The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: Summary & Review (1/10)
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success teaches readers how to achieve success and fulfillment through a mix of spirituality, positive thinking, and law of attraction.
Bullet Summary
- Let go of your ego as a separate identity
- Join the connectedness of the energy that underpins the whole universe
- When you connect to divine energy, you can get anything you want
Full Summary
These are the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success:
1. The Law of Pure Potentiality
We are part of the divine force that created the universe.
That gives us infinite potential.
To find it, practice non-judgment, meditate thirty minutes twice a day and connect with divine energy.
2. The Law of Giving:
Give what you want to receive.
Deepak Chopra invites to give gifts and happily receive gifts in exchange. Keep that wealth circulating and there will be more wealth for everyone.
3. The Law of Karma
We have a choice in every moment to plant a good seed or a bad seed. But whatever we choose, it's not without consequences.
The universe we will return in kind as we reap what we sow.
4. The Law of Least Effort
Grass doesn't try to grow and birds don't try to fly. They just fly.
Accept people for who they are, don't try to change them. And accept your current situation for what it is.
5. The Law of Intention and Desire
Decide what you want in life and who you want to be.
Then think positively about it and they will come to you.
6. The Law of Detachment
We must be passionate in our pursuits and yet detached from the outcome.
Similarly, do not force solutions but allow them to spontaneously emerge.
7. The Law of Dharma:
To give is to get.
Follow Your Personal Calling
A big question in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is:
If you had all the money and all the time in the world, what would you do?
Deepak Chopra says that we have a unique set of gifts and experiences that we can leverage to give something to the world.
And have a moral obligation to answer that question. Because once we answer it, then we can dedicate our lives to it and give the fruits of our talent and passion to the world.
Help Others to Find Your Life's Purpose
To obey the law of Dharma Deepak Chopra says that we should not ask the universe what it can do for us, but we should ask what we can do for the universe.
And a great way to give to the universe is by helping others.
There is some job, task or calling out there that allows you to both leverage your talent and help others.
Once you find it, you'll be able to tap into the unlimited source of energy and joy that is the divine energy.
How to Enjoy True Self & Ego Dissolution
If you have had the experience of deep peacefulness and connectedness you have already experienced your true self.
It can happen sometimes when you lay beneath the stars, or when you go for a walk in the woods.
That's the moment when you realize that you are not a separate entity from all that is around you, but that you are all part of the same interconnected energy.
That's the infinite source of energy that powers the whole universe. And when you realize that, you also realize that your Self is equally unlimited.
When you tap into the source of infinite energy that powers the universe, you can unlock the potential to fulfill your life's desires.
How to Dissolve Your Ego
But to connect with the divine energy, you must first let go of your ego as a separate entity.
You do it by meditating.
Focus your attention on your breathing and observe your thoughts without judgement.
Little by little you will become more peaceful until your ego dissolves and you reconnect with your true Self.
Also read:
Embrace Your Current Situation
Deepak Chopra notices that we always have a drive to seek something better.
But we're never really content, and when we get what we wanted, new problems arise.
The solution, he says, is to embrace our current situation and be content with it. Whatever it is what you are "lacking", you are not really lacking anything if you stop focusing on it and focus on being content instead.
And every bad situation can teach us something if we approach it with a positive mindset.
Practice Defencelessness
Becoming defenceless means to stop trying to defend your idea, convincing others and trying to change people's mind.
In an ideal defenceless conversation people would share their point of view without having any interest in "winning" or convince the other.
Much more peaceful, and more enriching.
Detach From Your Desires to Make Them a Reality
The author says that when you think too much about something you want, you will rarely get it.
It's because you communicate a distrust of the universe and the universe doesn't have a chance to step in.
It's indeed when people stop to pursue something so eagerly that they often find it. It's because finally the universe has the chance to step in and provide it for you.
My Note: This is Unscientific at Best
I don't agree one bit with this.
A strong drive coupled with incessant and smart action is the best way to get what you want.
Give to Get - Don't Save!
Deepak Chopra says that to get you need to give.
And saving money is a great way of interrupting the flow of giving and taking. Much better instead is to spend that money, let the flow go out.
My Note: Potentially Dangerous Recommendation
This is another idea with which I don't fully agree.
The concept of letting go of the need to save, enjoy life and give is great.
And so is the idea of spending for education and advancement. That indeed might pay off big time.
But the idea that saving "stops the flow" and spending is the best way to get is nonsense.
Think Positive to Get What You Want
Thinking positive will help you get what you want by spreading positive vibes into the universe.
