Parvati Magazine December 2014/January 2015: Consequence/Beginnings | Page 8

POSITIVE POSSIBILITIES

ACTIVISM
For the Sincere Spiritual Seeker

S

piritual activism has become popular among today’s yogis and conscious communities.
But what does it mean for a sincere spiritual seeker? Since peacefulness arises from a
state of non-attachment and unity, what is spiritual activism?
As we evolve spiritually, we cannot help but feel moved by the suffering we see in the
world. An impulse to help alleviate pain is a natural reflection of our inherent humanity.
Meditation often gives rise to a greater sense of how connected we are, and as such, that
our compassionate actions serve the world. Compassion must be the foundation of spiritual
activism. Through compassion, we rest in our underlying sense of oneness. We are humbly
no better than or worse than others, but feel connected to all through love.
However, realized masters remind us that compassion is a sophisticated state of being.
We can open our hearts to others’ suffering and empathize. But true compassion, where
“no-self” exists and only oneness presides, is a profound state that most of us experience
less frequently than we may think. Our world is desperately hungry for more love and true
compassion, so we work towards such. We simply must not mistake our good intentions for
true compassion. We must make sure that we are not acting from ego when we are doing
“good deeds”.
The term “spiritual activist” feels like a slippery slope for a sincere spiritual seeker, one who
is devoted to the cessation of all sense of “me” or ego. Though many spiritual traditions