The Gross and the Subtle forms of Spirituality.

Spirituality is a progression from the gross to the subtle phenomena. It is a progression from a personal to an impersonal ideal. The grosser forms of spirituality are nothing but the expression of the subtle forms of spirituality. Nevertheless, it is the subtle form of spirituality which brings more tangible peace for the mankind. Here, we will examine the evolution of spirituality from the gross to the subtle forms.

The majority of people think of God as something extraneous from the real subject within. They conceive an external God, which is far removed from the real subject within. The grosser forms of spirituality involve appeasement to these external Gods. These forms of spirituality generally appeal to the sense organs.

One of the most common examples of this form of spirituality is to set up loudspeakers with a deafening noise, venting up high in the air, the musical numbers of Gods and Goddesses. The children, who prepare for exams under these conditions face a tough time and had to forget the prospects of obtaining good marks in the subject.

Loudspeakers.

Next, comes the vacation, when men visit their personal Gods in far-off places. They carry utensils, cooking ingredients, and accompany an innocent creature for sacrifice. They believe that their personal fortunes will be doomed if they don't offer a sacrifice to these Gods. They are countless such examples which mark the gross forms of spirituality.

The appeasement. 

Next, comes the form of spirituality which appeals to the intellect. It involves reading books and listening to spiritual talks. If the speaker is an illumined soul, it will have a marked effect on the subject. But, if the speaker is under the domain of ignorance, it will not have a lasting effect on the subject. Only those phrases, commandments, poems, and lectures uttered by an illumined soul remain. The rest naturally move to the recycle bin.

Therefore, men, who progress along the path of spirituality, must not judge the intellect to be the end aim of spirituality. In fact, real spirituality is infinitely larger than mere reading and lecturing. Lecturing without illumination is a kind of a nuisance to the world. It shatters the peace both within and without.

Next, comes the highest form of spirituality which lies within the subject. This form of spirituality always comes from a formless source. It comes from an eternal voice. Sri Krishna in Gita, Buddha in four noble truths, and the message of Swami Vivekananda, all constitute this eternal voice. In fact, Swami Vivekananda once said that he is the voice without a form. Though these men had left their physical body ages ago, their ‘eternal voice’ continues to help humanity even in this age, and in the ages henceforth.

The highest form of spirituality is too subtle to comprehend and derived from an impersonal ideal. This impersonal ideal is completely devoid of a 'name and form'. Everything merges into 'One absolute Brahman'. Absolute silence marks the highest illumination since the duality is completely absent. The illumined souls preserve absolute silence unless they have a spiritual mission on earth. There are many illumined souls who transmitted spirituality by silence. A mere touch or a look will redeem the humanity itself.

The real source of spirituality has always the subtle origins. They either come from an eternal voice, or from the prayer of the great souls. They come from the outcome of the deep meditation within. The great souls have all obtained illumination through this method. Buddha obtained enlightenment in a forest, Jesus obtained illumination in a desert, and Sri Ramakrishna obtained illumination in a temple.

Deep meditation.

Therefore, the gross form of spirituality exhausts the energy within because of the outward flow of energy. The intellectual form of spirituality, without accompanied by illumination, is futile. The real form of spirituality comes from an impersonal ideal and accompanied by a deep meditation within.

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Types of Religious Gurus.

The Tamasic Guru:

The Tamasic Guru is the one who incites his disciples to violence. He incites his disciples to commit the acts of arson, riots, sacrilege, and violence towards other religious faiths. By committing such acts of violence, the Guru promises liberation. Such a Guru has a very gross and barbaric idea of understanding his religion. Do not be swayed away by such Gurus who promises liberation through violence. Liberation is actually attained by the opposite of violence .i.e., the love of all beings.

The Tamasic Gurus vie for political power. They provide safe refuge to the terrorists. They store a cache of arms and ammunitions at sacred places. They lure poor and innocent men by providing monetary benefits and by providing religious sanction for the acts of violence. Therefore, beware of such Gurus.

Inciting Violence.

The Rajasic Guru:

The Rajasic Guru is the one who advertises himself. Such a Guru is more concerned about his titles, attire, paraphernalia, and empty rituals. The Rajasic Guru seeks money, power, and position in the society. The spiritual illumination is completely lacking in such Gurus, and they try to illumine others. It resembles the condition of a blind leading the blind. They preach half-baked and half-digested truths. They twist the real path to spirituality and offer shortcuts. They believe in acquiring powers and magic. The attachment to the world is not completely gone from such Gurus.

