THE NAME OF THIS SECTION - Guerilla Spirituality
for the Fearless - was chosen because Planet Lightworker wanted
a bit more "edgy"
sounding title that was reflective of my teaching about the
path of the Spiritual Warrior, a journey of awakening that fits
within any spiritual or religious framework. The word "warrior"
is troublesome for some people though, as they equate it with
violence due to an understandable conditioning of language and
its triggers. Spiritual people are by definition a peace-loving
bunch - in theory at least if not always in practice. Yet each
one of us is engaged in a holy war within, an internal tug-of-war
jihad between rulership by our ego or by our Higher Self. What
is even more challenging is when our ego convinces us we are
acting in accordance with our Higher Self, when in fact we are
sometimes nowhere near doing so. It takes the fearless stance
of a warrior to cut through the illusions and bindings of the
ego, and compassion not only for our own struggle, but also
for the collective populace for the realities of the human condition.
Being a human being on this planet at this time in relative
history is no easy task, regardless of where you were born,
your gender, economic status or education level. Everywhere
we turn we see suffering in countless forms, whether it be poverty,
loneliness, sickness, unhappiness or the veils of ignorance
and arrogance that are all symptoms of a disconnected species.
It is only the deluded who ignore the fact that we are in a
troubling time, and that self indulgent folly will only perpetuate
division and keep reality at arm's length. 
A
large portion of the Earth's human population is not highly
evolved; that's not a judgment, it's just a fact. If the percentages
were reversed, we wouldn't have greed, destruction, power abuse
and lack of reverence toward one another because we'd see the
world through the eyes of love, compassion and gratitude. We'd
all take care of one another, and there wouldn't be any bullies
on the playground or predators in any life situation. Those
of us who understand this know what it is like to be a minority
and to feel lost within a sea of madness.
It is this sense of isolation within the crowd that prompts
us to seek out like souls and be part of something that brings
comfort and a reality check to assure us we are not crazy for
viewing Life from a different vantage point. We are moths to
a flame, as well as being drawn to mirages of Light,
so deep is our longing to feel the connection our heart seeks
and our ego is vulnerable too. But without discrimination we
sometimes find we have gone down false pathways that appeared
to be shiny and bright, only to be the direct opposite - sometimes
when we are in quite deep. The wise choice is to cut our losses
and begin again, and that can take immense courage
,
strength and humility to do so, as the ego has a hard time admitting
mistakes and without going into self-pity. It is only with a
warrior's stance can we not take it all personally and cut through
what the late Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa called
"spiritual materialism" within and without.
The Buddhist traditions have a Sanskrit term they use to describe
a fearless, compassionate Spiritual Warrior. That term is Bodhisattva,
which translates as: Bodhi (enlightenment) and sattva (pure
being) A Bodhisattva is driven by unadulterated compassion and
love, and will endure any type of suffering to help another
sentient being cut through the fog of Maya, or illusion and
separation. Sadly, a majority of people (including many of those
who refer to themselves as "spiritual") are self-motivated
and focus primarily on solving their own problems and manifesting
the fulfillment of their own material plane desires, keeping
others a distant second - e.g., the needs of the one over the
needs of the many. The Bodhisattva has made a conscious choice
to shift their attention to the needs of the many first and
themselves a distant second, and they do so with joy and a non-egoic
goal of spiritual awakening as a means of service to everyone
their lives touch. Bodhisattvas see everything as energy, especially
including how they show up in the world, and strive for impeccable
transparency between their beliefs and actions.
The path of the Bodhisattva is by no means an easy one, yet
it is a very fast-track path to spiritual awakening if one has
the courage to commit to it fully and unwaveringly. It is also
a path that is passionately calling out to others to join it
during this time of great need for more compassionate spiritual
warriors to fight the Good Fight. 
And
although the term Bodhisattva comes from the Buddhist tradition,
it by no means you must be a Buddhist to follow it; in fact
a contemporary Bodhisattva is not limited to the teachings of
the Buddha alone, but embraces an eclectic potpourri of wisdom
teachings found within both ancient and modern texts, as well
as in other types of message media in films, television, music,
literature, etc. A contemporary Bodhisattva is fully engaged
in the world as they see there is more need for them within
society than sitting alone on a mountaintop. They come in all
sizes, colors and forms, and refrain from anything that makes
them feel 'special' or above anyone else, or indulge in any
behavior that is not inclusive in nature. They know that it
has nothing to do with what they wear, the music they listen
to or the home they live in, and that in fact, "spiritual
appearance" itself is a trap the ego falls into quite easily.
