However, when it meets large stones or fallen trees, the river, without hesitation, instantly changes course. Spiritual practice is flexible in the same way, expressing itself in daily life appropriate to each situation. Even though we may follow the forms of a spiritual practice, we cannot truly express our spirituality if we insist our practice always go in one direction. When this happens, we fall into the trap of emphasizing an appearance of spirituality. We may feel satisfaction following the forms but without flexibility of mind, we are satisfying only our ego and its desire to present the appearance of living a spiritual life.
Spiritual practice is always a challenge.
It requires determination, self-discipline, and a continuous effort to be honest with ourselves, to recognize, accept and let go of habits and tendencies that do not, in the long run, serve us well. To emphasize merely the appearance of spiritual practice is to look for an easy answer to this challenge. To express our spiritual nature, we must practice giving up relying on appearances and be willing to look beyond the surface. But without understanding the meaning of spiritual practice, this kind of talk is foolish. Precepts against lying are wasted on a truthful man.