Such a Guru makes ridiculous statements that he is an incarnation of such and such a God. Such a Guru mixes freely with the opposite sex. And as a result, they get caught while committing the acts of sensuality. Therefore, beware of such Gurus who advertises himself.

Beware.

The Sattvic Guru:

The Sattvic Guru neither seeks advertisement nor seeks money. The Sattvic Guru is illumined, as a result of his intense spiritual disciplines. But the illumination is only confined to the one aspect of the Brahman. Nevertheless, the Guru has attained the state of intense purity. They do not mix freely with the opposite sex. They preach the real path to spirituality. The Guru has intense love, sympathy, and compassion for the suffering ones. They do innumerable welfare activities for the benefit of the humanity.

The Sattvic Guru shows the way to God. Therefore, one has to approach such a Guru with high regard and reverence for spiritual welfare.

The Guru beyond the three Gurus:

They are the God-men and great Avatars who come down to the level of humanity to teach spirituality. They are perfect, and the knowledge of non-dual Brahman is inherent in them. Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, and Sri Ramakrishna are such Gurus. They appear very simple in the exterior but they can turn the world upside down by their immense spiritual power. Sri Rama was an exiled prince, Sri Krishna was a cowherd, and Sri Ramakrishna was a temple priest. But their spirituality shook the entire world.

They can transmit spirituality just by a word, or a touch, or by a mere glance. They transmit palpable spirituality to men. The spiritual message of such Gurus is everlasting. Such Gurus are omnipresent though they leave their mortal body. One must surrender to such all-mighty Gurus for redemption and liberation.

The eternal Gurus.

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Gods and Weaknesses.

The idea of God is very difficult to understand. Men always understood God from the position of weakness and not from the position of strength. Men always prayed to God when they were weak. The primitive men were weak because they could not defend themselves against the forces of nature. They were always at a fear of being decimated by nature, and, therefore, they formed Gods which represented the forces of nature. When men desired dominions, they formed the idea of warrior Gods and offered sacrifices to them. Fear is one of the factors which drove these men to God. Fear is nothing but the idea of the body. The idea of the body is nothing but ignorance. The man is 'One Absolute'. When a man understands his real nature, fear vanishes, together with the idea of duality. Here, we will examine the cases when we prayed to our Gods, and we will examine the idea of God from the position of strength.

Primitive man.

The introduction of Gods in our lives began in a chaotic way. The day of introduction of Gods began with tonsuring of the head and puncturing of the ears. The day was marked with cuts, wounds, and bleeding. The only consolable thing we got back was a candy and a toy. We visited temples located in far-off places and came back exhausted. We took a forcible plunge in the water bodies around the temples, gasping for breath. We rolled down the corridors of the temples. We tied threads of all colours in our bodies.

OMG!

It was an introduction of our Gods in our lives without our consent. The above-mentioned rituals were performed to seek protection from God and ward-off evil spirits. It is the idea of fear which again prompted the man to seek God. The idea of fear comes from the idea of injury, and the idea of injury comes from the idea of the body. The idea of body is nothing but ignorance. The man is the infinite spirit. The man is the infinite Atman. Since, the man holds the idea of the body, which is a form of weakness, man seeks protection from an outside agent in the form of a God.

The Gods suddenly sprang up in the form of saviours during our examinations. The devotion took to a feverish pitch when we were writing our board exams. What an idea of weakness! The man is fear of losing his exams, and, therefore, takes an external agent for help. The fear of failure in life prompted the man to seek God. The story continued when we were wanting a job and success in the job interviews. All prayer for saving oneself shows how ignorant a man is. It shows his ignorance about his real nature, which is infinite.

Prayer before board exams.

The next popular idea of God is to pray for wealth. This is the idea which prompts millions of people to visit temples in high hills. Man behaves like a beggar not knowing his kingly nature. This is the root of all evils reducing man to the level of the material. The man is ignorant of his infinite nature and, seeks deliverance through wealth. Jesus said, ‘It is very easy for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a wealthy man to follow the path of spirituality’. All prayer for wealth is nothing but the idea of weakness.

