Importance of Spiritual Knowledge

Welcome to Day 1 of the Rajyog Meditation course. Today you will feel the difference between your physical form and your inner self. You will recognise the self as energy, a spiritual being, an infinitesimally tiny star, an eternal point of light – a Soul. You will also understand your innate nature, and learn how the soul comes together with the body to give you the experience of life.

The Vedic scriptures inform us that nobody works without a reason. There is a reason for all our actions. All works of every personality—a human, or a God-realized Saint, or God himself—are done with a purpose. Even we people have a purpose. What is the purpose?

The main reason behind all our actions is the desire to attain happiness. Deeper reflection reveals that we believe we will be happy upon attaining some object. Sometimes, that item is knowledge. We all have a desire to know. God is omniscient or all-knowing. Thus, He knows each and every thought we harbored in our mind since endless lifetimes. After all, that’s how He can bestow the results of the past karmas. As tiny parts of Him, we too harbor the desire to know—to know everything, to know it all. Since the part is naturally drawn to the whole, this curiosity for knowledge stems from a desire to be like Him.

Our quest for knowledge led us to learn about the Milky Way and other galaxies; the curiosity led Newton to the discovery of the law of gravity; and Einstein to develop the theory of relativity. The inquisitiveness led to the discovery of atoms and sub-atomic particles—electron, proton, neutron, etc., and finally to the concept of energy. Research continues and new theories are being proposed daily. However, after all these centuries of research and discovery, the fundamental questions of our existence and origin continue to delude us. Who are we? What is the purpose of our life? What is the purpose of creation? What is the cause of all causes (the answer to all why’s)? It appears the more we progress, the more our quality of life and relationships

deteriorates. Why?

A Beginner’s Guide to Exploring Spirituality

• Ourselves. Does God care about me? Is He mad at me or pleased with me? If there is no God, who am I? And where did I orginate?
• Others. Are all lives equal? If so, on what basis? What is my responsibility to care for others?
• Minimalism. If we have removed the pursuit of worldly possessions from our affections, with what will we replace it?
• The world around us. In what specific ways should we care about the world and the environment around us? Is our motivation in this regard more significant than survival of our species? And if so, how do we as humans responsibly interact with it?
• Morality. Is there a moral set of truth for the universe established from a higher power? Or is morality determined by each individual?
• Evil. What am I to understand about the evil and suffering in the world? Is it there for a reason? To what extent should I try to counteract it?
• Money. Does the universe give money/status to some and not others? Or is money/status earned by the individual? What should I do with it when I obtain it? Do I hold any responsibility to care for those with less?
• Afterlife. Is there life after death? Is death something to be feared or welcomed? And either way, how should I be preparing for it today?

No doubt, our understanding of spirituality carries great influence on our lives. For that reason, one of the most significant journeys we can ever embark upon is the exploration of it.

No doubt, our understanding of spirituality carries great influence on our lives. For that reason, one of the most significant journeys we can ever embark upon is the exploration of it.

I understand fully this community is made up of readers from every imaginable religious/non-religious background. I am so very thankful for that reality. And I should be quick to mention this post is not an endorsement of any specific religion. Instead, my hope is only to prompt each of us to further consider the role of spirituality in our everyday lives. And cause us to joyfully embrace the journey rather than shy away from it.

Because of the important role it plays, you will never regret any time spent furthering your understanding of the Universe. Whether you have never tried, have tried but given up, or spend time everyday seeking one specific God, let me offer seven beginning steps that are central to our personal exploration of spirituality.

A Beginner’s Guide to Exploring Spirituality

1. Respect those that have gone before. The quest to understand spirituality is as old as humanity itself. Billions have gone before and have spent countless hours seeking spirituality. Don‘t overlook their efforts. Consider their findings and their writings—even those outside the religion you have become accustomed to.

2. Your journey must be your own. You alone must be the decision-maker for your view of God. You should not blindly accept the teachings of another (even your closest mentor or parent). Your heart must ring true and your spirit must rejoice in your spirituality—or it is worthless.

