A student asks Shambhavi to talk about humility. Lack of humility is the hallmark of U.S. culture. Shambhavi invites us to lay down the struggle to measure up and achieve. A podcast from Satsang with Shambhavi
Podcast First Words
Shambhavi: So this is satsang, and you can suggest something for me to talk about, or you can simply ask a question.
Student: I actually would like you to talk about humbleness. I would love to hear about that.
Shambhavi: Sure. I think for our time, our culture, the greatest source of lack of humility is our attachment to measuring ourselves by external accomplishments. So when we feel that our self worth is attached to what we accomplish in terms of career, relationship, education, money, kids, or whatever it is, then our spiritual life can also be re-framed as a series of accomplishments. As long as we feel a sense of inner disconnect from our real value, and as long as we’re trying to recreate a sense of value from external accomplishments, we really cannot experience humility.
Because the root or basis for humility is understanding—having a real sense of—the this-ness of our lives. That our lives are just this very small thing and that however they are is how they are. And it’s fine.
So humility or humbleness comes from having a sense of this is what it is. This is what a human is. This is what humans do. This is me, without any embellishment, and without any need to embellish. And that is where humility comes from.
