Packaged Spirituality on the Shelves: Skip it, It’s Just Ego Inflation
Quantifying spirituality to feed the insatiable hunger for validation
Packaged Spirituality on the Shelves: Skip it, It’s Just Ego Inflation — AI Image by Author (Midjourney)
I am aware that the cover image may offend the sensibilities of many, and I deeply apologize for that. However, we know the power of images and what they can convey, especially in today’s world.
This article is against the proliferation of articles that obsess people with seeking signs of awakening, the opening of the third eye, counting hours of meditation, etc. This so-called “packaged spirituality” on the shelves only serves to feed the insatiable hunger for validation, transforming the spiritual search into pure ego.
Dissatisfied
I have always been an ambitious and determined person, set on achieving my goals. From a young age, I have set myself challenging targets in my work, studies, and relationships. The drive to obtain tangible results and “prove” my worth through accomplishments has been the driving force in my life. Yet, the more successes I accumulated, the more dissatisfied and restless I felt. Why, after each goal was reached, did the euphoria quickly make way for a new search? Why was I constantly chasing the next gratification, the next result to display?
Vedanta
The answer, according to the teachings of Vedanta, the ancient Indian philosophy I have embraced, lies in the attachment to the fruits of my actions, or the egocentric identification with the results of my efforts. I was completely anchored in the idea that my worth and happiness depended on the goals I achieved. In this limited perspective, every success became merely a springboard towards the next expectation, the next desire to be fulfilled. An endless vicious cycle of dissatisfaction and frustration.
Insatiable ego
Vedanta has opened my eyes to the root of this suffering: my insatiable ego, my identification with transient achievements rather than my true, unconditioned nature. This is why the teachings of Sannyasa and Tyaga have profoundly transformed me.
Sannyasa is the renunciation of actions driven by desires and the false identifications of the ego. It means engaging fully in what I do, without clinging to the final results. For me, it is not inaction, but inner freedom while acting with dedication.
Offering
Tyaga is the complement of sannyasa: performing every action with a spirit of pure offering, without expectations or egocentric appropriation of the fruits. Work, relationships, spiritual practices, everything becomes a gift rather than a means of personal gratification.
Initially, it was a great challenge. Recognizing the anxious voice of the ego in me, craving for confirmation and rewards, and letting it go. Embracing the uncertainty of the results instead of controlling them. But now, gradually, I am experiencing the peace and freedom that come from not attaching to the fruits.
Satisfaction
In my professional activities, I always give my maximum effort but without the anxiety of success or failure. I recognize that the satisfaction comes from fully dedicating myself to the process, not the final result. In relationships, I listen with openness, without expectations or needs for gratification. In spiritual practices, I meditate and study without counting signs of “progress,” simply immersed in the experience of the present.
Naturally, the ego still often resurfaces. But now I quickly recognize these limiting mental patterns and can let them go more easily. Sannyasa and Tyaga have become my constant reminders to return to a state of openness, acceptance, and disinterested dedication.
How did this impact my daily life?
I have been studying Vedanta for 3.5 years, and I am deeply happy. I have learned so much. The non-attachment attitude has gifted me a serenity and lightness I never thought possible. Instead of being a slave to my desires and expectations, I float with peace on the current of existence, free and present wherever I find myself. This is the promise of Vedanta: a fulfilling life beyond the ego, an expansion into my true, unconditioned, limitless nature. The path of liberation I was seeking has simply revealed itself to be the act of letting go.
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