(Reflections on the relationship between integrity, vulnerability, satisfaction, and selfless service.)
Recently I’ve been contemplating the dynamics of satisfaction. My guru describes satisfaction as a superpower — an inherent quality within us all that can be awakened and expanded through a conscious lifestyle oriented towards our spiritual nature.
It’s no secret that it’s better to give than to receive. There have been tons of studies in social science confirming that this is virtually a universal conviction we all have.
So then why is there so much exploitation in the world?
From rich corporations preying on the poor to expand their influence, to interpersonal relationships where people “use” other people to obtain selfish gratifications or resources, and everything in between. We live in a world where people and resources are taken advantage of.
I see this as stemming from a general lack of development of the superpower of satisfaction. Satisfaction is the key that opens the door to selfless service. As the Bhagavad Gita (5.24) states:
“One whose happiness is within, who is active within, who rejoices within and is illumined within, is actually the perfect mystic. He is liberated in the Supreme and ultimately he attains the Supreme.”
To be “liberated in the Supreme” is to be fully awake to one’s true nature of an instrument of Divine love and service. So one who is settled and satisfied internally has the space and capacity to truly live the admonition of “it’s better to give than to receive.”
I want to serve… But there are still so many polluted desires and selfish tendencies within my heart that take up space, covering over my ability to be fully satisfied within, and leaving less room to embrace selfless service.
My biggest realization is that focusing on cultivating deeper integrity in my life is gradually rooting out icky stuff and welcoming satisfaction.
To be integral is to be honest not only with others but also with ourselves (which may be even more difficult). Integrity is also to be unified in one’s internal construction. Just as the foundational materials of a building must be unified to make the building sturdy, so must the inner resources we cultivate and allow to grow all be aligned towards building spiritual connection.
Integrity is like a train. It runs on the tracks of vulnerability towards the station of satisfaction, which leads to the ultimate destination of selfless service.
Like a train needs tracks to have a path forward towards its destination, we need to be vulnerable to allow the virtue of integrity to move forward and expanding in ourselves.
The highest integrity is to perpetually live in alignment with spiritual knowledge, and it’s a lifelong (or many lives long) endeavor to get there. To acquire knowledge is different than to assimilate and fully live it.
Only by subjecting ourselves to the guidance and care of mentors — those who are further along on the path — and being transparent and vulnerable with them about the ways in which we are falling short in living knowledge, can we continue to move forward.
As we progress along this path, we build trust and confidence in ourselves. As our integrity is refined we become more internally satisfied with our own efforts, and less dependent on external results or gratifications.
Then, eventually, we can reach the perfect destination — that of selfless service — which expands unlimitedly from there.
I pray that I can follow the example and instructions of the great souls in my life who embody selfless service.
If you’ve read up until this point I’d love to hear any thoughts or reflections you might have on any of this.
Aspiring in your service,
Dan Kriya
dkdasa108@gmail.com