3. Start right where you are. We all have special gifts of character: compassion, laughter, self-discipline, love, etc. Use them as your starting point. Are you facing a trial in life (disease, loss, rejection)? Use it as motivation to further pursue your understanding of spirituality. Lao-tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” He was right in every regard. Start your journey with whatever first step makes the most sense to you.

4. Ask God for help. By this I mean, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making the request. If there is a God, He may answer your prayer. And if there is no God, the process of making the request will still work to help focus your senses and desire.

5. Practice, practice, practice. Like everything else in life, spiritual growth is mastered through practice. If you don’t find your answers after your first few steps, take some more in a different direction. It will require time, effort, and energy. But given its influence on our lives, it is always worth the effort in the end.

6. Don’t be afraid of unanswered questions. Although leaving questions unanswered may sound contrary to the goal of the pursuit, we should not be afraid of them. These unanswered questions will cause some to forever abandon the journey. And while our spirituality should make sense of our heart‘s deepest questions, it would seem unreasonable to believe our mind.

7. Be wary of “everyone is right” thinking. If there is no God, there is no God. If there is a God, He is something specific. Personally, I am skeptical of the thinking that says God can change from one person to another—that philosophy crumbles under the weight of its own logic. God is who God is. And it‘s our responsibility to successfully find Him.

Again, I realize fully this journey is going to look different for every single one of us. Spirituality is a highly personal matter and will likely result in different outcomes. This is not a post that endorses any specific religion. It is simply a post of encouragement and a reminder this journey is important.

After so much ongoing research and daily new discoveries, why is it that we

are still unable to understand and answer the fundamental questions related to our existence and purpose of life? What is lacking in our approach or process? What are we missing?

There is a story in the Vedas about Uddalak, where the father asked the son, “Son, did you read all the Shastras and Vedas?”

“Yes father! Guruji taught me everything.”

“Ok, so then son, tell me, did you learn…”

“What?”

“That by learning that one thing, you understand everything else. Who is that one? And without learning that one, no other knowledge can be complete, who is that one? Did you read about this knowledge?”

“No father, I did not learn about this”

“So then, what did you learn???”

The secret lies in understanding spirituality. We will be unable to understand material knowledge until we understand spiritual knowledge. Knowledge can be categorized into two: Material (bhautik) & Spiritual (ādhyātmik). In other words, one type of knowledge that resides under Maya and one that is beyond Maya, meaning, one material knowledge and one spiritual knowledge. We’ve struggled through endless lifetimes for the material knowledge and understood plenty, but nobody can gain a co

mplete understanding of this material knowledge without the spiritual knowledge.

Understand this concept by an example. In order to learn about pots made from mud, knowledge of the mud is essential. If anyone learns about the mud, then they will automatically understand everything about all the vessels made from mud. The same can be said of gold. Once we understand the properties of gold, we’ll comprehend everything about the jewelry made from that gold.

Similarly, behind all creation is God. If we get to know God, we will automatically become knowers of all material knowledge. On the other hand, without spiritual knowledge, material knowledge will be incomplete. That is why one kind of knowledge—spiritual knowledge—is necessary. We pay very little attention to this spiritual knowledge. Ninety-nine percent of our time, effort, and energy is spent on material knowledge, while less than one percent is spent on spiritual knowledge.

Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj says, “When we understand this secret, that without spiritual knowledge we cannot understand the material knowledge, and for comprehending each piece of material knowledge even an age of a million years is insufficient, while from one piece of spiritual knowledge, we can understand many material things naturally, then this one piece of spiritual knowledge will stop us from running around for material knowledge.”

What is that spiritual knowledge by which we come to understand everything else? The purpose of human life.

And what is the purpose of human life?  To attain God.

How do we attain God? In verse 4.34 of the Bhagavad Gita, Shree Krishna states:

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā

upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ

Disclaimer

“Learn the truth by approaching a Spiritual Master. Inquire from him with reverence, and render service unto him. Such an enlightened Saint can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” Thus, it is only a Guru who can impart the correct knowledge regarding attaining everlasting happiness and guide us to fulfill our life’s purpose. And it is this knowledge that is most essential in our quest to know it all.

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