What are five different practices in spirituality?

Spirituality is the science of the Spirit, the Soul, the Atman. The Soul is what gives us life. SOUL is that Spark Of Unique Life, that energy, that life force that gives us breath. Spirituality helps us to realise who we are. We are not this body. Neither are we the mind. We are the Divine Spirit, the Soul, a part of God. We realise that God is not who we think God is — a person or a saint. God is a power, God is energy. God is SIP, the Supreme Immortal Power that manifests as us, as nature, the universe. Spirituality helps us to realise that this world is a cosmic drama, the Leela of the Divine. It leads us to Moksha. It helps us to live a life of everlasting peace, divine love and eternal bliss.

Several essential spiritual practices can help us evolve on our spiritual journey to realise the ultimate goal of life — Moksha, Nirvana. The most important are:

Starting a spiritual quest

One must go on a quest to realise the truth. Of course, a spiritual retreat will help us focus, meditate and contemplate but spirituality is more about an inward search. In our quest, even as we assimilate knowledge, we must not blindly follow what we hear or is said to us. We must ask, investigate and realise the truth. It is also important that we seek the guidance of a Guru. It is a Guru who will take us from Gu to Ru, from darkness to light, from ignorance to enlightenment. Ultimately, it is our efforts that matter. We have to light our light. Knowledge is not enough. We need 'Realisation', what is known as Aparoksha Anubhuti.

Meditation to transcend the mind

Meditation helps us silence the mind. It stills the mind. The mind produces 50 thoughts a minute, which can amount to an astonishing 50,000 thoughts a day. Like a monkey, it jumps from thought to thought. We have to bring down the Mental Thought Rate (MTR) from 50 thoughts a minute to one thought per minute. Meditation quietens the constant chattering of the mind. It is only when we cut off the noise, that we can hear the Divine voice. In the state of thoughtlessness, the intellect shines. And it is in this state of consciousness, thoughtlessness, that we can be enlightened if we genuinely seek the Divine.

Imbibe positive emotions

We must imbibe the positive pillars of spirituality, which we become familiar with through religion. Spirituality is rooted in the positive feelings of faith, acceptance, surrender, love, courage, hope, and trust. When positive emotions replace negative emotions, our thoughts, our actions all become positive. We live fearlessly and happily. We flip over from NEP to PEP, Negative Energy Poison to Positive Energy Power. Spiritual realisations lead us further into experiencing love for all, creating a sense of oneness with God, nature, the universe, and everyone.

We must pass through the four doors to Liberation

A spiritual seeker must pass through what can be called the four doors — dispassion or detachment, discipline, discrimination and the desire for the Divine. One must be detached, realising that nothing and no one belongs to us. We come alone and we go alone. One must live with discipline, without desiring and craving. One must sharpen the sword of the intellect to discriminate between right and wrong, the myth and the truth. And finally, one must truly, sincerely and completely desire and seek the Divine — one must be a mumukshu.

Yoga

Yoga is famous all over the world and is associated with spirituality. But yoga is not about asanas or physical exercises, pranayama, or breathing techniques. Yoga is about being in union with God. We can be in yoga through Dhyana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Gyana Yoga or even Prema Yoga. Yoga is a very important spiritual practice. Just like a SIM card is connected to the satellite, a spiritual seeker connects a spiritual seeker to the Divine. One who remains ever connected with God is a Yogi.