Just Do It

When talking about the spiritual path, one tends to call to mind the mystical and the transcendent. So when one hears that "character building" is one of the foundations of spiritual practice, the topic tends to have a flat taste perhaps because we have been exposed to this concept since kindergarten. Unfortunately, this early exposure also seems to have desensitized most of us to the importance of developing the virtues.

In my last article, I discussed the importance of character development not only in terms of its moral considerations but also in terms of the esoteric technicalities related to kundalini awakening. According to Master Choa Kok Sui in his book The Origin of Modern Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga:

Developing the virtues and eradicating weaknesses are very important for aspirants and disciples who are treading the spiritual path. Unfortunately, this is also the most neglected practice by the students. Without the development of the virtues, the disciple will eventually fall. (emphasis mine)

Those are very interesting words that we should take note of. I would even venture to say that if you can only do one thing on the spiritual path, it should be character building. One may notice that religion, that part of the Teachings that is taught to the masses, frequently emphasizes the development of the virtues.  This perhaps explains why there have been stories of ordinary people who became saints even if they did not have a library's worth of spiritual techniques available to them.

Knowing something is one thing, but putting that knowledge into practice is another ballgame entirely. After all, the Ten Commandments have been here for thousands of years yet human history has been remarkable for the contravention rather than the adherence to those same Commandments.

Character building need not be so complex but I believe it would really help to consider certain principles that will make one's effort more organized and practical.

The first principle to keep in mind is that of self restriction. This is also known as self control, self mastery or self discipline. It's more than just "not doing the bad things." Self restriction has more to do with moderation or taking the middle path. We've all heard the saying that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. For example, being miserly means you are too selfish, but being too generous means you are a wastrel or tend to get taken advantage of. We must strike a proper balance between helping others and also taking care of oneself. The key word is balance.

Self restriction develops the will because it calls for focus. To borrow Master Choa's words, steam spread out over open space is so much hot air. But channel that steam into the small space of a steam engine and you can move freight trains.

The second principle for character development is introspection and firm resolution. It involves constantly being aware of both the good and the bad that one has done during the day. The purpose of this exercise is not to burden oneself with guilt nor to get puffed up with pride. This exercise is used so that one may continue doing the good while identifying those areas that one needs to improve on, so that the next time a similar situation comes up, you already know the right thing to do. Some systems advocate doing this review in the evening before going to sleep, others suggest doing this in the morning upon waking. Just do what seems more comfortable for you.

Introspection and firm resolution mainly develops one's intellect and awareness, especially honesty. Honesty manifests as accurate perception and correct expression. One cannot correct something if one doesn't know what is wrong or does not want to admit to what is wrong.

The third principle is that of forgiveness. We have all been hurt at one time or another, to varying degrees of severity. Deep seated hurt can develop into a trauma and according to some systems the hardest traumas to root out and correct are those that happened at a young age. From an energy perspective, the trauma energy is lodged deep at the roots of a particular chakra, owing to how early in life it took place.

Holding on to the hurt and anger only saps our energy and makes it difficult for us to move on to better things in our life. Anger can also lead to vengeance and retaliation if the emotion is strong enough. So forgiveness is the key so that one does not remain entangled with others.

The practice of forgiveness develops one's ability to love and have compassion. With love comes oneness, and if the spiritual practitioner sees all things as one, there is no desire to harm others. "Whatsoever you have done to the least of my brothers, you have done unto Me" pretty much encapsulates this concept of oneness. One of the highest expressions of love and compassion is that of ahimsa or harmlessness.

Forgiveness also helps one to develop detachment, because the act of forgiving involves letting go of the hurt and all the negative thoughts and emotions associated with the hurt.


To summarize, three principles of character building are self restriction (will), introspection and firm resolution (intellect) and forgiveness (love). Intellect is often attributed to Light, Will is attributed to Power and love is self explanatory.

Interestingly, at the end of the Great Invocation, we can find the phrase "Let Light, Love and Power restore the plan on Earth." Fits like a glove, doesn't it? What better way to work towards building heaven on Earth than to start on ourselves?

But again, while knowing all this may be half the battle, the other half involves actually practicing and applying our knowledge. We all stumble and fall, but as the saying goes, success is what follows after you pick yourself up from the ground. So I say this with a smile on my face: What are you waiting for?