What is "Balance", in Spiritual terms?

Question

Many religions speak of a "Middle Path".

What does this mean, and how does it apply in practice, do you think?

What are the things that need 'balancing'?

Is it automatic? Or do we need to exert conscious efforts?

Should we just 'let it be'? Will things work out just fine?

Or should we exert; and if so how?

What are your views?

This one niggles at me from time to time.

Would be glad to hear what you have to say on it.

Have read a fair bit, but at present, they're just ideas, largely.

Answer 1

The saying goes that ' The great 'I AM' / The Universe is both 'everything' and 'nothing'. My reasoning is based on this idea.
Picture 'everything' as being a state in which all that is able to be manifested is. In form, the complete set of opposites that make up reality - one of each pair can only exist when seen in relation to its opposite - eg. light and dark, good and bad, angels and demons etc. ( without 'good' how can we judge anything to be 'evil'?) Life manifested is the world of the relative.
Now, picture the energy of each opposite united - or balanced - an absolute state -- the middle ground - the positive value added to the negative value - what do you get? ZERO! or 'Nothing' - 'No-Thing'.
So - the Material world - no absolutes only relative values - 'everything' or 'every-thing'.
The Spiritual State - , where all polarities unite - can be called 'nothingness 'or 'no- thing- ness'. A place of Balance and Peace. ( felt in Meditation and at moments when we are 'out of body')
For this reason, i believe each manifest body cannot achieve TOTAL balance in itself and still be alive, because it is the state of 'Every-Thing-ness' that is life.
The Spirit of the 'ALL'is always balanced because that is the state of 'No-Thing- ness'
Maybe to feel the BALANCE and PEACE we have to be in communion with the SPIRIT/THE I AM PRESENCE.

Answer 2

I think of 'Middle Path' in Buddhist terms. Avoidance of excess, which in turn avoids either excessive dulling or excitement of the emotions (and hence distraction from 'enlightenment').

Balance can be both philosophical and emotional I guess.

In 'philosophical' terms it's seeing that the unpleasant and pleasant are complimentary. Neither can exist without the other to contrast itself to. And often we can see that what at first seems a 'bad' thing may turn out for the good. And vice verse. So such things are subjective.

In emotional terms I think we all have an inner 'compass'. A sense of what to do or not do. And while it takes practice to hear it speaking, if we follow our compass it will keep us in harmony with everything around us. Which I suppose may seem like 'going with the flow'. That however suggests passivity, whereas I think proper balance is learning when to exert ourselves and when to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Just ideas, largely. ;-)
.

Answer 3

We have two primary natures that we opearte from. The Soul which is our expression of Holy Spirit, is only good, creative and compassionate, while the ego is a product of how our brain works. The Ego serves the function of enabling our physical body to survive. But the nature of Ego is always to be judgemental. This is what the story about the "Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil" is metaphorically teaching. That it is in our Judgemental nature that we have our falling from grace or "original sin" . Unfortunately it is a very difficult thing to totally obliterate the Ego and not recommended psychologically, as the Ego provides much of our "drive" and actuation in the world. But neither is excessive Ego and no Soul expression a healthy thing as the Soul is our true "spiritual component" where the Ego only pretends to be spiritual." So the middle path is the one where we live our life balancing the worldly functions of the Ego with the Creative and Compassionate functioning of the Soul. We are neither rampant narcissistic egomaniacs , nor are we totally blissed out, don't survive the challenges of the world very well, bumbling along "Artistes".

Answer 4

When we find spirituality, or it finds us, the experience feels surreal. We begin to feel like we're walking on a tightrope between two different worlds. We become ungrounded and loose touch with the physical side of life. When our spiritual mission becomes clear, it is even truer. Learning to breathe and to walk between these two experiences until they merge can be a tough balancing act. It’s easy to choose and get lost in the new experience because it feels so good and so right. Regular aspects in the physical world seem less important and get set aside, many times incomplete.

This tightrope doesn't have the same thinness as the rope we think of in the circus. A spiritual path is actually on the ground and wider even though it feels like walking on air at times. If you step to one side, you engulf yourself totally in the awe of spirituality. The other, the physical world. And because of its alluring influence, it is easy to understand why we prefer to be there

Answer 5

Let's appeal to your logical side to help with this.
Physics says "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"
Spiritually, it means you can only clear hate with love. Darkness with light. Ignorance with education.
My traditions have a rule. To give you must take.
If you take a plant to heal someone, you harmed that plant, sometimes it means you replace it. If you feed someone, you could end up short later on. balance means not taking what you don't need.
We are all connected in one way or another. you never really harm or heal just 1 person.

Answer 6

I've never heard of the "Middle Path", but I do know that a healthy balance is necessary to maintain your sanity.

For instance, too much wine makes you a drunk; a glass of wine with dinner helps you to digest. No wine ever makes you a prude lol.

Too much food makes you obese; too little food makes you anorexic.

Spiritually speaking, too much legalism makes you rigid and demanding; too little of the law and you become slovenly in your spiritual habits. There is a balance and you should seek it.

Answer 7

My understanding of spiritual balance is to depend on GOD for some things, but to be responsible and take action on others.

Not to have the attitude of handing ALL action and responsibility to GOD and then doing nothing yourself.

Faith without action is dead.

I believe that GOD sometimes WAITS FOR US TO TAKE A STEP before HE will bring some things to fruition.

To be Spiritually Balanced is to WORK WITH GOD, and not treat HIM as your cash machine in the sky.

dave

Answer 8

I beleive that balance means that God is the most important thing and doing his will. Then my family come next and then myself. The work, play, and religion if you will are all needed to keep us going. If God gets out of place then nothing is balaned and works right. The inner peace comes from God and everything else is just emotions.

Answer 9

I see balance as an aknowledgement of the whole self. We all have aspects of light, and aspects of dark. The whole dualist concept of religion is, I think, what causes most of the conflict among people. If you believe there is this titanic battle between "good" and "evil" in way you tear yourself in half. You refuse to see the darker side of your own nature. We all have it, but you can't live with it unless you understand and accept it. You can't annhilate half of yourself. Does this make sense to you?

Answer 10

Lord Krishna uses the term in Bhagavad Geeta "Sthitha pragjna"--One who does not get exited/exuberated by Victory or happiness nor depressed or feel hopeless by defeat /sorrow.He/She maintains a balance of mind in all the circumstances.