What is this actually!?; that which is practiced silently by few, discussed by dozens, ridiculed by the rationalists, opposed by the West and recognized and accepted by the southern and south eastern Asian countries for thousands of years now!! Is this something about believing in something? - something about following a particular way of living or following certain religious practices looking up into the sky or down to the earth, or going to the temple, mosque or church, or something to do with believing in some supernatural power called God!? Does being religious imply being spiritual and vice versa? Is this a science or another kind of blind belief that needs to be followed endlessly? Is a spiritual person lunatic but consistent somehow at what he does!!? Does it direct us in believing the unseen and never before tasted bit of life? Can we grow and evolve spiritually, beyond life and death and if so can't someone proclaim the Ten Commandments to achieve that easily!? Why is it not an obvious thing like some physics laws taught at school? Does the spiritual seeker forsake his loved ones and live in the woods in total renunciation? Can a normal human ever grow to his/her ultimate possibility? Above all is it required for the present day modern person who is so comfortable basking with his technological inventions and looks happy? These are some of the questions that most of us have and striving to find the answers. Let us address them step-by-step fashion.
Literally, the word spirituality hails from the Latin word spiritus, which means wind or breath - essentially the "essence" of something which is of, related to, consisting of or affecting the spirit or the incorporeal. So, does such a thing exist at all!! According to certain sacred ancient scriptures like the Vedas( sacred knowledge in deep meditativeness), Upanishads( philosophical treatises contributing to the theology of ancient Hinduism, elaborating on the earlier Vedas), Bhagavad-Gita(nectar of divine knowledge), Bible(sacred book of Christianity) and Quran(sacred writings of Islam by Prophet Muhammad) and like, "There is only one God but infinite souls" and that "Human beings should try to consciously realize his true self to reach or become God himself".
It is most evident, if one could look deep within him/herself and observe, that (s)he is not the physical body; clearly because the percentage of what we call as "MYSELF (experience of the self when you utter it)" does not get diminished if we could go on cutting our fingers and limbs. Or this can be properly put as; there is no difference in the amount of "MYSELF" between a handicapped person and a fully healthy, fit and functional person. We also know that the physical body is just what we gathered by the act of eating all through our life. So, can one call something that (s)he had gathered over the years and probably does not relate to him/her if a small part of the body is chopped off truly "HIS/HERSELF"?
"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.
God is the friend of silence.
See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...
We need silence to be able to touch souls."
- Mother Teresa
With some silent observation, the answer is an obvious "No!!", though one might hesitate a bit at the first moment. The same holds good even for the physical mind. One might be very much under the impression that '(S)He is the mind'! But looking at the medical cases where a patient's brain is neurologically dead (coma) but still is alive, one again has to conclude that (s)he is indeed not the physical mind either. For further investigations, one can refer to the NatGeo's documentary on "Moment of Death". One such incident is when a person, who is being operated eyes-closed and properly anesthetized, could clearly experience what the surgeons are doing with his very body. He even could describe the doctor's shoes after the operation.
Upon further probing and if one is truly willing enough, he might conclude that he is the soul and that it cannot be destroyed nor perished!! Even with what Einstein has proposed with E = mc2 it is the same thing; that energy can neither be created nor destroyed but can be transferred from one form to the other. However, this energy called soul (or sometimes referred to as Psyche) is described as a more subtler form and has the capability to hold some knowledge withholding capability and that is called "consciousness". This is one reason on why few people could, though in some rare cases, relate to their past lives.
"You have to grow from the inside out.
None can teach you, none can make you spiritual.
There is no other teacher but your own soul."
- Swami Vivekananda
"Why human birth is considered so valuable is
mainly because only as a human being you can
use your discrimination and act consciously."
