The progress of science has bestowed powerful technologies on humankind. Through genetic engineering, we can modify plant species and create GMOs. We know how to create designer babies through human genome editing and in vitro fertilization.
However, while science has put nuclear power in our hands, it has not equipped us with the knowledge of the right or wrong use of that power. That is why the progress of scientific knowledge has been accompanied by global warming, rampant pollution, and the depletion of the ozone layer.
We now have new problems in the form of over-urbanization and a rapid diminution of mineral wealth and non-renewable energy resources.
If wisdom comes from knowledge, then why can scientific knowledge not resolve the ethical dilemmas surrounding its usage? Because they are beyond the realm of material science. To understand ethics and morality, we must turn to spiritual science.
Material knowledge does not provide us with the answers to the big questions in life. What is the ultimate purpose of my life? Who am I? Why have I come to this world? If we do not know the answers to these questions, then we are simply running around like a headless chicken, not knowing even the goal of life.
The Vedas inform us that we are not material bodies made of matter; we are souls, divine and immortal. We are not material beings having a spiritual experience. Rather, we are spiritual beings having a material experience in this world of Maya. Hence, our mundane day-to-day experiences leave us dissatisfied. Our soul yearns to connect with something sacred and higher than us. To go beyond the everyday grind of mundane existence. To find a deeper purpose in life. Hence, the need for spirituality.
The thirst for spiritual nourishment becomes so intense for some people that they renounce everything else in pursuit of it. We are all familiar with the story of the Buddha—how he witnessed old age, disease, and death in his kingdom and ended up renouncing the world in search of the purpose of human life.
History is a testimony to Adi Shankaracharya, Nimbarkacharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and millions of other ascetics, sadhus, and sanyasis who have followed that path.
However, spirituality does not require us to necessarily renounce the world. The Bhagavad Gita informs us that it can be done at home as well. In this verse, Lord Krishna explains that one can be spiritual both as a sannyasi and as a grihastha (householder).
However, practising spirituality while living a household life is even more praiseworthy than renunciation.
As I travel around the world giving discourses, I am often asked the question: “What is the difference between religion and spirituality?” The difference is that spirituality is the essence, while religion is its external form. For example, going to Char Dham Yatra to visit the four sacred places is religion. Sitting down in one place and taking our minds to the Divine is a form of spirituality. Taking a bath in the holy river Ganga is a religion. While bathing our minds in divine thoughts is spirituality. It is religious to offer ghee oblations in the sacrificial fire.
To offer our obnoxious ego at the feet of God and become humble is spirituality. Religion will please your grandmother and make you look holy in the eyes of society. Spirituality will please God and make you holy from within.
Nowadays, many young people reject religious practises on the pretext of being spiritual. They ridicule their parents and the elder generations for their indulgence in religious practices. However, the reality is that they are slaves to their whimsical minds and neither pursue spirituality nor religion.
Without the help of any external rituals, the practise of spirituality is exceedingly difficult. because the mind does not get the support it requires for nurturing divine thoughts. Hence, in the initial stages of the spiritual journey, the external form is immensely beneficial. That is why the scriptures and saints have created systems of traditions, customs, and ceremonies. These are the religious practises that get passed down from generation to generation.
Rather, we must strive to achieve their goal, which is to purify our minds by thinking of God. That is why the hundreds of Bhakti Saints who came 500 years ago inspired the masses to go to the essence of religious practices, which is spirituality.
GETTING IN TOUCH WITH NATURE
Experiences with nature can also serve to enhance ourspiritual side. Similar to meditation, getting away from the fast pace of dailyactivities and distractions can serve to calm the mind. In a natural setting,we often become more aware of our environment and feel a connection toeverything around us, whether it is plant or animal life or everything we see.You may be able to find a spiritual connection with nature during a quiet walkin the woods near your home. For some people, a week-long hiking trip or remotemountain vacation better fills this need.
SPIRITUAL EXPRESSION THROUGH ART
Any true artistic endeavor, whether it is painting, dance ormusical performance, has a deeply personal component. The successful artist hasfound a connection with the spiritual part of their being and is expressing itthrough their art. We do not have to be professional artists to have thisexperience. It is the act of becoming absorbed in the artistic process thatallows this to occur. Many artists cannot describe how they create, other thanto say they serve as a conduit for some other presence or force.
SPIRITUALITY AND HUMAN CONNECTIONS
For many, getting spiritual is a matter of connecting withthe people who surround us every day of our lives. This can be formal, as ameditation group, or it could mean a more casual involvement such as simplecharitable organizations who share food, clothing or other resources. For many,the act of giving their time, energy or spare resources can be a valuable wayof reaching inwards and activating the core human quality of love andunderstanding.
Deeper wisdom on different styles of thinking, including spiritual thinking, are revealed by Swami Mukundananda, in his latest book, The Power of Thoughts, published by Penguin Ananda.