They know that saffron-colored robes do not equal enlightenment
and are ever vigilant about wolves in sheep's clothing.
Because they have taken a vow of service, a Bodhisattva is active
by nature. They see meditation is done with eyes both open and
closed, and pay very close, mindful attention to the impact
of their own energy. They welcome every opportunity to transcend
the egoic shadows that keep them locked within the cycle of
death and rebirth, and engage in radically honest self-inquiry
as well as seeking outside wise counsel to help them see any
blind spots that can keep them from seeing themselves fully.
A Bodhisattva's constant prayer is for whatever can bring them
out of illusion and toward liberation, as manifesting spiritual
abundance is the doorway to freedom. At the same time, they
know that by making this humble plea they will be given everything
that will aid them in this process and do not run away from
that which is "uncomfortable." They see that sometimes
it takes a thorn to remove a thorn until both can be disposed
of.
Accordingly, a Bodhisattva always feels gratitude for
whatever comes their way that will bring them towards spiritual
awakening, regardless if it is joyous or painful. 
They
never ask "why me God?" when going through difficult
times, yet they are also not superhuman and know that it's not
an easy path they have committed themselves to, yet ultimately,
if their conviction is true and their heart and spirit are strong,
they will always persevere, as they know each difficulty they
touch and survive enhances their compassion and empathy.
A Bodhisattva is patient and lives with no sense of entitlement
or expectation. As their lives are devoted to serving humanity,
it is no longer about "me me me" any more. They are
forgiving of others, not for a sense of doing it for themselves
as what has become popular, but rather because it is a purely
natural expression of their compassion, for just as when Jesus
said, "Forgive them Father they do not know want they do,"
the Bodhisattva sees all transgressions from one human toward
another or a group of people as extensions of their own pain
and disconnection. Tough love is often employed to break through
repetitive, destructive behavioral grooves both in themselves
and toward those they are close to, not for a desire to be "right,"
but as a deep form of love that knows indulging and enabling
darkness of any form only perpetuates that darkness.
It
doesn't take already attaining spiritual enlightenment to be
able to live the life of a Bodhisattva - it only takes caring
for more than your own needs and a commitment to the greater
good. It is a perfect example of the journey itself being the
goal. Lama Surya Das wrote, "Bodhisattvas are individuals
who exhibit an unusually strong and instinctive tendency to
relinquish their own apparent gain and self-interest in order
to help others, even if it requires a great deal of effort or
abandonment of their own personal agenda." And Thich Nhat
Hanh said, "A Bodhisattva is someone who has compassion
within himself or herself and who is able to make another person
smile or help someone suffer less. Every one of us is capable
of this."
Please let me repeat what he said: Every one of us is capable
of this. It is simply a choice you make, and continue to
make, regardless of personal circumstances.
I fully believe that being a contemporary Bodhisattva is not
only do-able by each one of us; it is also needed more than
ever. A Bodhisattva is a spiritual activist who sees that path
of action as highly necessary during these times. The awareness
gained through silence and mediation over the years is being
called out from within each of us to be put tangibly into service.
After all, what is the ultimate point of reaching even a small
degree of inner equanimity if it is not used to help lessen
collective suffering? Otherwise, it's just another form of egoic
self-indulgence if we only meditate for personal gain.
Because I see both the transformative power of, and need for
more individuals to embrace the path of fearless, compassionate
Spiritual Warriorship, I am in the process of developing a project
called The Bodhisattva Challenge. Although it's all
being created while I write this column, by the time it is published
on PlanetLightworker.com, greater details will be available
on my website, spiritualetiquette.com.
I hope you will take up the Challenge for the benefit of all
sentient beings.
Here's a first step Process Journaling exercise you can take:
The Buddhist interpretation of the Bodhisattva path includes
following what are called "The Six Perfections" and
are intended to help actualize Bodhichitta, or the awakened
mind. They are:
Do
you ever choose to ignore someone nearby in trouble because
you don't want to be involved? How often do you smile at strangers?
Is your lifestyle contributing to the preservation of the planet,
or taking from it? Do you actively support and promote the effort
of your fellow Lightworkers?
