The secret of spiritual and material balance

– Today many people have the feeling that they are living in two parallel worlds. One world is what we usually call everyday reality: business, money, responsibility, obligations. The second world is spirituality, meaning, inner peace.

Often a fear arises inside: if you go too deeply into the spiritual, there will be a decline in the material, financial losses will appear. And if you focus on making money, business, material tasks, then there will be no space left for the spiritual, and something important will be missed.

How can the spiritual and the material be combined? How can these aspects be made so that they do not conflict with each other and do not destroy one another?

– I will answer the question, and at the end I will give a practice that helps to perceive the harmony of the material and spiritual worlds as a single whole.

When we speak about the material and spiritual worlds as different categories, it is important to clarify the following.

• There are people who view life exclusively from a material point of view: there is the material world, business, actions that a person performs throughout life, there is family. Everything is explained by material and scientific laws, based on perception through standard sensory organs.
• There is another category of people who claim that they live in the spiritual world and consider the material insignificant. They live according to the laws of the spiritual world.

Today’s topic is the split between money and spirituality.

The following example is illustrative. In one of my groups, a woman wrote: “I had a successful career, I was developing, and then I started engaging in spiritual life. Money and the material side faded into the background. Now I am in spiritual development, and I have a question: will there be no money in my life, or can it somehow be brought in? I am afraid that if I start dealing with money, spiritual development will no longer exist.” This example is fundamental for modern society.

There are people who hold the belief: if a person is very rich, then they are spiritually developed.

I had a partner, a billionaire. During that period, I was already paying a lot of attention to spiritual development. There were other entrepreneurs in our circle as well. I remember how they asked me questions about spirituality, and then at some point asked what my partner thought about it. I answered: “What difference does it make what he thinks? Why does it matter?” For them it mattered, because the person possessed a billion dollars. In their logic, this meant that he definitely knew how to develop spiritually.

It is obvious that if tomorrow Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Jensen Huang, or Sam Altman were to publish a book on spiritual development precisely as a spiritual treatise, rather than abstract reflections, it would be easy to turn it into a large-scale religion. People tend to perceive the words of the rich as truth. This applies not only to spirituality, but also to raising children, lifestyle, rules of behavior: what time they wake up, how they spend their time, what conclusions they draw.

Let us rely on the following: there is a spiritual world, within which the material one exists; the spiritual is primary, the material is its consequence.

We often separate these concepts. I would put it this way: life itself, the world itself, and the Universe by their nature are spiritual, and within them there exist various constructions, including material ones.

Comparing the spiritual and the material directly is incorrect. It is the same as comparing an apple and the experience of passion. An apple and an orange can be compared, an apple and a banana as well. Even an apple and a person can be compared in some sense. But comparing an apple and an inner experience of passion is meaningless.

When we understand that the material is part of the spiritual world, and money is a consequence of its manifestation, it becomes clear: the reasons why certain people have money are always spiritual.

In a previous article, I already spoke about the causes of money.

“There are two key reasons. Many factors influence a person, and one of the most important is their karmic characteristics. There are karmic reasons why a person is destined to be rich or not. One of the most common mistakes is when a person suddenly earns a lot of money and connects this with their own ‘good karma,’ saying: ‘Look how good I am, I earn a lot and bring benefit to the world.’ From here arises the idea: if I bring benefit to the world, I will definitely have money. There is a term ‘karmic management,’ which means: do good deeds and you will have a lot of money. If karma is considered in exactly this way, the ending will always be unfavorable. The mistake is that he may have karmic money not because he is good, but because at this moment it is necessary for him according to his destiny.”

In the world, it is customary to evaluate spirituality by external signs. If a person wears certain religious clothing, they are considered more spiritual. If they read spiritual literature, more spiritual. If they have spent thousands of hours in meditation, more spiritual. If they go on retreats, belong to a spiritual community, a religious organization, or a club, they are also perceived as more spiritual.

That is why the woman from the example said: “I live a spiritual life and I am afraid that I will stop being spiritual if I start dealing with money.” That is, “I am afraid that I will take off my clothing, my religious robe, and become a non-spiritual person, stop sitting in meditation.” To put it bluntly—become non-spiritual. To show firmness—become non-spiritual. To punish—become non-spiritual. To make a mistake—become non-spiritual. Not to attend certain events—become non-spiritual. Not to read mantras—become non-spiritual. To look negatively at another person—become non-spiritual.

When we speak about a spiritual person, it is important to once again fix the following: every person is spiritual. If we use this concept at all, then we automatically operate with ideas of past lives, incarnations, spiritual beings, God, archangels, angels—anything. Some light candles in churches, some meditate, some simply reflect on the meaning of life. In any case, a person has at least a minimal zone of observation of the non-material.

If this zone exists, then you are already talking about the soul, spirit, astral body, etheric body, or any other concept. This means you perceive life spiritually and a person as a spiritual being. Regardless of their actions, a person remains spiritual. It does not matter what they do: lie on the couch, go to the forest for a picnic with children, shoot videos, give a lecture, kill another person, or save sea otters. They still remain a living spiritual being.

