The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams

In this presentation, I will consider the book entitled The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams.

This posting is in honor of Dr. Deepak Chopra, best-selling author on mind-body medicine and personal development, who makes a long-awaited return to the Honolulu area for a presentation on January 28, 2008.

In this compact book of some of Dr. Chopra’s foundational concepts, my thoughts on the laws could extend many pages. I initially considered the option of discussing one law within its own blog posting. But, I finally decided to discuss briefly each law in this post. It is my hope that I can expand on each law in later blogs with other book reviews. Please feel free to post comments about this decision and about the material presented.

Dr. Chopra defines “success” not so much as those materials things that most people equate with success such as fame or fortune, but also with other things just as important, if not more so, such as being healthy and having loving and supportive relationships. He goes further and includes in the definition the ability to access the divine or spiritual, that which is both within us and around us, as aspects of our human experience as spiritual beings. I think this is so important because in our own culture, materialism shows no sign of abating, even in this more trying financial time. We easily lose sight of the experiences of life which are, indeed, “priceless.”

Let us now explore the seven spiritual laws of success…

The Law of Pure Potentiality. This law is probably the most difficult to comprehend and I think I would do an injustice to try and explain in my own words what is meant. Instead, I would like to share with you my experience. Many years ago, like many of you, the first time I heard Dr. Chopra speak was on a televised program. For most of the program, I did not understand any of the concepts about which he had been speaking. But, I felt compelled to continue to watch the program. Then, Dr. Chopra mentioned something that made me think about the connection of all things. In this book in a later chapter, he stated “On the material level, both you and the tree are made up of the same recycled elements: mostly carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements in minute amounts.” He goes on, “In fact, you and the tree are constantly exchanging your carbon and oxygen with each other.” This statement is similar to what he said in that program which emphasized that we are connected because these elements are “recycled” through space and time between the tree and me. I wondered at that time, many years ago, “We are connected through space and time?” It was a thought that pointed me to something that I had never known about my true “essence.” And, at the time, I certainly did not realize the full implication of such a thought. But, what was more astounding to me was the experience of realizing that such a thought, which was now in my consciousness, was only moments before not a part of my consciousness at all. It was the experience of hearing the lock unlock in a closed door and seeing the door slowly open onto a landscape of what Dr. Chopra describes as “infinite possibilities.” It was what I would call an “ahh…some” moment. And for me, nothing has been the same since.


The Law of Giving. I think this is a concept that many people have trouble with because we tend to emphasize the importance of giving. Further complicating matters, is that there tends to be rigidity in roles for most people. Specifically, that most people tend to be “givers” or “receivers” (or in a derogatory way, these people are described as “takers.”) Both factors obstruct what Dr. Chopra describes as the “flow” of giving and receiving. Our goal should be to not obstruct this natural flow of energy and that may mean a change in roles at different times. Additionally, emphasis should also be placed on the act of receiving…receiving graciously. For how can we be a part of the dynamic of the act of giving if we do not know how to graciously receive?

The Law of “Karma” or Cause and Effect. Many people find it inconceivable that they are always making choices because at times their behavior, thoughts or feelings are the result of choices which are unconscious. Further, these choices eventually become habit and many times the consequences of our choices bring pain. According to Dr. Chopra, you can take “spontaneous right action” or doing what is right at any time by listening to your gut feeling or assessing your body for discomfort. He noted, “There is only one choice, out of the infinity of choices available in every second, that will create happiness for you as well as for those around you.” He explains there are three ways to deal with Karma. One can “pay it” or live one’s life out in Karmic debt. Or we can “transmute” the Karma and this is associated with the notion that events in our life is to “teach us lessons” that aid us in our personal development. Many people who experience trauma in their lives incorporate the learning of specific lessons with their “Dharma” or life purpose. Another option, according to Dr. Chopra, is to “transcend” Karma or to no longer be attached to it. It is similar to the identification as “victim” for many people who have experienced trauma. These people transcend their Karma when they no longer live their life with a “victim” mentality.

The Law of Least Effort. Attempts to reach a goal can take time, money, and energy (Please go to “The Word Is…” on my website for a further discussion on goals and blocks to reaching goals) Detours on your way to reaching a goal can be a positive experience as they are the avenue for further growth. But, obstruction or resistance is, I think, a clear indicator of being out of sync with your goal. Dr Chopra comments on three components of this law. They are acceptance, responsibility, and defenselessness. Acceptance refers to what is at any point in time. It is to accept where you are or where someone else is for the moment. I think that it engenders compassion for both ourselves and for other people. Responsibility returns the focus back onto ourselves as we are in this moment. I think this helps us to feel empowered. Dr. Chopra defines responsibility as “…the ability to have a creative response to the situation as it is now.” It is in direct opposition to the habitual unconscious nature in which most of us operate on a daily basis. A consciousness that extends from the automatic responses that people have continuously. Defenselessness is the most difficult to access when people are in conflict. How easy it is for couples not to hear each other or for parents to not hear their children. In these heated times, the focus is what we hold to be true and little regard is paid to another person’s point of view.


The Law of Intention and Desire. Dr. Chopra explains that “Intention is the real power behind desire.” Intention is what makes manifest what you want (in the future), when your attention is focused in the present and with the acceptance of what is now. He notes, “As long as your attention is in the present, then your intent for the future will manifest, because the future is created in the present. You must accept the present as is. Accept the present and intend the future.”

The Law of Detachment. This law is probably hard to comprehend given the previous law. Ordinary desire is infused with an attachment to a particular outcome. One may wonder why anyone would do anything to get what they want were it not for the expectation that it would be attained. The problem is not that there is a desire for something nor that there is an intention to attain one’s desire. The problem is that attachment to a particular outcome limits all that is possible. By being so attached, we are not open to what may be and what may be may even surpass what we imagined.

The Law of “Dharma” or Purpose in Life. According to Dr. Chopra there are three components to this law. They are that we must understand we are spiritual beings, that we are “…to express our unique talents,” and the third is to use our unique talents to serve humanity. This law is a personal favorite because I think a lot of people are stuck on the concept that one’s purpose in life is to be rich and famous. It saddens me when in pursuit of material needs to the exclusion of everything else, one’s personal life suffers as there is the loss of important relationships or onset of illness. But, sadder still is the person who minimizes their ability to bring a smile to someone’s face or joy to someone’s heart because they have not attained material success. There is a purpose for each of us and the ability to live out that purpose is a success. We each have our own skills and talents with which we are blessed. According to Dr. Chopra, when the three components are in concert with each other, “You will begin to experience your life as a miraculous expression of divinity-not just occasionally, but all the time. And you will know true joy and the true meaning of success-the ecstasy and exultation of your own spirit.”


Read The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and glean your own insights as each of us will receive what we need from the wisdom shared by Dr. Chopra in our own way. May this book be influential in your life on your own road to success.

Thank you. Please contact me if there is a particular book you would like me to read and review. This is Dr. Rivera.