Interview with Jeff Maziareck, creator of “Spirituality Simplified”
As we speak we’re happy to have Jeff Maziareck with us. Jeff, after a lot examine and analysis into the topic of spirituality has written a guide that’s not like some other guide on the subject. Jeff, welcome to Reader Views.
Irene: “Spirituality Simplified” – looks like a guide that offers a novice understanding of the fundamentals of spirituality. What impressed you to put in writing such a guide?
Jeff: Within the late Nineteen Eighties once I first found the topic of “spirituality”, it did not take very lengthy for me to turn out to be totally engrossed in it. In actual fact, over a interval of ten years I in the end bought and browse practically 200 books on this class. In that course of it occurred to me in the future in early 1999 there actually wasn’t, a minimum of to my data, an present guide that might be described as the best “first guide” for an individual who was new to the non secular path–a guide that would successfully introduce the topic, and on the identical time function a “street map” to different content material that I felt might help them of their means of self-discovery.
Whereas I believed the concept had some advantage, it wasn’t till I visited a good friend of mine in Florida by the identify of Kaye O’Bara that I used to be really impressed to maneuver ahead and start to put in writing the guide. Kaye and her daughter, Edwarda, had been the topic of a guide by Wayne Dyer referred to as “A Promise is a Promise.” I had initially met her in 1998 after studying that guide after which stopping by her dwelling in N. Miami for a go to. Throughout February of 1999 on a return journey to see her, we spent a whole afternoon collectively, and that’s when the topic of my concept for the guide arose. After listening to me discuss it, Kaye instantly voiced her opinion on the matter; particularly, that I would like to put in writing the guide as a result of it was apparent I had nice ardour for the topic. I made a decision to take her recommendation, and started work on the guide promptly upon my return dwelling. At first of the venture I did not actually anticipate to ever publish a guide, however proceeded anyway as a result of I felt it will be a wonderful manner for me to crystallize my philosophy to that time, and are available to raised perceive myself.
Irene: What’s spirituality in your phrases?
Jeff: In my phrases spirituality is coming to the attention that every and really individual has inside them a “spark” of the Creator, or God in the event you favor. In essence, we’re all linked to the very drive that created us, and every of us due to this fact has the innate potential to be deeply compassionate and unconditionally loving. Spirituality additionally requires every of us to simply accept that our connection to the Creator/God additionally means, by default, that at some degree we’re linked to all different folks as nicely. As well as, the trail of spirituality requires a person be prepared to go away no stone unturned within the means of coming to actually know themselves. Which means being able to query actually the whole lot they’ve been taught about spirituality, and for that matter, faith as nicely.
Irene: Some folks would disagree with you that we’re all linked. They imagine that their path to God is the one manner and really feel that they’ve been chosen to persuade others of the identical. How do you justify your perception?
Jeff: To reply the query first, I do not actually really feel that I have to justify my perception to anybody. I’ve come to imagine what I imagine primarily based alone analysis and examine, and my goal in writing the guide was to not persuade anybody to imagine precisely the identical manner. The aim of writing the guide was to share data, concepts, and experiences that hopefully can be of some worth to non secular seekers. If folks revenue from it nice, they’re answerable for that; if they’re irritated by it that’s their accountability as nicely. As for individuals who would disagree that we’re all linked, I might suggest they spend a while studying about what quantum physicists have identified for fairly someday, which is the uncooked materials of creation is, in actuality, a discipline of vitality that permeates each sq. inch of the Universe, and as such, connects the whole lot, together with folks. Lastly, for individuals who really feel that their option to God is the one manner, it is not my enterprise to persuade them in any other case, and I would not ever make an effort to take action.
Irene: Many individuals interchange the phrases spirituality and faith. What’s the distinction?
Jeff: For my part spirituality and faith usually are not equal phrases. As I say within the remaining chapter of the guide, non secular development is lots like strolling a excessive wire and not using a security internet, as a result of in contrast to conventional spiritual apply there isn’t any inflexible dogma that exists to offer one with all the ‘solutions’. As an alternative, on this path a person takes on the accountability for locating his or her personal solutions to severe questions reminiscent of: Who or what’s God? What’s the function of my life? What’s the that means of life on the whole? With faith, one merely has to simply accept the dogma is the reality as a result of somebody says that it’s; questioning of the dogma is often frowned upon, and significantly so in sects which might be firmly connected to specific teachings. Religious development is a endless course of that requires the person to repeatedly refine their philosophy primarily based on their private means of discovery. As such, it requires a dedication to do the work, to dig and dig for solutions that resonate positively inside. It is actually not about “getting someplace,” it is about “being” totally with the method of self-discovery.
Irene: Religious folks usually name themselves “enlightened.” What’s your view on this space?
Jeff: There may be an previous saying I heard some time again, the origin of which I can’t recall, that basically states the next: ‘he who speaks doesn’t know, he who would not converse, is aware of.’ For somebody to outwardly declare they’re enlightened suggests to me they’re attempting to one way or the other distinguish themselves as being forward of the pack, so to talk. Rhetorically talking, what’s the normal by which to evaluate whether or not somebody is actually enlightened? In my expertise it’s all a person course of and trying to put one’s self on some type of grading scale of progress is a want rooted in ego, not in Spirit.
Irene: What non secular lecturers have you ever used as a foundation of your data?
Jeff: Inside the guide there are practically 80 quotations from about 40 completely different books. That interprets right into a wealth of content material from plenty of completely different authors. The intent was to make use of the “better of the most effective” content material that I had uncovered over the assorted books I learn. In that course of, I’ve come to really feel that there are a handful of lecturers which have had essentially the most influence on my regularly evolving Bulu Perindu Religious Gadgets, they’re: Fr. Anthony DeMello, as a result of I significantly get pleasure from his very sensible, no-nonsense strategy to the subject; Stuart Wilde, as a result of he by no means tries to seem like he has all of it solved, and actually his irreverent strategy makes me chuckle; and Wayne Dyer, as a result of the very first guide I learn was his title “You will See It When You Consider It”, and it really was a life-changing work for me.
Irene: Wayne Dyer definitely introduced a message in that guide. Would you inform our studying viewers just a little extra about what the title actually means? The adage is reversed.
Jeff: The essence of what Mr. Dyer is saying is that this: our ideas are actual “issues” or vitality impulses if you’ll, that exit into the world and function attractors to expertise(s). Or to say it one other manner, we turn out to be what we take into consideration all day lengthy. If we focus our ideas (and emotions) on that which we need to manifest in our lives, then over time that manifestation will come to cross; the identical applies to focusing our ideas on what we do not need. That is certainly not an idea that originated with Dyer, as centuries in the past the Buddha reportedly stated the next: “We’re what we predict. All that we’re arises with our ideas. With our ideas we make the world.” With that stated, the that means of the title of Dyer’s guide is due to this fact the extra correct manner of presenting how issues work–since our ideas create our world, we are going to solely see issues arrive up in our life once we suppose (or imagine) that they’ll.