When we begin to talk about the level of spirituality or the level of spiritual development, a natural question arises: what exactly are we comparing?

In the physical world, a person is compared by clear parameters. You and I wear fitness bracelets, trackers. According to set criteria, they determine the state of the body. As a person with an analytical mindset, I see many errors and inaccuracies in these measurements, but nevertheless the devices produce results: “You are two years younger,” “You are ten years younger,” “Pulse is normal,” “Heart rhythm is good or bad.” Specific parameters are established: how much one needs to sleep, what the heart rate should be, what skin temperature is considered normal.

In the same way, we look at a person externally and draw conclusions: a symmetrical body, normal height, skin color. A yellowish shade—they say the person is sick. Bluish—sick. Too pale—also sick. Pinkish—means conditionally healthy. We see the eyes: if the whites are not visible, we draw conclusions. No arms—we consider the person unhealthy. All this is determined by a set of signs.

Now let us move on to spiritual development. Name at least one parameter by which people can truly be compared in terms of spiritual development. Do you know at least one such parameter?

– No.

– And you, Sasha, do you know?

– No.

– This is phenomenal. Sasha has recorded more than a hundred videos with me on this topic. He has listened to hundreds of hours of content, goes on retreats, meditates, reads literature, is deeply immersed in the topic—and at the same time does not know a single true indicator by which one can compare a person’s spiritual development. This is incredible. And this is very important.

When you ask the question of whether certain clothing or a robe makes a person more spiritual, I understand why this question arises. You asked it because people are interested in it; it is not your question that keeps you awake at night. But it is very important for society.

I have seen many situations when people are told: “Look, a holy person has come to us.” If they are dressed unusually for European culture, if a story is added about generations of Brahmins, hundreds of incarnations, special origin—people instantly believe. They kneel. Even those who just yesterday said that nothing exists, that the world is exclusively material. Atheists, scientists, physicists, mathematicians, Nobel laureates tremble before an icon, often without even understanding what exactly is before them.

A good example of a living “icon” is the Dalai Lama. If you open his description on Wikipedia, it will tell in detail where he was born, how he lives, what rules he has, what house he lives in, what conflicts surround him. But who is he in the spiritual world? Society knows the person, knows the rituality around him. And if the Dalai Lama were to enter the room now, most people would automatically stand up. Psychophysics would work instantly. It seems to me that even my Russian Borzoi would stand up, because she is Russian.

There was recently a joke like this. Dima and I were walking the dog, and I said that she trains poorly. An American woman nearby replied: “Probably because she is Russian.” We laughed, although it was not entirely clear whether it was a joke or not. I said that I had worked with many Russian people, and they do this easily. I am Belarusian, and Dima, as a Russian, did not entirely agree with this.

…Even my dog will stand up. My wife will stand up. My mother will stand up. And they will become deeply believing people. Even those who criticize, condemn, or speak badly about such figures become believers at the moment of meeting. Why does this happen?

The same thing we see with any gurus with millions and billions of followers. Here a gap arises between the image and the real spiritual being. People are told: “This is an avatar of Avalokiteshvara.” But what does this mean to a person? They were simply told a certain statement and given a description. Most people do not understand what an avatar is, let alone whose exactly.

I am not mocking or laughing now, I am talking about this seriously. I am talking about the perception of reality, where a person deceives themselves and where they do not. Such material is needed for those who really want to understand the meaning and truly develop. Those who live at the level of superficial trends will not read this text. Brightness, popularity, and external attractiveness are more important to them.

Once I had a conversation with a person very close to me in spirit. We recalled a meeting in 2019. Then, at an open meeting, a woman asked the question: “What should I do with my husband?” I answered as honestly as possible: “Every situation is individual. In your situation, I see that it has no resolution.” For society, this was an abstract answer. For a specific person, it was an exact energy that came at that moment. My interlocutor did not like this. She began to propose standard steps: first, second, third, fourth. But we know that situations with a husband are different. Sometimes you need to hug, support, be there. Sometimes you need to separate. Sometimes it is a karmic union that must be lived through, even if the person commits heavy actions. And sometimes you need to leave, even if the person seems ideal, because you have another task in life.

In the question of measuring spirituality, it is important to understand the following for yourself and say it directly to yourself: “As a person, in most cases I am not capable of determining the level of spiritual development of another person, because I have nothing to rely on. I do not even have a theory.”

We have already seen that even people who are deeply in this topic cannot rely on at least a clear theoretical basis. Theoretically, one can say: “I can still rely on theory, I know that there are concepts of the etheric body, astral body, development of the ‘I,’ karma and the viewing of karma, the idea of the energy of human freedom, meridian systems, the ability of a person to live in accordance with causes and effects.”

