Spiritual evolution and development.

 The beginning of the spiritual path starts with the seeker. We are looking for something authentic and true. We set out in search of a better life, looking for meaning, purpose, happiness and satisfaction. 

The seeker may or may not recognize it, but they are not satisfied with their current life. Something is missing, things could be better, our life isn't what it could be or should be. For the seeker, the current circumstances and the reality of their present situation set them out on a path to a better life, a better situation. They seek out teachers, teachings, books, all in a search for a path to fulfillment. The seeker always looks outwards, searching for something to latch onto and identify with, because they don't recognize their own inner wealth and potential. 

At some point on the path, the seeker may start to see how they are actually the source of all of their problems and obstacles. Our own mind, our emotions, our hopes and expectations, those are the fuel for all of the challenges we face. Recognizing the importance of this inner work, the seeker turns inward to examine their own reactivity. They start to see that by letting go of attachment, aversion and confusion, it is possible to break free from this cycle of reactivity. Focusing on this intention to break free from the bonds of our own reactivity and confusion, the seekers focus shifts from searching outwardly to valuing the inner work of freeing our own hearts and minds. The path to a better life no longer lies outside ourselves, but is something that we can cultivate and train in through our practice. 

While we may have this commitment to doing the inner work of freeing ourselves, the result that we seek is still off in some distant future. Our focus may be on doing the inner work, but right now we are not ready to experience the result. We need to train and practice. The present circumstances are too tough, not quite right, not good enough. We are not ready right now, and thus the result and fulfillment that we seek are not apparent to us. 

Gradually, as we do the inner work of freeing ourselves from reactivity and confusion, we start to recognize the reality of our mind when it is free of these temporary veils. We eliminate doubt and gain confidence on the path of discovering our own true face. We start to appreciate that the outer course of things, as they are, is sufficient to actualize the result that we initially set out in search of. We start to recognize that this life, these circumstances, these conditions, this body, all of it, is enough just as it is. Having a direct experience of our own natural condition, the result of the path becomes fully evident and accessible. That result doesn't lie outside of ourselves, but is the actual nature of our own mind, embodied in authentic presence. There is no longer any need to fight our circumstances or reject the world as it is, rather we learn to work with things as they are, responding with wisdom, openness and kindness. 

The seeker in search of better. 
Commitment to doing the inner work of freeing ourselves. 
Waking up in this life, as it is. 

Those are the three stages of spiritual evolution, each stage transcending and including the previous. Each stage comes with a more subtle understanding of who we are and the nature of the world around us. The practice grows and develops as we embrace a larger scope, moving from an outward focus to an inward focus, and then moving from a different time and circumstances to the present, just as it is.

The fulfillment that we seek does not lie outside of us, and it doesn't lie in some distance time or space. It is ever-present and fully evident, once you are prepared to recognize it.