The author indeed suggests that many don't get what they want because they think in negative terms.
If they want a new job they pollute their mind and the universe with thoughts of how much they dislike their current job.
But you must stop that. Catch yourself doing it and change your negative thoughts into positive ones immediately.
Real Life Applications
Conquer Fear of Death With Ego-Lessness
When you feel connected to the universe you will not fear death anymore.
Give Before Asking
I can't stress this enough.
Asking without giving is the worst sin in social skills and wealth accumulation alike. That's entitlement mentality as its purest.
Think of how you can give more and better instead.
CONS
- Laws Aren't Really Laws
The laws here reminded of "The 48 Laws of Power", which has become popular in good part for using the word "laws" as a marketing ploy, while instead listing a few good principles which are not laws.
I like the idea of Karma, but a little bit of historical knowledge and a modicum of observation spirit will easily dispel this law as nothing more than wishful thinking.
I'm not aware of any universal law that stopped Genghis Khan from building the biggest empire in the world founded on torture and rape.
And I haven't seen any Karma stopping cruel individuals from wrecking havoc in unsuspecting and naive victims one after the other.
No, there is no universal Karma.
The Karma is us, my friends.
It's up to each one of us to stand for good. Don't expect no f*cking Karma to do stop evil and do the job for us.
- Unpalatable Mix of Spirituality & Materialism
The author says that when you connect with the universe power, then you can get anything you want.
Be spiritual development, success or... Wealth.
I find this outlook on spirituality to be quite poor, egocentric and ethnocentric. Very similar to the good old law of attraction, The Secret style. Just tap into that source and here's your money.
PROS
Very Good on Meditation
The meditation part is good.
I particularly liked the idea of not being afraid of death once you let go of your ego as separated from the whole.
That was golden.
Review
"The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" is a mix of the law of attraction, bland spirituality, and the power of positive thinking.
I wasn't very impressed.
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Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on September 6, 2020, 3:20 am
Practice Defencelessness
Becoming defenceless means to stop trying to defend your idea, convincing others and trying to change people's mind.
In an ideal defenceless conversation people would share their point of view without having any interest in "winning" or convince the other.
Much more peaceful, and more enriching.
Thank you for the review Lucio. I find this book really valuable, especially for this part above. Of course the value I see in the book is as big as the impact it had in my life, so I understand that it has to be considered in the context of how many of these principles one had already seen, read or heard. Practising defencelessness in times of social media is a gold principle, it remembers me of your most recently post, about the enlightened individualism, in which you emphasize the importance of not putting celebrities or brands, for example, above us, as individuals. What we often see is that we engage in discussions arguing that our perspective is the right one, all for nothing. Or our celebrity is the hottest one, or our soccer team is the good one. And it all bring us nothing. As Robert Greene says in the 48 Laws of Power, it is better if one avoid publicly taking sides.
Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on September 6, 2020, 3:20 am
I like the idea of Karma, but a little bit of historical knowledge and a modicum of observation spirit will easily dispel this law as nothing more than wishful thinking.
I'm not aware of any universal law that stopped Genghis Khan from building the biggest empire in the world founded on torture and rape.
And I haven't seen any Karma stopping cruel individuals from wrecking havoc in unsuspecting and naive victims one after the other.
No, there is no universal Karma.
The Karma is us, my friends.
It's up to each one of us to stand for good. Don't expect no f*cking Karma to do stop evil and do the job for us.
By the way, about the Karma Law, I think it should be considered as an effect that emerges in a different time and space, not as an instant effect.
Only within this perspective one might start resonating with the idea that some people act as evils but live a quite comfortable material life without evidently having problems. To make things a bit clearer, the "karma" would act in more than one dimension, if an action (here cause) is committed in the physical world, it might be that the consequence (effect) appears in another dimension, like emotional, health or physical, or even in another life. I am still trying to understand myself, but it seems more complex than only immediate cause-effect. As a matter of source for what I am saying, I am currently studying the Kybalion and its seven principles.
Maybe the others have also a perspective on this topic?
Thank you for your thoughts, Serena!
I guess I've sometimes been overly "critical" to some of the more spiritual books.
In this case, I was expecting something very different from the book, so when I saw the law of attraction again, that put me off.
Without over-generalizing to individuals, it's also true that in general, women are more into spiritual/mystical (and law of attraction), and men more into logic/rationality.
We might speculate as to why, but the "why" doesn't always matter.
The idea on defenseless is indeed a great one, and goes well with an antifragile ego -albeit one can strongly defend his opinions and still have an antifragile ego-.
Just for that one the book probably deserves more credit.
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