Some kind of theory, of course, can be presented. But the key question is different: can you evaluate and compare this? And if you can, then what is the reliability of this assessment?

In the modern world, even businesses cannot be accurately evaluated. Analysts say: “This business in five years will not be worth more than x2,” and in five years it is worth x100. The strongest investors, mathematicians, physicists, analysts are not able to accurately assess what is happening in the material world. How then can one reliably assess a person’s spiritual component?

– From this follows the next question: what should be done? How can a person who wants both material well-being and spiritual development combine all this? What practical steps are possible? What should be done today, tomorrow, right now?

– If you want to do business—do it based on existing concepts of business. If you do not see spiritual causes and effects in business, do not understand how they are structured, do not add illusions there.

If you are able to realize that the entire world is spiritual, then you do not have a question of how to combine the spiritual and the material. Because they are already combined.

It is the same as asking how to combine having a liver and the fact that I speak. This question makes no sense. It is of the same order as the question “how to combine the spiritual and the material.”

If you understand that everything has a spiritual cause and allow this, then observe from the side and do not try to manage what you do not understand. And in order to begin to manage what you do not understand, you must first understand it. You must truly learn.

This means dedicating your life to studying the world, studying the spiritual component, the spiritual foundations of reality. And ask the question: “How much time have I already devoted to this?”

You recently asked: “Is it normal that you read spiritual books for 3–4 hours every day, and maybe you should devote more time to business?” I then said: “You have lived 45 years. How many of those 45 years have you truly devoted to spiritual development?” There is no time here.

Returning to the very first question of the woman who was afraid that if she started dealing with money, she would stop spiritual development. Spiritual development happens all the time: when I stroke the dog, when I say words, when I breathe, when I perceive the space around me, when I observe processes within my system, when I observe what is happening in the spiritual world, when I develop the senses, when I live not robotically, but from a state of perception. This does not happen only during meditation.

Can you earn money? Please, even 48 hours a day. This in itself neither brings you closer to nor distances you from the spiritual perception of life. If you earn money with the awareness that the world is spiritual, with an interest in the spiritual world—please. Will you get more money from this? There is no pattern here.

It is the same as asking whether my liver will start working better if I talk not three hours a day, but thirty minutes. Absurd. Although, honestly speaking, it is strange that no scientific paper has yet been written on this topic—perhaps they would even give a Nobel Prize. Such false patterns are often attempted to be identified by various bracelets and trackers, despite the fact that these patterns do not exist.

Finally, I will give an example from Vedic culture.

There is a huge number of astrologers in the world. Many of them rely on ancient treatises, old descriptions, statements of masters. There exists the practice of so-called upayas—actions to “harmonize life.” For the modern European person, this often looks absurd. For example: every day at 8:04, standing naked on a red mat, turn 360 degrees around your axis—and this will harmonize relationships with money.

I describe it as it is. These practices always have an explanation: energy, cause, effect. Someone once saw certain energetic interconnections and recorded them.

But then the problem of false patterns arises. When, условно, someone begins to “study” me and concludes: Alexander is happy because he has a fireplace. Or because the frame on the wall is like that. Or because the dog lies at his feet. These are false connections, they have no meaning.

I remember how one astrologer once called my acquaintance and said: “Another astrologer, with a stronger reputation, gave me certain tasks. Can you tell me what tasks were given to you?” Her idea was this: to take the task that was given to me, combine it with what she knows about me, and on this basis assume what tasks can be given to other people. This is exactly an example of false, unreal patterns, without understanding the details.

I really like that ChatGPT has appeared. As you, Dima, say, now all the logical knowledge of Vedic astrology that has no relation to the real sensation of energy is available in one place. You can ask: which mantra to read, when to get up, when to spin, on what fabric, what dog to get—big, small, a Russian Borzoi or a Thai Ridgeback. Everything will be logically described.

The most important thing a person needs to learn is to stop deceiving themselves and honestly understand where they are.

When you launch contextual advertising in Yandex Direct or Google Ads, it is important to understand: do you really manage this advertising and know the rules, or do you simply have a probability of error? If there is a probability of error, then what is it? Are you ready to accept it? Are you aware of this risk?

The problem is that most people do not understand this risk. They do not agree with it, do not want to acknowledge it. They do not want to understand that the probability of success in managing their life, in “doing the right things,” in combining spiritual and material development is less than 1%.

As a consequence, the probability of “combining the spiritual and the material” as a controlled process is practically absent. We are initially doomed to failure.

This is the same as if I began to study the influence of my talking on my liver. And in parallel, one person drinks a bottle of vodka every day, another smokes cigarettes, a third runs four hours a day on difficult tracks, and a fourth sleeps all day long. And all this is not taken into account. Only my talking is studied. This is how modern society lives.💡

If you constantly return to this perception, hold it as a zone of attention, it will yield incredible fruits in the future. This will create a unique soil on which exactly those development tools and those actions will appear that truly need to be performed in life.

You need only one simple action.