The next popular idea among the aspirants of spirituality is to pray for liberation. What an idea of weakness! What an idea of duality! The man is 'One Absolute'. How can there be liberation in one absolute? The prayer for liberation is for protecting oneself in another world. It is for protecting the identity of name and form in another world. Man after liberation goes to Brahmalokha, and where he resides with God for an indefinite time. This is just another idea of preserving oneself in another world. A man prays for wealth for protection in this world, and man prays for liberation for protection in another world.

Once, Swami Vivekananda had this idea of liberation and approached his Guru Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna was completely displeased with the idea. He said, ‘I thought you are a like a big ship who can ferry millions of souls to the path of liberation, but now you are behaving like a commoner praying for petty liberation’. He said, ‘liberation is a petty idea, and that there are much higher states than that’. Swami Vivekananda had one of his great lessons in his life and understood that even prayer for liberation constitutes selfishness. The higher idea is to work for the liberation of all.

Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.

Remember, whenever we pray to God for something, it is due to the outcome of ignorance of our real nature. Even the idea of liberation constitutes ignorance. The man is One Absolute. The idea of liberation is the outcome of duality. How can there be a duality (liberation) in ‘One’? It cannot be.

Therefore, understand God from the position of strength, and not from the position of weakness. All ideas of seeking God for wealth, health, and liberation constitute weaknesses. Grow more than that.

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Why Taking Food In A Hotel Will Ruin Your Spiritual Life.

The quality and the intent of food plays an indispensable role in spiritual life. Food not only builds the body but builds the nature as well. The food, in general, is classified into three based on intent and quality. They are Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic foods. The food which increases the propensity for spiritual life is called Sattvic food. The food which increases the propensity for result-oriented action is called Rajasic food, and the food which induces stupidity, laziness, and harm belong to Tamasic foods.

There are many subtle factors involved in food which we normally don't perceive. If we observe keenly, there is a transmission of the character from the giver to the receiver. Also, the food depends on the purpose for which it is served. We will examine these factors one by one. 

Men, in general, not only impress their character on their fellow beings but impress on all the surrounding objects as well. We impress our character on our clothes, on our gadgets, on our shoes, and on every conceivable object that we use in our daily lives. The objects will always have a stamp of our character on it.

Impression on all objects in a room.

 Similarly, when a person cooks food, he not only cooks but also impresses his nature on it. The food, therefore, becomes food + impression of the character. When a person partakes the food, he not only receives the food but receives the impressions as well. So, there is an unconscious transmission of the character from the giver to the receiver.

The food prepared by our parents are always pure and healthy, and therefore, we receive the impressions of their love in that food. In the case of hotels the scenario is different. A hotel is a business establishment intended for profit. We not only eat food in hotels but also receive the impressions of the cook as well. 

For example, if the cook is a drunkard and addicted to sensuality, the food prepared by him would be Tamasic in nature. Such a food will shatter the delicate balance of our mind. Such a food will have a dangerous effect on our spiritual life. Also, it is obvious that the cook works for a result-oriented action. The food prepared by the cook, therefore, will be Rajasic in nature. Therefore, the food that we take in a hotel will be either Tamasic or Rajasic.

Food + Impression.

In a hotel, there are hundreds of customers who use the same plate, spoon, and other vessels. Regardless of the state cleanliness of the objects, the impressions of hundreds of customers are left over on the objects. So, when a person takes food, he receives the impressions of hundreds of customers who had used the objects before. 

           

When a spiritual aspirant receives these impressions, it upsets the delicate balance of the mind and ruins the spirituality as a result. If a person is spiritually strong, he can take the impressions of many, but if he is weak, he can the impressions of none. Therefore, in the beginning, an aspirant must be careful about the impressions which he receives from the food.

The spiritual aspirant works for the higher purposes. A spiritual aspirant takes food for the sake of enlightenment. The food must be taken to maintain a middle path, and to overcome the ignorance of the idea of the body. A spiritual aspirant must also avoid food on occasions like the remembrance of the dead, and on marriage ceremonies. Because the occasions are associated with the idea of the body.

The best way to take food is to offer it for a higher purpose or offer it to our Gods. The food which is offered to God is always pure. So, take precautions when you take food from outside. 

Food offered to God.

*This post is not intended to generate any negative view on hotels. They are good and hardworking people. This post applies to those who strive for spiritual enlightenment.

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The Different Perception of the Same Object.

