I'm spiritually tired

[Sand Dancer]

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

 

[crossfire]

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

I found that just dropping any notion of theism was like lifting a great weight from my shoulders, spiritually. Whatever the case may be regarding any flavor of theism or non theism, there isn't anything I can do about it. This freed up my energy to work on things that I can do things about, like ferreting out the greed, hatred and delusion I find within my own psyche and developing a practice that will transform these poisons within my mind.

I hope this is helpful to you.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I found that just dropping any notion of theism was like lifting a great weight from my shoulders, spiritually. Whatever the case may be regarding any flavor of theism or non theism, there isn't anything I can do about it. This freed up my energy to work on things that I can do things about, like ferreting out the greed, hatred and delusion I find within my own psyche and developing a practice that will transform these poisons within my mind.

I hope this is helpful to you.

Very helpful, thanks. I want to develop practices too, but just not sure how to manifest them.

 

[crossfire]

Very helpful, thanks. I want to develop practices too, but just not sure how to manifest them.

If you would like any suggestions on anything specific, feel free to PM me. I'm willing to share my findings.

 

[F1fan]

I think tired and confused is the honest and real state of mind for the truly spiritual human. Once you believe you have found a final truth, the instability and ego kicks in to sabotage any authentic living.

My 8000th message.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I think tired and confused is the honest and real state of mind for the truly spiritual human. Once you believe you have found a final truth, the instability and ego kicks in to sabotage any authentic living.

My 8000th message.

Very profound, thank you.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

Maybe? I've been feeling a want for more, and maybe heal wounds of abuse and start over, but it's hard to find discussions of religion that don't delve into pseudoscience, literalism, dogma, bad history and things that just don't work.

 

[JustGeorge]

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

I went through that awhile back upon adopting Hinduism... what sect am I? Where do I belong? What practices should I do? I just couldn't find where I fit... so I stopped trying. I'm not a Saiva, or a Vaishnava, or a Shakta... I'm just a Hindu. I have no lineage. No tradition. And that's fine. There's no report card to be passed out, there is no one standing over me telling me that I'm doing it wrong. That's all in my head. My religion is between me and my Gods, and I want to keep it that way.

It was like a load of bricks off my chest when I made peace with the fact I'll likely never 'click' anywhere. Words are just words. I don't need one to describe me. I'm fine the way I am.

 

[Trailblazer]

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

I am not in the same boat since I found a religion over 51 years ago and I have stuck with it, but I can certainly sympathize with your predicament. I suggest you keep searching if you are unsatisfied, even if you are tired. At the very least I suggest you keep your mind open.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

If that label is not doing much for you, then abandon it. Study more on Buddhism. Buddhism does not have anything to do with theism. See here:

I found that just dropping any notion of theism was like lifting a great weight from my shoulders, spiritually. This freed up my energy to work on things that I can do things about, like ferreting out the greed, hatred and delusion I find within my own psyche and developing a practice that will transform these poisons within my mind.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I think tired and confused is the honest and real state of mind for the truly spiritual human. Once you believe you have found a final truth, the instability and ego kicks in to sabotage any authentic living.
My 8000th message.

Once you find your truth, then instability or ego vanish.
Nice. Keep posting.

.. but it's hard to find discussions of religion that don't delve into pseudoscience, literalism, dogma, bad history and things that just don't work.

You can discuss Buddhism and Advaita Hinduism without these irritants.

 

[F1fan]

Once you find your truth, then instability or ego vanish.
Nice. Keep posting.

I think finding balance is the goal. Truth never seems to sit still long enough to grasp. Surf the wave.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Truth never seems to sit still long enough to grasp.

My experience is different. Truth is an immovable rock. If it does not sit still, then it is not the truth. Truth has to be unchanging.

 

[PureX]

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

It's been my observation there comes a point in one's spiritual journey where one has to let go of religiosity to find the divine spirit in 'real life'.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I think finding balance is the goal. Truth never seems to sit still long enough to grasp. Surf the wave.

“For nothing is fixed, forever and forever and forever, it is not fixed, the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock.”
- James Baldwin

 

[Twilight Hue]

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

Why look when the actual truth of the matter is always around you this very moment?

It's like the story of a woman who kept running around yelling where is my head when her head was always there all along..

 

[Secret Chief]

The pantheist label doesn't do much for me

Labels are useful shorthand but can feel binding. I put the label zen on me on this site sometimes and sometimes take it off. I could probably put daoism on there just as easily. Or maybe not.

 

[Ella S.]

Honestly, I have shifted from label to label with a frequency that does make me feel a little ashamed, because it seems like I don't really commit to any of them. This isn't true. I commit fully to every single one.

I'm just constantly changing my mind based on new arguments, new information, and new perspectives. I don't intend to stop doing this. It's something that I want to keep doing. This honesty on my part can paradoxically make me look less honest, but I have to remind myself that I care more about getting to the heart of the matter than appearances.

It is exhausting to constantly change my whole worldview with such frequency and it feels destabilizing, but I can't in good conscience not continue to investigate the matter and continue exposing myself to alternate views which challenge my beliefs. What grounds me is the fact that I am genuinely searching for truth, no matter what that truth happens to be, and that's what keeps me going.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Honestly, I have shifted from label to label with a frequency that does make me feel a little ashamed, because it seems like I don't really commit to any of them. This isn't true. I commit fully to every single one.

I'm just constantly changing my mind based on new arguments, new information, and new perspectives. I don't intend to stop doing this. It's something that I want to keep doing. This honesty on my part can paradoxically make me look less honest, but I have to remind myself that I care more about getting to the heart of the matter than appearances.

It is exhausting to constantly change my whole worldview with such frequency and it feels destabilizing, but I can't in good conscience not continue to investigate the matter and continue exposing myself to alternate views which challenge my beliefs. What grounds me is the fact that I am genuinely searching for truth, no matter what that truth happens to be, and that's what keeps me going.

It's more important, I think, to be committed to the search for truth, than to commit to any specific belief which we hold, perhaps momentarily, to be true.

Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you; but when we try to hold onto whatever it is we find, it often seems to turn to dust in our hands. To keep seeking, keep knocking, keep asking, these are worthy practices; we are but works in progress, we may never be complete, not in a million lifetimes. Which does sound rather wearisome, but we are not alone on this journey. We walk it hand in hand with the spirit of the universe; and despite all the evidence to the contrary, the universe is not a hostile place, for after all, it gave us life.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I wonder why it is takes so long! It did not take that long in my case.