- Sadhguru
This is the case with all the creatures in the universe!! However, it is the human race alone which is given the precious gift of self realization capability. The moment human race started using only the two lower limbs and stand straight with his spine up something enormous happened to man and he started thinking about things going around him and started acting in an intelligent manner. Spinal cord is an important thing for the evolution of man’s brain. Darwin's evolution theory also supports this. Now that man can think, he has the biggest possibility that he can grow to a level where his true identity can be experienced and realized. Yes then why cannot a normal man achieve it at his will!? It's because he is brought up only relying on his five senses (seeing, tasting, hearing, smelling and touching) which have been used constantly to work outward and in a restless manner making the brain even more anxious. Never did they get a chance or idea to do something which can help them turn inwards and touch their sixth dimension. And here comes the techniques of Yoga and Meditation to explore this dimension!!
"You can enter yoga, or the path of yoga, only when
you are totally frustrated with your own mind as it is.
If you are still hoping that you can gain something
through your mind, yoga is not for you."
- Osho
"Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind."
- Patanjali (Father of Yoga)
People who get enlightened about who they actually are, out of their love and compassion to their fellow followers, came up with certain daily practices which could enable and open up doors for their self-realization. Hence, a set of practices started. Thus is the advent of the world's infamous religions. But again, with spirituality, it is not something that is most obvious from these religious practices or rituals that man can realize his true self; it is the essence of these teachings and his own inner experiences that matter a lot! So, naturally, as days passed by, many keep following the rituals without themselves totally knowing why they do certain things. The generations that follow totally miss the essence and this has caused a multitude of other problems like religious fights, disasters and like. From then on, people fight for their beliefs leaving behind their human nature. This happened and happens with all the religions without any exception with time if proper awareness is missing.
"If the concept of God has any validity or any use,
it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving.
If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him."
- James Baldwin
"Men will wrangle for religion;
write for it;
fight for it;
die for it; anything but live for it."
- CC Colton
So, being religious need not imply that the seeker is essentially spiritual. However, being spiritual need not necessarily take it granted for being religious as well. Spirituality is a constant "total awareness" of the situations going around us all the time and acting according to what best fits into that situation. There is no thumb rule to define how a person should act and what a person ought to do. It all happens instantaneously but with utmost attention and consciousness. It gives the real courage to face the world. It is about being strongly rooted in the present - not the glories or debacles of past or the future!
"Socrates: There's never nothing going on.
There are no ordinary moments."
- Peaceful Warrior (Movie, 2006)
Spirituality is being sincere, truthful and virtuous; not serious, selfish and materialistic! It is being happy and blissful ever and at all conditions of life; not getting carried away by the situations around!! It's about caring and compassionate for all beings around us! It is acting with responsibility, sensitivity and being patient!! It is neither about detachment nor indulging into worldly things; it is to transcend the physical limitations!!
“Socrates: You practice gymnastics,
I practice everything!”
- Peaceful Warrior (Movie, 2006)
It is about playfully getting involved in each and every aspect of life, but at the same time not getting identified with something that they do or belongs to! A spiritual person need not leave his family; rather take up the responsibilities gracefully and fight like a warrior but at full peace!! It is acting beyond the likes and dislikes!! It gives the way to live life in its entirety in all the dimensions that one could ever imagine about!!
"Spiritual process is not a philosophy;
it is a method to live your life totally."
- Sadhguru
"Spirituality does not mean going away from life.
Spirituality means becoming alive in the fullest
possible way so you are not just alive on the surface,
you are alive to the core"
- Sadhguru
This is the actual truth that the enlightened often spoke about!! For a modern person, it might seem not very obvious to be spiritual at the moment. But, (s)he should dig deeper within him/herself whenever possible to see if (s)he is really satisfied and happy from within! The experience is left to the person itself on how (s)he sees and handles the subject! But otherwise, only when individual persons, communities, regions, villages, cities, states, governments and thus the nations get into spirituality all life happens the way it should without any bias towards caste, creed or social status and it is for that moment that our forefathers looked for and each modern person should strive and long for!! Then not only India, even the most under developed nation will become a super power. May everyone realize this!!
Dedicated to my Guru – Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a true spiritual leader I have ever known in the modern age!
