Know Spirituality

What is not Spirituality ?

Spirituality is not about external dogma, rites & rituals, worship in temples of brick and mortar, religious celebrations, acts of charity and suchlike (‘Apara vidya’). It is about worship within human body-temple through meditation (‘Para vidya’) and rising above body-consciousness and travelling into inner space. It is ‘mother’ of all science comprising experimentation within the laboratory of the human body under the guidance of a spiritual Master and confirming results (inner Light & Sound) with the spiritual faculties of inner vision and inner hearing.

Spirituality is also not just about Ethical or Moral living- these are merely essential ‘stepping-stones’. Any wilful act creates an account (‘Karma’). Bad acts create bad karma for settling which one has to go to hell (hence, handcuffs of steel), while good acts good karma for which one has to necessarily go to heaven (also handcuffs, but golden). For liberation, both bad and good karmic accounts need to be brought down to nil balance (‘Nih-karma’). It is at this stage of liberation that true spirituality begins. Spirituality is also about surrender and selfless-service to the Lord (be it by spirit, mind, body or monetarily), in return for which he grants his grace and mercy. By surrendering to the Lord/Master’s Will, one is no longer the ‘doer’, but the ‘observer’ of His play of life (‘leela’) and hence, does not incur any karma.

True Spirituality is certainly not about miracles. If they happen on the path, it is just happenstance. While it is true that certain miraculous powers accrue to those who meditate (‘Riddhi-Siddhis’), these are meant to be abjured and to be treated as hindrances to further spiritual progress. True Saints rarely show miracles- and only if they must.

Spirituality is not about improving our fortunes in ‘this’ life either. It is, instead, simply about winding up all our ‘give and takes’, becoming karma-free and returning home.

Spirituality is definitely not an other-worldly pursuit. The paths that preach renunciation and meditating in a mountain cave or a desert are known as paths of ‘Negative Mysticism’. Sant-Mat, in contrast, is a path of ‘Positive Mysticism’, whereby one is enjoined to fulfil one’s duty towards one’s family, society, country, world and the cosmos at large, while finding some (2-3 hrs.) time for spiritual pursuits. Most Sant-Mat Masters have been householders and have always earned their bread by the sweat of their brow.

Karmas, Astrology, Heavens/Hells

Karmas are records (files!) of thoughts, words and deeds of the individual. Since the spirit is a mere visitor into the triple worlds (Brahmand), from the moment it entered here, it has to pay for every take and take for every pay- there is no free lunch here! It is like the first law of motion- to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. We have to reap every seed that we sow. Since we have to incur karma in order to live, there is no getting away from karmas. As long as karmic accounts are uncleared, the bondage continues and only gets more intense as we incur more karmas with each birth. Of course, we keep settling karmas partially- evil deeds in hells (chains of iron) and good deeds in heavens (golden chains!), but yet there is no deliverance. We keep rolling up and down into the Cycle of Transmigration (‘Chaurasi’). It is only when we acquire human birth do we have the chance of a remedy. This comprises going to the feet of a living perfect Master and taking initiation (contact of the holy Word or Naam) from him.

The perfect Master, at the time of initiation, wind-up the ‘Store-house’ (‘Sanchit’) karmas of previous lives, the ‘Fate’ (‘Prarabdh’) karmas, on the basis of which this life and body are given get wound up at death. Remaining ‘Ongoing’ (‘Kriyamaan’) karmas that we continue to garner can be disposed off through meditation and surrendering the fruits of karma to the Master. Thus, having become karma-free (‘nih-karma’), we can attain liberation (‘Nirvana or Mukti’).

A word about Astrology here. Astrology is based on planetary influences. However, these are not the external planets, but the inner ones in the region of the 6-petalled Mrityu-kawal where the human body is created based on Prarabdh or fate karmas. These planets are those, based upon which the planets of the external world are created- with some differences- different planets such as Rahu & Ketu exist here. However, for an initiate into a higher science such as Sant-Mat, a higher principle governs that can tinker with the planetary effects if it chooses. Hence, it is best to leave fate into the hands of the living Master, who automatically redresses the negative influences of these planets.

Do hells and heavens exist? Certainly they do. These are places within the Kaal Purush (Negative Power’s) domain (astral plane) where post-death, the spirit has to repay the karmic debt (‘reap what it sowed’). Death is accompanied by excruciating pain as the soul is not trained (through meditation) in having the spirit depart from the body-cage. The agents of the angel of death (‘yam-doots’) come to take the spirit to yama’s court, where a trial is held based on karmic records, and the soul’s future determined. However, initiates of Positive Power Masters (Sants & Sadhs) do not go there, the Masters themselves receive the spirit at the time of death to decide on its future- the departure is invariably peaceful. The ‘heavens’ for such souls are well beyond these. If not evolved sufficiently, upto a maximum of four human births are given before the spirit can cross the threshold of the Third eye.

* Reincarnation- transmigration in the Cycle of  Chaurasi (8.4 million)   life-forms

The semitic religions (Christianity, Islam etc.) have a static concept of the life beyond. The ‘Day of Judgement’ is interpreted as some future time when the dead shall rise from their graves (which is why burial, rather than cremation), whereas in the east, day of judgement merely occurs after each life (as now stands confirmed by a spate of life-after-life or NDE books, pioneered by Dr. Raymond Moody).

Life-forms are divided into 4 classes: 1. Womb-born (‘jeraja’):  This comprises: a. Naras (having all 5 elements- earth, water, fire, air and ether), from Indra (Zeus) down to manes, gnomes, ghosts etc. humans, chimps, gorillas, monkeys etc. and b. Pindajas: with 4 elements excluding ether, comprising land animals. 2. Egg-born (‘andaja’): created  with 3 elements: earth, water and fire, comprising  water animals (fish etc.) and  bird forms. 3. ‘Sweat’-born (‘swedaja’): created with 2 elements: earth & water, comprising reptiles, insects, rodents etc. and 4. Mud-born (‘udbhijja’): created  with only earth element, comprising a. vegetation: trees, plants, shrubs etc. & b. minerals, mountains, rivers etc.

This has been described allegorically as the dice game of ‘Ludo’ (‘chaupad’) with 4 squares, where the objective is to reach ‘home’.

After a human birth, the spirit gets another human birth only under the following circumstances: 1. When the good karmas are of a very high order. 2. When initiated by a perfect Master and 3. When ‘untimely death’ takes place such as by accident or murder- in this case, the ‘pranas’ or the breaths provided by fate (‘prarabdha’) are not exhausted, and to exhaust them a further birth is necessitated.