Spirituality and Religion, the two paths
In tune with Sat, Chit and Ananda.
Serenity within the changing times
Serenity ,derivative of peace, calmness and tranquil. A state of mind that is unruffled ,an acceptance of all situations to come, an undisturbed mind.
Attaining a tranquil mind irrespective of the surroundings , however disturbing they might be leads to a great deliverance ,of not holding on to the ego, of letting go , of coming to the ultimate knowledge that all is not within one’s control, one cannot change the buddhi and the related actions in a manifold way , affecting a majority of minds guided by their senses to be reactive to the guidelines provided, even if they were all in the common interest and general welfare of mankind .
For eg during the pandemic , much thought was laid on social distancing and the wear of masks , curtailing much activity to indoors. Despite the seriousness of the situation, despite the fear created , there were many who may not have followed the rules and each of us needed to play the necessary role,of attending to our tasks, even going outdoors, in such case , we do get anxiety syndromes, worrisome, especially of the very senior members of the family, worried of the children who are not staying in the same city but either in neighbouring states or abroad, a well of emotions crop up, at times anger, at times pessimism, at other times optimism, some other times fatigue , due to not being able to do anything......one may even see a failure of leadership, callousness and so on.
Also one hears the numbers of tragedies , mass unemployment, Great Depression of the economy , all of which does affect us , the mental psyche that gets suspended in an agitation, finding out the causes of this horror,that disturbed the normal functioning of life.
With all this happening , how do we remain calm. ? That becomes the question to deal with .
Take a deep breath, and contemplate on any pertinent issue , of how much is in our control, let the entire life scenario come back as a flash back ,scene to scene , you will then realise, many things weren’t in our control of manipulation or even extrapolation of events despite our great intelligence and great insights as theories of psychology might tell us. Take another deep breath and discover the extent of faith in the Almighty , no faith, some faith or even great faith! Take another deep breath and let go of what you have been holding on to, like an infant ,release the power .....each of holding onto the power causes much strife and friction.
Letting go of our egos ,we then embark on rediscovering ourselves, our true selves, our pure consciousness , we will be surprised to find the intrinsic energy ,redefined ,guiding us to self development .
As we go on developing self ,aiming towards a higher consciousness,we keep gaining serenity. We learn to be at peace with ourselves.
We learn that ultimately what is ordained, what is governed , for each of us ,we would need to endure.
We simply go on with our duties , without expecting reward or punishment , we continue to do our work, diligently and well enough ,to our levels of satisfaction and leave the results , yes we aren’t perhaps happy about our results, we expected much more , as a student you always have the chance of improvement of grades, as a professional you always have a chance of changing your profile by attaining newer skills, newer paradigm shifts , adding newer and multifaceted dimensions to your work, as a householder you have a greater chance of self improvement, be it in design thinking, in flexibility, be it leadership of control of events and execution of family enterprise, of improving upon self enterprise, management of individuals with diverse personalities, a living laboratory of diversity and honing of personal skills that you had perhaps left far behind, as a craftsman, whatever role you may play , you play as though you are playing to the flute tune of the Almighty.
Only then serenity seeps in, only then can we be justified in our silence,in our detachment , in our involvement of an action plan that leads to self improvement .
Through the exemplary services of many leaders ,we can learn the way of both service, dedication, developing a state of highest levels of steadfast mind , an intrinsically happy state of mind, come what may, I will need to do my best.
All the time we worry of people, and leave no time for our own selves.what does our soul crave for , what level of perfection we need to attain ......
when we learn this and begin to work on this essential factor, automatically peace descends, there is total surrender to the Almighty and the action plan continues to guide us and throw light on the truth, whether we are in the forefront or in the background.
Our individual abilities will be enhanced better to our levels of greatest satisfaction,that then would definitely lead to the much wanted serenity.
The self in transition
The Self in transition is key measure in our lives that enables us see ourselves in improvement ,rather than decline of values.
It’s the core of spirituality that brings out the best in us. Religion is needed for those ,who wish to follow the ritualistic guidelines ,of adhering to the norms of that particular religion.
However ,with education and enlightenment and the development of cognitive faculties , the matter is not so related to as much as the spirit. The spirit is the essence of our core being. It’s the spirit that often guides us . Understanding this spirit in its un-manifested form ,takes us to the concept of spirituality.
The omnipresence is felt , there is an emotional connect , of what is right and wrong, without clinging on to form . Yes, initially a form is the most attractive , instantly connecting us emotionally as we see in a church or a temple . Later when we sit alongside a seashore , we see the majestic waves, we perceive the majestic beauty , we sit in silence, in admiration, in a total awe , the conscious inspires us to be sensitive to the nature around .
When this feeling is aroused , the process of spirituality begins. Sensitive to what is around , understanding the principle of Unity in Diversity , understanding the cosmos as a whole ….with all the flora and fauna , then why do we even look at another in a discerning way, we know that the other is a part of the whole , and so are we and the sum total of all the parts makes for a much larger vision of the whole.
The spiritual person then begins to connect to the world.
The one in many and the many In one, principle of thought is well assimilated as against the separation by dogmas , for not all can follow those dogmas, for instance ,if I were to go to a church, I wouldn’t be aware of the systemic requirements of the procedures ,unless initiated upon. Same holds true of temples or mosques.
However with the transformation that is brought about by the spiritual study, that doesn’t closet a person’s intelligence, is free to read and understand the excerpts of a Bible , the Koran and the Gita. It’s akin to a tourist guide taking us around to the famous basilicas and monuments , and we treasure that historical information, and the marvel of art and architecture. Religion is preserving that art and culture and Spirituality is understanding the evolutionary process of that art and culture within that era, it could be the Byzantine or the Greek empires, the Aryan and the moguls …. The figures, the figurines, the mathematical expression, of shapes and figures, the pyramids …..all which have a religious base but eventually built on the basis of spirituality .
People have come out with their own innovative moralistic code , in the modern era. A questioning attitude as to what works and what doesn’t has brought about a shift in thinking paradigms ,away from stereotypes.
listening to speakers is a great asset , reading the varied texts, reading with understanding is even greater and finally bringing it about as an application science to daily living by following the Principles of harmony and universal brotherhood would certainly go a long way in bringing about a great change in humanity.
