by Bob Trowbridge, M.Div.

Finding your spiritual path and moving along it with a minimum of stress, obstacles, pain, suffering, and drama is a laudable and achievable goal. But every path has a destination. Before we spend more time and energy on our spiritual path, we’d better be sure we’re on the right path in the first place. Where is this path headed? What is your goal, your ideal destination?

For me, there can only be one spiritual goal, one final destination within the framework of physical life. It has many names. We can call it enlightenment, Christ consciousness, Buddha consciousness, Cosmic consciousness, or we can use some fancy Hindu or Buddhist words.

Call it whatever you want. What is it? What are the qualities and characteristics that identify this highly desirable state of consciousness? Most people will talk about oneness with the divine (who also can be called many names). I am of the opinion that oneness with God is a part of our natural state. We are one with God whether we like it or not. What is being referred to here is a constant state of experiencing that oneness and expressing it in all of our interactions.

Another quality of this highest spiritual state is presence. Ram Dass wrote the classic Be Here Now, which focused on this aspect of enlightenment. More recently, Eckhart Tolle has brought this important concept to the forefront of spiritual thought. It could be said that being in the present and being one with the divine are the same, as the divine only exists in the present moment.

Another important quality of the goal, which is also a valuable tool for progressing on the path, is awareness. Experiencing the oneness of God is a matter of awareness. Living in the present moment is a matter of awareness. Awareness is a major practice for our movement on the path. As the Buddhists say, "Pay attention. Pay attention. Pay attention."

A long list of the qualities and characteristics of enlightenment could be made. We could speak of the apostle Paul’s fruits of the spirit. We could speak of the importance of compassion, of non-judgment, and forgiveness. You are aware of the qualities that you associate with a highly spiritual life. You seek to improve yourself every day in the areas where you feel you are most lacking.

But there are other ways to look at this highest goal, which do not necessarily refer to the divine or our relationship with the divine. In some ways, these more mundane definitions of enlightenment are much harder to contemplate and more challenging to accomplish.

For example, it could be said that the enlightened self is the true self, the authentic self, or the self-realized self. I believe that this self that we seek is who we are already. It is how we were created, who we have always been, and who we will be eternally. There is nothing to be accomplished save to accept the truth of who we are. But that ain’t easy.

The catch here is that in accepting who we truly are, we must also accept the truth of who everyone else is. We cannot fully accept our own divinity without fully accepting the divinity of all beings. That includes our worst enemies, the people who drive us crazy, and all of the crazy people in the world. This is the human side of oneness with God. Oneness with God means oneness with all that exists.

Jesus said that the two great commandments fulfilled all of the law and prophets. That’s pretty big. It would have been better, however, if he had simply mentioned one great commandment. The first commandment is easy. We’re supposed to love God with all of our heart, strength, and mind. He should have quit there. But he said that the second commandment was like the first. We’re supposed to love our neighbor as ourself. I think I’ll just stick with loving God and work on that loving the neighbor stuff later.

Loving God means loving our neighbor. Being one with God means being one with our neighbor. There’s the real challenge, seeing the Buddha, the Christ, the divine in everyone.

What all of this means is that the path really isn’t very important. The challenge is the same regardless of the path you choose. As long as the goal is clear, the way to that goal can be very different for every individual. What is it that will help you to attain that goal? That is what you should do. That is your path.