowing without words), increases intuition and makes you more flexible, revealing your creative potential.

You learn to see the causes and consequences of your actions in your daily routine, and this allows you to correct mistakes faster and master various social skills more effectively. You also learn to see the reasons for other people’s behavior, understand them better, and use the opportunities that are only available in cooperation with others. Success is always connected with other people; it is impossible to become successful without interaction with society. Therefore, the improvement of communication and cooperation skills that occurs thanks to spiritual and personal growth, very useful!

As the practitioner's consciousness becomes clearer, he becomes more aware of his weaknesses and strengths, and this provides leverage for maximizing the use of your own talents. Know your weaknesses and give specialists the opportunity to perform those actions in which you are a layman, or consciously abandon perfectionism in an area that is “not yours” - such life position reduces stress and saves energy for what you are best at.

Quieting the busy monkey mind brings peace to your life—by doing less, you achieve more. You learn to see the invisible currents of life and use the moment, act exactly when you need it - by moving a small pebble, you begin an avalanche of global changes in your life.

Of course, spiritual growth increases and is quite in demand. personal qualities: awareness, ability to take responsibility, initiative, insight, composure in stressful situations and other. Changing values ​​and cleansing your personality can lead to a change in profession, lifestyle - you become freer, braver, follow the dictates of your soul more easily and look at the world more positively.

If you are a pragmatist, then this is a good reason to start engaging in spiritual development. You just need to see the practical connection between your daily life and the development of the spirit.

Learn more about using Taoist philosophy and methods of interacting with outside world I recommend reading the book “Taoist Thinking”.

3 Relieve stress and find happiness

If you take care of your body, heart nature and spirit, then you gradually begin to be more conscious about your life. This helps keep track negative emotions, dissolve those thoughts that lead to them, and change your stereotypes, patterns of behavior and obscurations of the heart-consciousness. By transforming your thoughts, you change your emotions and actions to positive ones, which increases your satisfaction with life.

Peace within leads you to happiness! You can change your life at any moment, but the speed and depth of the transformation depends on how tightly you cling to your views and false beliefs. The less negativity in your life, the more satisfied you are with it.

Spiritual development does not mean that a person stops wanting something and lives in a cell. He continues to act in society and achieve improvements in his life, but he does it more detached. The list of desires of such a person is gradually reduced; only what is truly integral to the inner nature and personal preferences remains on it. Thus, a person, developing spiritually and purifying himself, actually realizes himself more fully in life, focusing only on the most important and not being distracted by what is introduced and false.

Thousands of books have been written on how to become happy. The shortest way, in my opinion, is to cleanse yourself. Cleansing the body brings health and gives you strength, cleansing the mind from impurities and freeing the heart from obscurations gives joy. Happiness is natural state souls! To be happy, you just need to let go of everything unnecessary and follow your Primordial nature - this is what spiritual development gives us :-)

Do you want to live a great life? Start practicing Taoist practices and your life will be filled with light, no matter what situation you are in. Spiritual development gives you freedom to live own life his in my own way. To be who you are is not happiness?

4 Finding the meaning of life

I think sooner or later every person is faced with the question: “Who am I and why am I here?” It doesn’t matter whether you asked yourself this in school, during a midlife crisis, at 40 or 65, it’s never too late and never too early to look for yourself!

Spiritual development can give you meaning in life. We all came into this world to get to know ourselves, although most time we want to change the world. But, in fact, all we can really change and what is really worth changing is ourselves.

Knowing your spirit is a multifaceted and multi-layered process. At each stage, you will change and the meaning of why you are doing this and who you think you are will change. But the main thing is that this meaning will be and it is inexhaustible, it will last for your whole life.

If you have not found your calling in society, or maybe this is not enough for you, or you feel that everything in this world is temporary, and your soul is reaching for something more fundamental, remember that your spirit is the foundation that binds you with strong ties with the entire universe. What could be more impressive and global than studying the Universe in the laboratory of your spirit?

5 Deeper knowledge of yourself and the Universe

Let me remind you that spiritual development is the process of comprehending one’s Primordial nature, cognition of the Primordial spirit. This is not at all reminiscent of the soul-searching that is encouraged in various directions psychology. This realization occurs in meditation, which, of course, is not so easy. Not everyone will be able to sit motionless for a long time, without thoughts, concentrating on practice. But it's worth it!

After some time, shifts occur in the practitioner’s consciousness. It’s like a landslide: more and more layers of your Self are opening up, gradually exposing the Primordial. This process is accompanied by flashes of awareness that gradually change you and your life.

These mini-enlightenments allow you to better understand the world around you and feel the relationship between the internal and external. And those things that seemed ordinary to you are gradually transformed into something else. The world becomes, on the one hand, simpler, and on the other, more inexplicable, since a significant part of the acquired understanding is very difficult to express in words.

If you have a strong curiosity, then you will definitely enjoy the process of understanding yourself. Who said that in our world all boundaries have long been defined? The true boundaries of your Self can be expanded indefinitely, and you can become their discoverer. It’s one thing to read in some article that the world is not at all the way we see it, and quite another thing to feel and see it for yourself!

