FLAWED

We live in an imperfect world, so therefore we are imperfect.  We are flawed. 

Our flaws fall into five categories:  physical, mental, emotional, character, spiritual.  Physical flaws need no explanation, as we all have them, too tall, too short, too fat, too whatever.  Mental flaws are wrong-thinking, as in delusional thinking, erroneous logic, such as two plus two equal three not four.  Emotional flaws are wearing our hearts on our sleeves, being hard hearted, being angry at everyone and everything, being fearful.  Character flaws involve our fundamental constitutions, our genetic makeup.

These flaws, individually or in concert, are responsible for the downfall of scores of people in politics, entertainment, business, sports, and religion.  We need only turn on the evening news to be astonished at the people who have everything anyone could ever want, but who tumble in disgrace because of their flaws.  Making a poor choice in a matter is one thing, but doing it over and over again until it brings us down is, truly, the tragedy of it.

Spiritual flaws is the big one, though.  Physical, mental, emotional, and character imperfections are relative to this manifested world and can be resolved, one way or another, sooner of later, by us or by another.  Shortcomings spiritually, however, are not so readily remedied. 

People cannot be forced to “believe,” for instance, to have faith in something larger than themselves, when, in their view, there is only themselves.  It takes a religious experience so-called, to make a difference, but for most of us this does not happen. 

What does occur in everyone is the evolution of our spirit, called the Atman.  The Atman is Brahman, its source, what Eckhart Tolle calls “presence.”  The task and destiny of the Atman is to awaken, just as the task and destiny of the universe as a whole is to awaken. 

We can facilitate this awakening by the practice of spiritual disciplines, called sadhana.  Sadhana need not be complicated.  The idea is to give the Atman space in which to emerge.  By being aware spiritually, by paying attention to what we are doing spiritually, we create space for the Atman. 

No flaw can withstand this space.