Sunday, April 19, 2009

Spirituality Interpreted

By Neeshee Pandit
Birmingham, AL

True Spiritual Life cannot begin until there is the tangible reception of the Divine Person into the body-mind, felt distinctly, clearly, unmistakably, and even whole-bodily tangible and evident as the Absolute Divine.

The only liberating discovery is that the Divine is real and tangible, actually able to felt and experienced, even bodily obvious. Consequently, the only true satisfaction in life is to be fallen upon by the Divine, such that all illusions of “I” and “other” are temporarily (and ultimately permanently) vanished in the undeniable Revelation of God. Spiritual Life begins on this basis only. The Divine is Self-Revealing, constantly Revealing Itself to everyone everywhere, but it is not noticed by the large majority of people. There is a necessary period of growth, purification, and ripe karma necessary to notice and receive the Divine. When this period of growth and purification has reached a point of relative maturity, the Divine is inevitably Revealed, and the depth and profundity to which this occurs is different in the case of each individual’s karmic process. It is only through Divine Grace that Spiritual Life begins. It is not begun on the basis of any individual effort, and no matter how hard you may try to have an experience of God, it will not prove fruitful. It is a matter of Grace. The Divine Reveals Itself to you in the appropriate moment and simultaneous with that Revelation begins the Spiritual Life.

Most people do not understand what it means to live a Spiritual Life. These days, in the Western and now Westernized Globe, in the Age of Kali, spirituality has been watered down in countless ways. Many think that to live a spiritual life is merely to read books that speak of something positive, inspirational, or motivational. Others think that spiritual life is associated with positive and uplifting thinking or to “live in the Now” as if that was all that would be required to be “spiritual” and in union with God. Many more spend their entire lives trying to stop their thoughts, thinking that meditation will finally be successful when thoughts no longer arise, and that is spiritual life and practice.

None of these are true. Spirituality is about “Spirit” or “Energy” or in our own language “Shakti”. It begins when one becomes sensitive to the Divine and through a unique process of growth, transformation, and purification comes to a decisive experience of the Divine Energy tangibly moving upon them in their ordinary circumstance of bodily-incarnate existence. From that point on, the Spiritual Life has truly begun and becomes a unique ordeal of ego-transcending devotion to the Divine and Only Person, and constant practice of Spiritually Awakened Communion with That One. If one truly knew what the Spiritual Life entailed, they would not want to live it. It is a serious tapas, an all-consuming fire of Divine Grace, an ordeal of ego-transcendence that is of such an intensity that most cannot tolerate it and ultimately when they get close to what Spirituality really means, and what God really is, they just run away back to their normal lives, because they see that the entire basis of their existence is based on an illusion, and that the Divine demands transcendence of everything and requires everything of you. Most people have a hard time giving up their petty material possessions; forget about going beyond the entire body-mind and sense of “I”!

Nevertheless, this is what true Spiritual Life is. It is true and great. The Divine is waiting for everyone to grow into the higher stages of life, wherein a true Spiritual Life can be lived, even amidst ordinary functional conditions and relations. One’s focus and attention in life must be drawn toward what is Higher than mere gross conditions, and be moved to what is Greater than themselves. Ultimately, only the Divine remains, as everything else passes. The confrontation must happen sooner or later. How long you choose to wait is your business.

That is where the function of a true Community arises, in God. A Community is a collective gathering of Spiritually Awakened individuals, who form a devotional culture of perpetual invocation and Communion with the Divine and Only One. It is not a social function. There is nothing social, exoteric, or merely outward about it. It is a very serious and necessary function, but it only comes alive in God. A true Community can only be incarnated in response to the Divine, through a collection of individuals who have awakened to the higher stages of life, and for whom the true Spiritual Life has begun. When this happens for enough individuals, a true Community will naturally form.

The function of a Temple is to serve as a place where a true Community can gather. The Temple will inevitably become a Holy Place only when it serves as a space for a true Community to gather and allow to be transformed by the energy of ego-transcending devotion and Spiritually Awakened God-Communion. A Temple is a place where perpetual invocation of the Divine happens, not only through puja, but through the presence of individuals who are Spiritually Awakened and for whom the Divine is a tangible reality. Through their practice of Communion with the Divine and through the overall Community’s establishment of a real devotional culture, the Temple becomes empowered, powerful, and ultimately a place where even strangers can walk into and feel something of the presence of God. This is the true function of a Temple. There is nothing social about this function either. It is a space, a located particular space, where invocation can happen steadily and perpetually. A Temple only becomes a true holy place in this way. Without Spiritually Awakened individuals, such a place cannot be empowered. Puja, no matter how often it is performed, cannot serve the Spiritual Empowerment of a Temple unless it is being performed with true ego-transcending devotion by Spiritually Awakened individuals. Most often, this is not the case.

At this point, many may begin wondering how to live a Spiritual Life. How does it begin? When does it begin? How can ordinary people take it up? These are difficult questions, because Spirituality is more esoteric than everyone likes to think. It is truly only an esoteric matter, and there is nothing exoteric or “outward” about it. Spirituality comes from a Guru. A Guru is “one through whom God is Gracious”. Like a Temple and Community, the Guru is also a function, and not a status. It is the ultimate function in God. The Guru exists to serve as an Agent for the Divine, as one who connects others to the Divine, being one through whom God is Gracious. Because God is Gracious through certain individuals known as Gurus, they have God-Given Siddhis, and by sitting in their Company, the Force of God is communicated Spiritually to individuals who are ready to begin and awaken to the Spiritual Life. Many people can sit before a Guru and for them it will seem like nothing has occurred. No communication has been given. While others in the very same room have had a tangible experience of the Divine! It depends on everyone’s level of growth, and as I have stated earlier, the Divine Reveals Itself in the appropriate moment. However, many people are running around today calling themselves Gurus, while not really being ones through whom God is Gracious. In my opinion, it is not appropriate to search for a Guru. It is very easy to find a “Guru”, because there seem to be so many, but there are only a few in the entire world who are ones through whom God is Gracious. I can count them with my two hands. When your “appropriate moment” draws near, you will find yourself naturally drawn towards spirituality, and the Guru will find you and show himself, out of seeming nowhere. You will be moved to him unexplainably and mysteriously, and the Spiritual Life will begin from the moment you enter into his company, which is really the Company of the Divine.

These days people also like to approach spirituality in a “do-it-yourself” manner. I assure you this is impossible. The Guru is necessary. You cannot avoid the Guru or abstract the Guru. The Guru gives the Transmission of Spirit, or “Shakti”, or the Divine Energy. This is the only way true Spiritual Life can begin. Most people do not understand that the Guru is Divine Grace, the Divine Gift. God’s gift to human beings is these unique individuals who connect us to the Divine. We must take them as a Divine Grace and make use of their Empowered Company.

Be moved to a deeper and more esoteric understanding of the tradition and culture from which we all come. Do not settle for mere social religiosity, reducing God to an “other” instead of the Absolute Divine Bliss, while making the Community into a social gathering instead of a Spiritual one, and making the Temple into a social circumstance, rather than a set-apart and Holy one. Know that what I have said today is not in vain, I speak from personal experience. I come from such a place, where there is a true Spiritual Community, Holy Temples, and a Guru who is One through Whom God is Gracious. I am here for a short time, so I speak of it when I can, to tell others about it, to inspire them, to share with them, before I go back to my ultimate purpose.

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