The road into the unknown lies right in front of you; you can begin to understand what few people know, you can see what few people see, and you can enjoy the most simple things, like a child looking at the world for the first time after birth and discovering it anew!

6 Ways to come to terms with death

Each of us sooner or later faces death and begins to think about it... although we often drive these thoughts away, fencing ourselves off with all sorts of rituals or positive formulas, like “everything will be fine.”

Religion arose precisely as a way of reconciling a person with death. We fulfill certain rules and rituals, and in return after death “everything will be fine.” Sometimes we “make deals” with God: we follow rules and rituals, for example, we pray, and in return - everything will be fine in life, there will be less pain, and death will come someday very soon or will be quick and easy.

But the religious worldview is not suitable for everyone - many believe in the laws of physics, universal reason, the law of cause and effect, etc. For such people, as well as for those who are not very religious, spiritual development is a way to come to terms with death. Whether you believe in heaven, reincarnation, the finality of death, or anything else, spiritual development gives you the opportunity to become convinced that you have a spirit - something that exists beyond life and death.

This knowledge gains power only when you comprehend it personally, on own experience. You can theorize for a long time, believe or not believe, discuss and debate about the presence or absence of spirit and the significance of spiritual development, but only personal experience leads to real changes in our behavior!

When you get in touch with your spirit, your attitude towards life and death will become different, and how and on what you spend your time will change. Knowledge of the Primordial will give you not just hope, but a clear confidence that things will always get better, as you will become more and more perfect, original, wise and eternal. The clearer the consciousness, the purer the heart, the brighter the sun, moon and stars will shine for you, always illuminating your Path to heaven, no matter how you imagine it :-)

7 Unlocking your energy potential

Taoist practices include working with the body, Qi (energy) and spirit. It is quite natural that spiritual development requires a lot of Qi, and the Taoists created a rich arsenal of all kinds of exercises that help accumulate, preserve and strengthen energy.

At the initial stage, the practitioner restores health, since he will need all his strength to comprehend his own Primordial nature. And How by-effect, accumulated and strengthened Qi makes it possible to act more actively in social life.

With diligent and correct practice, a person may even experience special abilities, such as the ability to heal people with Qi. From my point of view, the desire for magical abilities is a false motivation for spiritual development, but at the first stage it may well serve as a good incentive to start practice and maintain its regularity. The main thing is not to deceive yourself by replacing the true desire for self-development and self-realization with the false desire to possess special abilities!

The more energy you have, the more fulfilled you feel. It’s like waking up on Saturday morning, sleeping well, and with 2 more weekends ahead, you’re full of energy to do something interesting.

It’s very exciting to even just learn to feel your Qi, to some extent control it, heal yourself, be able to reduce your weight or do unusual things with its help. And if your practice is sincere, classes give positive effect and you become more energetic, truly positive, feel your depth and subtle connections with others - then all this additionally stimulates you to learn more, to know yourself and your nature.

8 More fully serving the World

The basis for spiritual development is purifying oneself and cultivating virtuous qualities, such as compassion and philanthropy. It is compassion and philanthropy that underlie sincere service to people. And therefore, spiritual development strengthens your desire for self-realization and gives you the strength to serve the World.

Most of social activities at its core contains an element of service to others. In many business books successful people share one of the secrets of their success - a sincere desire to give something to people, improve something, make it easier, change something... If you want to receive more, start giving more! Development of the spirit and self-knowledge will make it possible to help others from pure heart, and this will bring joy and make you more successful in what you do. People feel when you do something “with your soul,” and they are always drawn to it, because everything done from the heart spiritualizes life, brings joy, hope, care and kindness to the hearts of others.

Spiritual development will help you become a conscious part of the world, serve people, enjoy it and participate in the processes of growth and evolution of all that is bright and good in your field of activity.

By helping others, we help ourselves to become better. Begin to consciously comprehend your spirit - and your nature will bloom, and your heart will open to meet the universe.

9 Self-realization of your Primordial nature

On the one hand, we came into this world to change ourselves, and on the other hand, there is no need to strive to become someone, since we are already who we are, and all that is required of us is to allow our Original nature to manifest itself through our thoughts, feelings and deeds.

That is why the most important and the real reason to engage in our spiritual development is that it is spiritual development that helps us realize our Primordial nature. It is in our nature to strive to improve our spirit, and not doing this is like trying to live without using the hands that were given to us from birth.

Of course, until a person reaches the required level understanding, he may well be guided by more selfish motives, but when he purifies his heart and consciousness, spiritual development will be what he exists for. In this case, the development of the spirit becomes a way to realize oneself.

In conclusion, I want to assure you once again: it’s never too early and it’s never too late for anyone to think about spiritual development! If you have personality crisis(for example, a midlife crisis), your values ​​have changed, you are tired of work, you want to change everything, you are looking for yourself, you are unhappy, you have low energy, you live in fear, stress or endless worries and fuss, you have poor health or disagreements with others - the desire to change all this can become an impetus for self-development, spiritual growth, revival and change in yourself and your life!

Read these 9 reasons again. I'm sure you'll find a couple to start your awakening. Allow the light of your heart to open, follow your spirit and the trees of paradise will grow where you live.

Good luck on your Path and good health!