What is spirituality? Where does this term come from? After searching in the dictionary, in meditation and discussion with spiritual seekers, we come to understand spirituality to mean purity. Crystal clear purity. This purity refers to our Atman, to our inner Self. Impurity is in our actions and thoughts. Where there is impurity there is ignorance, darkness. Mahatma Gandhi said: We hate the action, not the person. Therefore it is our action that makes us impure. Hindus say karma, Christians say sin. Hindus say punya, and Christians say virtue, good.
In Vedanta there is mention of three obstacles. All holy saints in this world, it does not matter from which belief, tradition, culture or religion they come, try to remove these three obstacles. These obstacles to our SPIRITUALITY are: Mala, Vikshepa and Avarana
MALA - impurity
When the mirror has a lot of dust upon it you cannot see your face. You have to clean the mirror. How do you clean the mirror? There are many ways. The mirror is our Citta, consciousness. When you close your eyes and meditate you see your inner mirror. You can see how clear it is. If you can't see anything that means that your inner mirror is still not clean. There are many kinds of impurities that create pollution: physical impurity, and nourishment.
To eat food is not only to feed your stomach. A philosopher said: we should eat to live, not live to eat. Human food is something divine. Annapurne Sadapurne – grains. The transmission of the soul, when it leaves the body and goes into the astral world, enters into the clouds and the rain, and into the vegetation, into the seeds, and through the seeds into the body, into the mother’s body. Our first birth in this world is when we enter, second birth when we enter into the grains, third birth into the human body, forth birth into the mother’s womb, and fifth birth is when we come out of the mother’s womb. In meditation you can see and follow this circle, this cycle.
We all have a different, individual destiny. Everyone is responsible for his/her own destiny. Destiny is a result of our karma. Actions are in our hands, but the results are not. So, we don’t know where we will end up after death. Life in this world, and in the astral world, is something very peculiar, and mysterious. The leaf that falls from the tree will return. And maybe in some way and in some form it will return to the same tree.
God has given us freedom to do whatever we like. So do whatever you want. But your have to decide between two paths, where you want to go: up or down?
Purity in nourishment is very important. Also mental purity. Pure thinking. Mental pollution is the most dangerous pollution. All that happens in the world, all environmental pollution, and all the wars are caused by mental pollution. And what is this mental pollution? Money. Money is the god of our time. Mental impurity leads to impure actions. People give money to kill someone.
VIKSHEPA - disturbances
When the ocean has many waves, you cannot see to the ocean’s bottom. When you look through a glass that breaks the waves you can see it clearly. The ocean has waves, movements only on the surface. In the deep it is always calm and still. Likewise with the wise, they are totally calm and peaceful in their inner Self; emotions are only on the surface. The more actions you perform, the more waves you create in the mind. Relax, relax, and sleep. Seek relaxation in nature. Eat and sleep for 36 or 48 hours, take a walk, meditate – you will feel like a completely different person. In sleep your brain centres, your body regenerates. Therefore we go on holidays.
Vikshepas keep us from our inner purity, our spirituality. You are very spiritual! You are all incarnations! When you were born you were completely pure. But through certain actions, certain experiences, we forgot who we really are.
Vikshepas can be overcome through meditation. Self-inquiry meditation. Let your thoughts come when they come, and let them go when they go. Just observe them. And suddenly they will disappear. Our life is connected with the moon, with the sun, with the planets. They influence our mind, our health. Many planets are playing in between. Through mantras we can change certain influence and disturbances of the planets.
AVARANA – curtain
Our window is very clean, but we have a very thick curtain, and we cannot see through it. This curtain is the ignorance between our real Self and this present consciousness. That’s why we can't realise our true spirituality. Love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, understanding all develop our spirituality. To help to remove the curtain it is good to read holy books. Don’t read books that are fanatical and one-sided. We need freedom. Our birthright is freedom. Yoga means freedom, liberation. Freedom, happiness, love, joy are divine principles, our divine heritage. Even a small ant likes to be happy. Put a cone of sugar in front of an ant, and you can see her smiling and dancing. Every creature longs for happiness. Holy Guruji always said: every creature wishes to attain happiness and to overcome unhappiness. Because happiness is a universal principle, it is your reality.
Mantra, meditation, prayer, satsang are very important for developing our spirituality. Without satsang you cannot be happy, and cannot develop and increase your spirituality.
Spirituality means purity, happiness, forgiveness, clarity in actions and thoughts, and no fear. Don’t be afraid. Even though you may die, don’t be afraid, you can die only once in this life. Pure thinking, pure thoughts, pure nourishment.
Don’t say that you are unhappy, that you are lonely, that no on loves you. Everyone loves you, but you don’t love yourself! Be happy when you are alone, then you have time to meditate. Don’t torture yourself and others.
Spirituality is not hidden only in the church, in the mosque, temple or monastery. It is also in your own house. Make a spiritual home, a spiritual family, and thus create a spiritual society, a spiritual world.
God bless you.
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
The author of this article HH Vishwaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda reguarlly visits Australia, you may also view his spiritual lectures and live webcasts free on line athttp://swamiji.tv/
