Millions of years ago, man’s inherent inquisitive nature led him to the discovery that everything in nature worked with regularity and precision and decided that there must be an Infinite force behind it. He documented his experiences in sacred texts and lived by its principles in order to be well fortified with the art of living.
Today, the world has taken great leaps scientifically, yet peace and happiness continues to remain an elusive commodity because man has chosen to violate nature’s laws, live the way he wants and start his spiritual education only at the fag-end of his life.
People are sometimes hesitant to answer when asked if they were spiritual. For most part, they would answer in the affirmative without realizing they were confusing spirituality with religious practices. They mistakenly perceived that knowledge of scriptures & rituals made one spiritual even though they did not apply its lofty principles in their life.
People tend to focus on not what their life is but what it isn’t. You think your life would be better if certain conditions were met and let your dissatisfaction show up about what you think of people and events you have no control over. You will not get anywhere with such negativity and if you base your happiness on things being different than they are currently, you set yourself up for constant disappointment and misery. If you respond to life rather than react to it, you can make a difference between peaceful existence and inner turmoil. Your mind is such a complex instrument that reading philosophy or listening to motivational lectures will not strengthen it unless you incorporate spiritual disciplines in your life.
Spiritual practice satisfies man’s physical, emotional and intellectual needs. You are essentially divine because God resides within you. But your divinity is obscured by greed, lust, anger, jealousy, envy, desire and attachment. Meditation, one of the highest forms of spiritual discipline, will bring out your true nature, control your chaotic thoughts, help you stay detached and maintain equanimity in life’s misdemeanors.
Desire is the core cause of all suffering, closely followed by ego. Meditation helps you transcend these emotions and evolve into a tolerant and composed person. It purges your body of all desires, quite similar to the way diarrhea purges your body. You learn to remain unmoved by pleasure, pain, joy or sorrow and stay calm in the face of any turbulence in your life. You realize that arrogance must be replaced with humility and crookedness with straightforwardness, to be truly at peace with yourself.
Spirituality broadens your mind and opens it wide to all diverse views and opinions. You are able to accept the possibility that there are other perceptions beside your own that are plausible. You stop being judgmental or dogmatic about your views and become empathetic to other people’s pain. You are no longer looking outward for answers to life’s questions. You look within and take responsibility for your actions. You realize that true spirituality lies in listening more, understanding more and reflecting more.
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