“I believe that Spirituality is a way of life when you become an observer and do not participate in this game of Maya.” -Jyoti Arya
This question has many answers and many people have tried to define it in their own way. I have learnt that spirituality has nothing to do with religion. Both are separate ways of living in this world.
What is Spirituality?
Spirituality is all about self realisation of who we are. It reinforces the fact that we are not limited to body and also not limited to the mind.
“We are a conscious light energy”
The sanskrit word equivalent to spirituality is Adhyatm. If we break it further it is Adhi(inwards)+Aatm(self), which means turning towards the self.
So, the one who turns inwards or actually towards himself or herself is in real sense a SPIRITULIST. In this process one is trying to connect to the source from where all the thoughts come from.
It is a way of living your life to merge with creation. In other words it is integrating with the creator and experiencing the oneness.
Spirituality is not renunciation of life. No its not giving up on enjoyment or recreation. It is all about the search for the ultimate truth and the reality.
Who is Spiritual?
This term is used very loosely these days by most of us. There is a lot of confusion between spirituality and ritualism. If someone goes to temple everyday, people tag them as spiritual. Also, if someone talks about inner wisdom or positivity even they are labelled as spiritual.
So basically if someone is morally upright and talks neutral or positive and exhibits a little annihilation form this world, people consider such humans as spiritual. My dear readers let me bust this myth for you today.
Characteristics of a spiritual person
- Not immoral in actions : A person who fits into the category of a spiritualist refrains from taking actions born out of selfish desires. They are the ones who are selfless, carry pure intentions and foster unconditional love and compassion. They practice forgiveness and self love as well.
- Our vedas and scriptures define a spiritual person as the one who follows daharma with moral ethics. The one who does not tell a lie, is not harsh to others or intentionally hurting others. He/she is not under unrestrained sensual pleasures and do not inflict intentional pain to others. Largely, a spiritual person carries purity of thought.
- A spiritual human being exhibits ‘ Viveka’ which refers to the ability to discriminate between what is reality and what is not.
Classification of existence
Life can be classified into 3 types
- Ordinary life- A very imperfectly lead life with uncontrolled thoughts and perceptions. Life which is ruled by stray actions and sensations, desires, enjoyments, emotions and all this is centered around superficial ego. A human being leading this kind of life is need-centric. He or she focuses on fulfilling his or her own needs only.They are in a pursuit to acquire power and wealth directing towards personal and selfish goals.
- Religious Life- When the same ignorant human consciousness tries to turn away from earth to the divine, they lead a religious life. These people end up in performing rounds of ritualistic practices and ceremonies and entire spectrum of rituals. A ceremonial, habitual worship that is done on daily basis following fixed dogma.
- Spiritual Life- Human beings leading this type of life practice perfectionism of intellect and carry ethical qualties, strong character and fine temperament. They live their life based on the search for the realisation of higher self going inward.
Steps for living a spiritual life
Meditation
A lot being said by meditation and of course it is the first step towards living a spiritual and superior life. Sitting in silence and focussing on your breath is also a form of meditation which can be done initially. There are various kinds of meditation which can be done to calm the mind and tame it to work according to the spiritual life.
Chanting
Regular Japa is essential to the spiritual way of living. There are vedic mantras which may be chanted to raise the frequency and vibration.
Breath work
Breath or Prana is vital force in our body. Nadi shodhan or Purification done through alternate breathing plays an important role in one’s life.
Nishkam seva
Any service performed without seeking any reward gives phenomenal spiritual energy to the one who is doing it regularly. Adding value in other people’s life by teaching values is also a form of seva, wherein you are not charging anything in return.
Acceptance
This is an important aspect in the spiritual journey when one accepts the other person or situation the way they exist. In complete surrender and without any question or reaction observe the journey or the game of life.
Virtues
It is very important to practice the virtues of forgiveness, compassion and self-love along with all other aspects. These attributes prepare a foundation for a spiritual way of life.
Food and water
Eating satvik food contributes a lot in the divine journey. It is said that we become what we eat. So eating right in adherence to satvik nature of the foods is very potent. Avoiding tamasik food like non-vegetarian and foods with pungent smell helps a seeker to move on with meditation and other spiritual practices smoothly.
The tamasik foods interfere with the concentration ability and hence should be avoided. 70% of earth is water and so is our body, hence, drinking appropriate amount of water and keeping oneself hydrated also enhances the focus and ability to think deeply.
In conclusion, I must say that analyse all the planes of existence and check where you are vibrating now. If you feel that you want to progress in spirituality then do follow the above mentioned steps to speed up your journey.
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Jyoti Arya is an expert in occult sciences like Tarot and Astrology. She is an ICF coach and combines the eastern and western philosophies to orient the seekers towards clarity in life. Having expertise in tarot, she simplifies the complexities of human behavior and its resolution through her point of view.