Question from a reader:

I’ve been reading Talks with Ramana Maharshi.

He is confronted by a visitor about his being enlightened yet doing nothing to alleviate suffering in the world.

His answer was to the effect that to be awakened is the best thing one can do to alleviate suffering. Nisargadatta Maharaj said the same.

I’m interpreting that to mean that once one has realized Truth, all judgment ceases and that person is no longer part of the problem.

Since our judgments have a ripple effect there is no telling how much good may come from awakening!

Do you agree with Ramana and Nisargadatta that to be awakened is to do the greatest work toward relieving suffering in the world?

Both those sages were confronted by questioners who were saying, well if you are enlightened you should be involved in “doing something” to relieve suffering in the world besides sitting around answering questions!

It kind of goes along with the sense I have that to help people such as yourself to spread truth is to do more to help relieve suffering than to just hand out $20 bills in poor neighborhoods.

So to say it in a more personal way: Maria, if you are so awakened, why aren’t you out helping people instead of just sitting around answering questions?

It’s a rhetorical question, I am not asking from that viewpoint, I am just interested in how you would answer it.

My reply:

Everything has a ripple effect and we all influence each other in some way, both in good ways and not so good ways; it depends on what level of consciousness we’re functioning from (ego/Spirit) and that’s basically our contribution to the world.

That is what we have to give; ourselves and what’s inside of us, so of course if someone has awakened to their true nature their influence is based in love while while an unconscious individual who’s spiritually asleep influences the world in a different way.

More and more people all over the world are waking up to Truth and what we also see is a chemicalization process going on on a global level at the same time, so the conflicts in peoples minds are being projected outwardly too, to the world.

So yes, the more people who wakes up to their true nature, the more love gets to rule this world.

And love heals, love restores, love mends, love does all kinds of things, but not always in a way that is comfortable to the ego.

So love can be fierce too, love can be ‘tough’, so I wouldn’t say that love only expresses itself as a sage or a spiritual teacher that “sits around answering questions”.

An awakened person doesn’t necessarily have to do “spiritual” work in the way that for example I do; a taxi driver, an activist, or school teacher (anyone at all) can be awakened and make a huge impact in other people’s lives just as any other awakened person can.

I wouldn’t say that to ‘sit around and answering questions’ is the only way to relieve suffering, but it’s one of the ways and this happen to be my way.

Not that it’s limited to that; I know intuitively that I will do many things during my time on this earth, not just do what I currently do.

I do what I can do and feel inclined to do at this point in my life, and believe me; I would love to be able to do so much more!

Not because I want to “save the world” (I have no interest in that) but because it’s wonderful to be able to be generous and giving; that if I feel drawn to give to someone or something (a cause etc) then I would love to be able to just do that. 

So I absolutely agree with you that the help and support anyone gets that works with spreading Truth, like for example that you help support my work, the more I obviously can do for others, so thank you for your contribution, it means a lot to me.

This can help people like myself to do our work unhindered (=having enough money so that you can be dedicated 100% of the time) and that of course allows us to give more too, not only in terms of what we do, but it also helps us in contribution to others as well.

For example through tithing; I’m a tither and I tithe to that which contributes to my continuous spiritual growth and unfolding.

This doesn’t exclude giving to the poor and needy, but being one of them is not going to be helpful to any of us.

The more you have the more you are able to do and give, that’s just a fact of life and I embrace financial wealth with all my heart and mind.

So to answer your question;

Do you agree with Ramana and Nisargadatta that to be awakened is to do the greatest work toward relieving suffering in the world?

To be awakened does the best for the world yes, but how that awakened person expresses itself can be in countless of ways and is not limited to ‘sitting around answering questions’.

It just happens to be one of the ways that Life has chosen to do it through me, but I’m not out to ‘save the world’ in any way but what I am is that I’m dedicated to Truth (and not “relieving suffering in the world”) so in whatever way Life wants to move through me I’m all in.

And right now it’s in this way. 

Hope that answers your questions.

Beliefs and ideas about life just distort our perception and also our expression of Life as it is, and when we stop holding on to them that’s when life can breathe again.

Beliefs just appear to be true and when the false contents of your mind has been scooped out, because that’s how it feels sometimes, it feels like someone has taken a ice-cream scoop and just scooped out the junk, the falseness, the untrue from your mind, and in its place there’s emptiness, nothingness, and also fullness.

Completeness. Truth.

This weeks Teleclass was “Seeing Through Your Beliefs Leads To Liberation” (53 minutes long) and you can listen to it on the Teleclasses page.

Subscribe and join here:  

mariaerving.com/teleclasses