Simplicity is spiritual: Rid yourself of negative, unrequited emotions to lead content life

It is time to embrace a minimalistic mindset. It means connecting to the core of who we are. 
Simplicity is spiritual: Rid yourself of negative, unrequited emotions to lead content life

In our day-to-day life, there are many reasons that cloud the mind, burden the soul, and stifle our physical well-being.

Such is the nature of the unpredictable world we live in. We accumulate emotional clutter that weighs us down, and casts a dark shadow over our minds.

The time has come to part with burdensome belongings and release oneself from the inner shackles.It is time to embrace a minimalistic mindset.

It means connecting to the core of who we are. As we become more self-aware, we are more likely to let go of old feelings.Minimalism and spirituality go hand in hand. 

Spirituality comes from within, but it’s the external influences that have a major impact on the inner workings of the mind.

We have to deal with the mind first. For some people, spirituality is a complicated set of rituals, and still others choose to engage in activities such as yoga, meditation, spending time in nature, or creative expression.

Some prefer reading ancient texts and others like the company of group chanting. There is no right or wrong way to approach spirituality.

What is important is the mind needs to de-clutter and strip away the layers of unrequited emotions. 

We need a simple approach, an instantaneous way to tap into our selves. The way to start on that path can be through Bhakti, which is, if you think about it, a move towards minimalism, tapping into the essence of spiritual truths.

Rather than aspire for complexity, we respond to the inner need for a simple devotional exchange with our Creator, to answer our inner longing for love.

Bhakti is in broad terms devotional love. But from a deeper aspect, it is an intense spiritual experience that comes from the heart, rousing us to dizzy levels of adoration. It is the kind of love that makes us feel joyful and safe.

It fills our thoughts with hope and trust that all will be well. It is the kind of love that spills out with compassion and spreads to other people. Not only does the devotee love God, but God, they say, loves the devotee. 

Take the shining example of the fabled princess-saint, Mirabai. Her love was all encompassing, she rejoiced in her worship of Lord Krishna.

She was enraptured, ignoring the world and totally immersed in her love. Mirabai was born in a palace, in the lap of luxury.

Yet, she let go of royalty and became a minimalist, offering her life in complete dedication to the Divine. Everything she did was an act of humble worship. 

They say that love fuels all existence. The word ‘love’ is coloured by our perceptions of this emotion. We have diluted its meaning.

Love is as simple or as complicated as we make it out to be. If we strip away all the layers that fog up the essence of this emotion, we will understand the purity of love. Love for love’s sake, not because it is an ego boost, or a dopamine fix.

It is a moral compass, and our source of inner contentment. It helps us evolve, to empathise, to feel the connection to all mankind.

So should we be wanderers like Mirabai? Not in the literal sense, we wander into the recesses of the mind and clean out old beliefs and reconditioned behaviour that creates guilt, shame and fear.

We hoard old negative emotions; many of them have decayed and are useless. Our inner baggage consists of unacknowledged or repressed feelings.

We deny their existence, and push them into the back of our minds. We distract ourselves from those emotions and carry on as if nothing hurts, or nothing affects us.

We put up a strong front because society expects us to be stoic and made of steel. It takes courage and a certain amount of self-love to acknowledge and let go of these useless feelings.

These emotions have taught us a lesson, so it’s time to let go. Facing up to them is the key to letting go.

Another emotionally charged issue is grudges. We hold these feelings for years. It is not easy to let go of someone’s bad behaviour, but it is not to your advantage to cling to it.

That person who has done you harm is on his own inner journey. Let it go.

Another emotion is that we cannot accept another’s point of view. Belief systems exist to ensure society works cohesively, not incisively.

We discriminate against those who are not like us. We are wired differently, we might as well accept this fact that we are unique.

Even a child born into a family with a rigid belief system may rebel against it. Change is permanent, we need to be open to change. Nothing is set in stone.

Not even our emotions. Love is what helps us heal old wounds and clears space for new experiences in life.

(Author Shobha Nihalani who is out with her 10th book, a thriller The Blue Jade, regularly writes on spirituality and self-help)

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The New Indian Express
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