Can path to spirituality be balanced without renouncing regular life?

[KGrimes]

This is a topic I have been struggling with for quite some time now.

I have been pursuing spirituality on an off for around 2-4 years, around 3 years ago I started my first meditation practices, and started getting into self help. At first, it was kind of understandable how it all works.

However, when I got extremely into spirituality, 6 months ago, after our country completely locked down, I got some deeper insights, did around 10 LSD trips to date, a few failed DMT trips, and have had some decent realisations, also videos from Peter Ralston, Rupert Spira and Leo help me to get a grasp of what reality truly is. A lot of these ideas are still just ideas and I have not personally felt them, but I am sure of the fact that I am not the mind and not the body, and that everything is made out of consciousness and love, this is what I understood during the trips I had.

Now spring is coming, quarantine is coming to an end, and that makes me feel like I want to go out meeting new people again, partying, dancing, just living life as a regular early 20s dude should do, but now I feel this resistance. I feel like if I want to truly pursue spirituality, I have to renounce all of that.

Basically, I fail to grasp how is it possible to live with spirituality and with daily life, how is it possible to meet new people, go out, have a drink, maybe party once in a while, just do regular activities, while still pursuing enlightenment. I guess, if I did ALL OF THAT and was CONSCIOUS and AWARE during all of it, then that wouldn't be a problem, right?

Well the problem is, that when I am with other people, and not alone at my home, meditating, I am barely aware, I understand that I am not aware, but I cannot be aware all of the time, otherwise, I can't focus on having a conversation for example.

So my question is, how, and can, a person pursuing spirituality, still indulge in regular day activities, without dis-balancing himself? Or is this one of the biggest things that you have to go through e.g the attachment phase, where I should no longer be attached to this life and only then I can continue enjoying it, but without feeling attached?

Because right now, I feel if I do not meet people, go out and so on in my 20s, then my later 30s and 40s are going to be extremely lonely or maybe unfulfilling due to the fact that I completely renounced all of that?

[Mohammad]

I think I understand your points very clearly, because my own journey has been somehow the same. I found this path about 5 years ago, started meditating, contemplating, studying, using psychedelics, introspecting, etc. But since then it has been a big rollercoaster. Just going on and off, and the thing that has affected my spiritual life the most has been my daily life (family, work, literally everything apart from you!)

To be honest, it is still challenging for me, I haven't figured out how to balance my daily life with my spiritual life; but I'd like to think of it as my own journey, and the difficulties that Every person should surpass. If you haven't watched Leo's "Hero's journey" episode, watch it, you might get good insights

But I also think that I should figure out how to balance my daily life with my spiritual life, not to choose one of them over the other one. So you don't necessarily have to let go of your life in normal society. Of course some stuff in daily life may affect your spiritual life in a negative way more, somethings less, you have to figure them out by yourself (it could be some people, some jobs, relationships, etc).

If you can figure out how to balance these two, you are on your own way towards the truth. Wish you all the best dear.

[KGrimes]

@Mohammad It feels like in order to fully pursue it you have to choose one over the other, and only  after enlightenment you are able to comeback to your old life, but this time with a different vision, with no attachment and with true happiness in every single moment. Perhaps that is the problem, to get rid of all attachment, in order to awaken, but I recently read that Leo said, 90% of achievements in spirituality, for example by the gurus is genetic, so even if I renounce my life, and work towards enlightenment, I am still not guaranteed to awaken, so that's the biggest problem.

[blackchair]

you can have balance, ask mods they have families and stuff.....

[Globalcollective]

1 hour ago, KGrimes said:

This is a topic I have been struggling with for quite some time now.

I have been pursuing spirituality on an off for around 2-4 years, around 3 years ago I started my first meditation practices, and started getting into self help. At first, it was kind of understandable how it all works.

However, when I got extremely into spirituality, 6 months ago, after our country completely locked down, I got some deeper insights, did around 10 LSD trips to date, a few failed DMT trips, and have had some decent realisations, also videos from Peter Ralston, Rupert Spira and Leo help me to get a grasp of what reality truly is. A lot of these ideas are still just ideas and I have not personally felt them, but I am sure of the fact that I am not the mind and not the body, and that everything is made out of consciousness and love, this is what I understood during the trips I had.

Now spring is coming, quarantine is coming to an end, and that makes me feel like I want to go out meeting new people again, partying, dancing, just living life as a regular early 20s dude should do, but now I feel this resistance. I feel like if I want to truly pursue spirituality, I have to renounce all of that.

Basically, I fail to grasp how is it possible to live with spirituality and with daily life, how is it possible to meet new people, go out, have a drink, maybe party once in a while, just do regular activities, while still pursuing enlightenment. I guess, if I did ALL OF THAT and was CONSCIOUS and AWARE during all of it, then that wouldn't be a problem, right?

Well the problem is, that when I am with other people, and not alone at my home, meditating, I am barely aware, I understand that I am not aware, but I cannot be aware all of the time, otherwise, I can't focus on having a conversation for example.

So my question is, how, and can, a person pursuing spirituality, still indulge in regular day activities, without dis-balancing himself? Or is this one of the biggest things that you have to go through e.g the attachment phase, where I should no longer be attached to this life and only then I can continue enjoying it, but without feeling attached?

Because right now, I feel if I do not meet people, go out and so on in my 20s, then my later 30s and 40s are going to be extremely lonely or maybe unfulfilling due to the fact that I completely renounced all of that?

@KGrimes This is probably one of the hardest parts of the path, integrating ones insights into daily life. There are a few pitfalls to be aware of, the first one is not to use spirituality as a form of avoidance, a young guy in his 20s will naturally want to go out meet new people and party ect and you can learn and grow alot from that. Maybe if you ran away to the caves you would still have the cravings even when you came back way. the trick is to start adding more and more consciousness into your life and the way you approach these things. Don't forget you can strike a balance, make your life alot more simple and you can still get your meditation in and if you choose to go out ect. Eventually with enough life experience you can then start making better calls if you want to become a renunciate or not. Dont forget you can always do both, go do say a 60 day intensive meditation retreat and see how you feel