Spiritual Practice Must Not Ignore Finances or Materials
By,Jacob Ersete
Freelance Journalist
The achievement of spiritual practice — the most minimal possible — is the ability to suggest oneself, such as not being sick when the body is actually sick, so that healing can be restored like a truly healthy person. The spiritual achievement in question is minimally just to mention the most elementary level because there are still higher levels such as intermediate to advanced to then be called a great teacher.
Perhaps also at that elementary level the ability of a persistent and tough spiritual practitioner is already able to withstand hunger like a person who is full after devouring the most delicious red snapper head curry. In short, he is able to appear with a fresh and refreshing happy face. Moreover, just not having cigarettes and not drinking coffee as is his habit. After all, the habit of routinely fasting outside the month of Ramadan is no longer something he does.
That is the achievement of spiritual practice that can be temporarily called elementri to then enter the intermediate stage to then advance to the advanced level and so on which can perhaps be called a professor and then a great teacher. As for this kind of classification, it is indeed not known in the spiritual world which is truly limitless and immeasurable to be equated with any level of learning, including in martial arts schools or other types of martial arts skills.
In short, the stages in learning spiritual practice are not about certification or divisions that are equivalent to certain faculties or moves, because spirituality – like its innate nature and character from the start is already like that, universal, global, limitless and endless, because at the peak of the climax of spiritual wandering it is quite significantly different from the types of learning or education such as in existing formal institutions, such as martial arts schools or universities.
The terms elementary, intermediate and advanced in discussing this unlimited and endless spiritual exploration area are only to mark the achievement of stages that cannot be categorized in a certain level, because the stages and expansion of the spiritual exploration area are truly broad, covering all faculties or departments that can be called strictly as in existing formal education. Because in other stages, spiritual achievement is able to overcome feelings of inferiority, conditions that are very poor in material numbers, but spiritually.
The achievement of the ability of spiritual success can be much lower or can even make a fairly far leap, such as the ability to calm oneself not to panic and be noisy just because the supply of rice and side dishes at home has run aground at zero. This cool and cool inner peace is often not known by many people. The problem is not that it is intended to be hidden so as not to become a disgrace, but the innate spiritual customs that are beginning to mature, that is indeed the nature and role. Because everything is believed to continue to run well, there is no need to worry as long as the earth continues to rotate, not jammed. Because sustenance is believed to continue to be divided. Moreover, just for transportation costs, or even payment of contract money is in arrears, because spirituality always considers trivial material or financial problems that should not be taken lightly.
The irony is that in spiritual practice the most essential thing is to deny financial values and all forms of material. It seems that the main cause of this ironic tragedy is a direct result of the fundamental attitude that ignores all things that are material, because of full concentration on all forms and forms of abstract spirituality, because what is considered important is only things that have spiritual values alone.
Pecenongan, July 4, 2025
** The above presentation was inspired by the routine weekly discussion material every Thursday-Monday, on July 3, 2025 at the GMRI Secretariat (Indonesian Moral Reconciliation Movement) Jl. Ir. H. Juanda No. 4 A, Central Jakarta, with Prof. Yudhie Haryono Ph.D, Gus Baidhowi, Yusuf Mujiono and the Spiritual Leader of the Archipelago, Sri Eko Sriyanto Galgendu.*
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