Religion is all about perception. The way one perceives the world and its objects depend upon the attitude of the spiritual aspirant, and the religious ideal which one has accepted as true. The choice of the religious ideal largely depends upon the mental constituent of the subject. The path chosen by the subject to unfold itself is the path of least resistance for the subject. Any change in the natural progress of the subject towards the ideal will, therefore, have a negative effect on the subject. Therefore, an individual must be given the freedom of choice to choose the correct religious ideal.

freedom of choice of religion

The choice of religious ideal and attitude depends on many factors. They are,

1.       The mental constituent of the subject:

The mental constituent of the subject as we have seen is the path of least resistance for the subject. The mind flows freely and naturally towards the ideal. A man finds more comfortable and more adaptable in this ideal when compared to other.

2.       The nature of the ultimate reality:

It is the choice of the nature of the ultimate reality which one believes as true. Some aspirants believe God with form and for some other it is God without form. For some aspirants, the ultimate reality is the complete independence of Purusha from Prakriti. For some aspirants, the ultimate reality is 'sunyata' and for some, the ultimate reality is heaven and so on.

3.       The gender and the spiritual attitude:

The gender largely plays a role in defining the spiritual attitude of the subject. For example, Yashoda’s attitude towards Sri Krishna can be imitated only by a female aspirant. The same holds true with the attitude of love of Radha towards Sri Krishna. The exceptions are great Avatars who can impersonate any ideal. But as far an ordinary spiritual aspirant is concerned, it would be safe if one practices an ideal which corresponds to the gender.

Sri Krishna

4.       The religious background:

The religious background which one is accustomed to also plays a large role in determining the religious ideal of the aspirant. The religious background provides a man the much-needed tools for the practice of the religious ideal.

Once when the aspirant has chosen his religious ideal there comes the way of perception of the world and its objects. Each aspirant perceives the world and its object in a certain way based on the above factors. All religious conflict in the world is because of the contradictory nature of the perception of the world and its objects among different religious ideals.

For example, we will examine an object, say an ice cream or a chocolate or any object of temptation, and we will see how each religious aspirant views them in their perspective.

1.    According to Advaita Vedanta what exists is ‘One Absolute’. According to this philosophy the world and its objects absolutely doesn’t exist at all. The seemingly or apparent existence of the world is because of ‘Maya or an illusion’. Therefore, the aspirant views the apparent existence of the chocolate as the outcome of Maya or illusion.

Maya or illusion

2.   According to the Samkhya and Yoga philosophy, the objects are the outcome of the modifications of Prakriti. The objects are the outcome of the modifications of the gunas. According to this philosophy, the objects bind Purusha or pure consciousness to Prakriti and the result is pain and suffering. The aspirants of this ideal view the objects as the source of pain. Therefore, an aspirant views the chocolate as the source of pain.

3.    For the practitioners of Bhakti, the objects of temptation, have the tendency to pollute the mind. The cleansing of the mind from all 'malas' or impurities is the primary task for the practitioners of bhakti. Once, the mind is cleansed from all impurities, the God, who is of nature of pure consciousness is reflected clearly in the mind. Therefore, an aspirant of this path views the chocolate as an impure substance.

4.     For Buddhists, the objects do not have any substantial reality. The objects of the world are in a continuous state of flux and without any substantial reality. They take up the uncertainty principle which says that the position and the velocity of the objects cannot be determined exactly. The aspirants of this path, view the chocolate as ‘Sunya’ or the substance without any reality.

Sunyata of Buddhism

5.     For the followers of Christ, the objects of temptation prevent the aspirant from following Christ. The temptation is the work of the devil. The devil is always at work and waits to devour a person in the form of temptations. Therefore, they regard the chocolate as the work of the devil.

There are so many religious ideals which view objects in a different light. Now we have seen how one aspirant sees an object as the outcome of illusion, another as the work of the devil, another as the source of pain, another as impure, and another without any substantial reality and so on.

The greatness of Sri Ramakrishna is that he has practiced all ideals and attitude and found them to be true. Sri Ramakrishna is the culmination of all religious ideals found in the world. Men who join under the umbrella of Sri Ramakrishna are from diverse religious backgrounds and diverse religious ideals, and yet they find their religious ideals culminating in the form of Sri Ramakrishna.

           Therefore, it is madness to insist one particular ideal as true and rest of them as false. The beauty of religion is in its diversity. The broad attitude and acceptance of different religious ideals bring peace to the world.

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