I am reading the book “With the Swamis in America and India” by Swami Atulananda, published by Ramakrishna Math. (Want to buy this and similar books? Link for India, Link for rest of the world) There was an interesting statement about materialism. It went something like this: Asking God for health, wealth or material prosperity is also materialism.
Beautifully put. It set me thinking…
What matters is the end – the goal. Spirituality or materialism is defined by the goal, not the means. If God is the means and world is the end, it is materialism. If the world is the means and God is the end, it is spirituality. What you see as the end is what matters to you most. If matter matters more than spirit, you are a materialist. If the spirit matter more than matter, you are a spiritualist. Nice idea.