Table of Contents
Do we really need Spirituality?
Spirituality is often exaggerated or undermined. Both these approaches are detrimental to genuine inner growth. No two persons are similar. The definitions of good and bad seem to change with time. A person becomes good or bad spending upon personal opinions and biases.
This is the state of the changing world. It is a matter of personal choice, whether we want to commit ourselves to Dharma or not.
The goal of the current work on this website is to highlight what the Scriptures said.
This website refers to great teachers of Dharma, rather than focusing on personal bias. With a commitment to truth, by choice, it is not a matter of great effort to attain goodness or to understand and imbibe the highest ideals of life.
How to know if Spirituality helps?
There is a great need for an exalted Acharya, Mentor, Teacher, or devotee to speak these Truths. Because they will transmit their potency, helping us absorb the highest imports of the Vedic Scriptures.
An important aspect of Religion is Jnana or Knowledge. We can imbibe Jnana in two possible ways.
One is to read the scriptures all by ourselves and try to understand them. This method, however, is very difficult because one does not have the required intelligence to grasp the potent meanings, latent within the Scripture. The second way is to attain the Knowledge from the mouth of a qualified Acharya.
The Acharya has studied the Shastra, as a life-long endeavor. Therefore,he has the capability to elucidate and transmit the values hidden in the scriptures.
This makes the Shastra easily attainable to the ardent listener.
The other way is the middle path which is two pronged. One needs to first imbibe Shastra by reading it. Then, one gets doubts clarified from the Acharya. This is the authentic way to understand and execute the teachings of the Shastra.
Test your Alignment with the Spiritual Subject Matter (only 7 Questions)
The scores generated in this Quiz are relative. There are no right or wrong answers. A percentage towards 100 indicates that you are more aligned to the overall subject matter.
Spirituality: Qualities of a Spiritual Aspirant
One may try to follow a path earnestly by reading the Scriptures. Additionally, one may be guided by the right preceptors. But above all, it is important to maintain humility in the heart.
When a person is always in the mode of learning, humbleness automatically develops. Hence, till the last breath, one must accept a learning mood, like that of a student.
Knowledge about the world, the Shastras proclaim, is pseudo-knowledge. It is is transient knowledge and hence will never attain maturity.
True Knowledge (Spiritual Knowledge) only arises when the heart starts moving towards the non-changing Absolute. All Knowledge related to this body of Knowledge is permanent and stays with the person even after one leaves the planet.
Knowing the Lord is the final stage of ripened Knowledge. As we acquire knowledge about the permanent, the Shastras give further direction.
They exhort that such Knowledge should be consciously applied to cleanse thought, word, and deed. In order to accumulate the right knowledge, and cleanse ourselves, it is important to attend to the mind.
The inner instrument or mind qualifies as the custodian of spiritual knowledge acquired through Scriptures and enlightened preceptors. The next section will detail out the mechanics and constituents of the mind-stuff.
Connection of Spiritual Knowledge with Spirituality
Knowledge can make the mind function sanely. Mind is Achit or insentient. Hence, only sentience can regulate the flow of the mind. Two such components of Creation namely the Jiva and Paramatma contribute towards this end.
Mind is Achit but Jiva and Paramatma are Chit.Although the Jiva or living entity is Chit, there is a need for its regulation because Jiva is surrounded by the Achit mind.
Jiva consciously attains Knowledge and through that knowledge drives Achit towards Paramatma.With Paramatma, it will be very easy to control the insentience of the Mind.This is because Paramatma takes up the responsibility to purify and control the mind of the aspiring Jiva.
By this process, garnering Higher Knowledge shall become possible, with the least effort.
An Example
Just as a river, when it flows, the adjoining water bodies slowly trickle and join the main water stream.The river grows in size as it meets up with the ocean at the end.
The Ganga Water starts as a trickle from its starting point in the glaciers of Gangotri.But as it reaches mid-stream near Hrishikesha and towards the Ganga Sagar, the flow is almost torrential.
So long as the aspirant or student controls his mind, keeping it fixed on the highest knowledge body of Paramatma, his intentions will push his mind, in trickles to start with.
As he practices and pursues higher goals, follows perfect Masters, and reads and absorbs Scriptural works he shall only build in his resolve. His mind will gain strength. It will push away all unwanted and undesirable options.
His mind’s eye will see them as disturbances to his higher pursuits.
Spirituality: Common Mind V/s Spiritual Mind
Even Paramatma will start to pull the mind of the aspirant, supporting the aspirant’s genuine intentions. The student arrests the mind through will and does not allow his senses to unnecessarily drag the mind.
For an ordinary man, the sense organs and mind team up and engage with sense objects. A particular scene on television where the eyes and the mind meet will set up a desire.
That desire may then turn up as an action and the mind gets attached to the actions. Following that, the mind attaches to the results of those actions as well.
Thus, the mind starts growing unabatedly like a torrential river. Whenever the mind is not sufficiently trained, it is weak. The weakness is a result of accumulated impurities of this life as well as countless previous lifetimes.
Although the task of purification of the mind appears humongous, Scriptures come to the aide of sincere aspirants.
Spirituality: Dharma’s Promise to Spiritual Seekers
The Shastra says that “Dharma comes to the aid of anyone who aligns with Dharma or even intends to align with Dharma. That is all.”
Human beings are feeble, by their very character. How could the Supreme Lord expect his weak children to stand the ravage of the past impurities of their previous lifetimes.
The Lord says, “ If you are sincere, I shall stand with you and help remove all impediments.”
Sanatana Dharma subscribes to many methods and processes to purify the mind. There are many processes within the Dharma that are so powerful.
Dharma has the capability to burn all our sins and impurities in a matter of a few days of spiritual practice. The only condition for this to become a reality is sincerity or intention and purpose.
Dharma has many roads that lead to Absolute reality. But unfortunately, most of mankind is interested in taking other roads. But unfortunately, it interests mankind in taking other roads.
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