SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

Spirituality needs to be distinguished from religiosity.  Religion is structured. Religion implies that we pray to God asking for boons, redemption, succour for various muddled up situations confronting us. It is a kind of a transaction between man and God.

 However, in   meditation we do not ask for any benediction- the Divine communicates with us directly. We are in holy communion. This is the holy grail of meditation.

H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar puts it succinctly, ‘Religion is like the skin and spirituality is the banana in it.’ Ordinary humans perhaps need to mix of both till they eventually embark upon the path of spirituality. Though it is also a fact that during religious practices, people have an out of body or say experiential experiences. And this is true with all religions.

Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such it is a universal human experience- something that touches us all- as per Wikipedia.

Religion is a highly structured in its format. There is a supreme God, son or children of Gods, followed by a text, a papal authority, sets of cannons and rules and regulations. There are innumerable do’s and don’ts to be followed. There is celebration, gaiety, places of worship, festivals, fasting, feasting, fears are imprinted in our minds, it gets cloaked with superstitions …the list is endless.

There are some important Gods, and a few not so important ones.  But an element of fear is implanted in the minds of the seeker by the priestly class.  To seek solutions to all our problems we run to the almighty.

 Historically we can observe that man first began worshipping the elements as he was totally unilluminated and in the dark about the existence of these forces.  And the elements find a significant place in the holy texts which are revered by worshippers. This is quite true of other organised religions. For instance, the Pagans who were the followers of polytheistic or pantheistic nature -worshippers were converted to Christianity.

It will be interesting to note that early Vedic literature mentions Indra (the thunderbolt) on 289 occasions. similarly, Agni (the fire) 218 times, Varuna (water/ river)46, Vayu (Wind God)12, Surya (the Sun God) 8, Apas(waters) 6 and Parjanya (the Rain God) on 3 occasions. Man was initially unaware and almost petrified about them and thus began worshipping them.

   Over a period of time as humans matured, grew in knowledge   and in a way lost their innocence scriptures were written. For instance, the Rishis in India began writing vast body of literature and esoteric knowledge such as the Upanishads, Aryankas, Vedas, UpaVedas, the Puranas, the epics and Bhagvad Gita. Over a period of time people began to worship the holy trinity of Brahma- Vishnu- Mahesh and their consorts and the elements slowly receded in the background.

 However, spirituality is not restricted to pantheons of Gods and Goddesses though they may be a part of the path. It is a direct communion with the divinity, to the Master or Guru. This can be achieved by the seeker by merely observing his breath (say in Vipassana of Buddhism, pranayama and other breathing techniques, some of these are associated with Hinduism) and also through the process of meditation. Meditation is the art of doing nothing. An applicant or a contender on the path merely becomes a witness to the events unfolding and encompassing him and is in union with the cosmos.

One needs to traverse the path through enormous Sadhana , patience and diligence.  But there are signs which are indicators that the mind of the individual is turning towards spirituality.

To begin with, cravings and desires reduce and over a period of time they virtually fizzle out or vanish. Material wealth is transfigured into an inner or spiritual wealth.  The supplicant soon gets attracted to say books written by the Masters and is not attracted to fiction or prose. And to unburden the psyche the individual attempts to read inspirational biographies of leaders, philosophers, guides and those of spiritual masters.

When the spark of spirituality is ignited, the mid explores undertaking courses offered say by the Art of Living, attempting the practice of Vipassana. He or she spends quality time in silence and solitude. Contemplation, mulling over, regurgitating about deeper aspects of life becomes quite commonplace.

Seekers do not wish to break the symphony of silence in their lives by watching TV shows or rambunctious and boisterous news channels. The mind does not wish to be cannonaded by antipathetic thoughts.  Listening to knowledge talks, reading knowledge sheets such as The Speaking Tree or visiting the seekers column of Life Positive Magazine becomes quotidian, not in a negative.

The food such individuals partake gradually shifts from Tamasic, to Rajasik and finally Sattvik . Those on this path suddenly gravitate towards holistic treatment like Ayurveda, Reiki, Siddha and Pranic healing. Those who become familiar with Ashtanga Yoga  not merely to tone up their abs  but as propounded by Maharishi Patanjali and with the deeper concepts of  Ayurveda relate with concepts such as Vatta, Kapha and Pitta- the three Doshas present in human body as per the Ayurveda. Humans negotiating such a path make their bodies temples through healthy living, mindful eating and becoming aware of the food we partake. Individuals try to maintain internal and external harmony and become in tune with nature

On any given day, we find multitudes teeming at the Samadhis of Shri Aurobindo and the mother at Pudduchery and seated in deep silence and just observing nature and feel the aura and all-pervading energy. They are not disturbed by several tourists cycling in the French settlement areas. Why does this happen-  for hours together people just sit gazing at the flowers and the Samadhis. A deep connect gets established, by providence or grace of the Master.

Seekers feel compassionate towards fellow human beings and their suffering. The mind realises that their own suffering is infinitesimal to what the world is encountering at large.

Taking up responsibility is empowering a person. Such individuals abjure and reject the “victim” and “guilt” complexes and take up responsibility to serve the society. A great feeling of fulfilment emerges from the confines of the individuals to contribute positively to the society. This enables immense jollity and helps in deepening the quality and depth of meditation.

Significantly humans travelling this path live in the present moment. The mind does not oscillate between the past and the future. And the seeker becomes aware and mindful of his actions and non-actions. Both have an impact on their own mind and those of fellow beings.

Fellow travellers on this path lose interests in the mundane and moribund issues plaguing life and there is verily a loss in competing with other humans.  Such people become creative, discover their true self and yearn for something profound in life.

The path is replete with struggle, but eventually leads to divine bliss. In the company of the Master – the seeker follows the path of Sadhana, Seva, Satsang, Meditation, Silence and those following the Art of Living practice Sudarshan Kriya unflinchingly.

Buddha says, ‘’ Just as candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life