Principles of Spirituality - 3

 

Photo Credit: SSRF

Principles of Spirituality - 3

According to Spiritual Level or Capacity

We must check that the spiritual practice we choose is as per our spiritual capacity or spiritual level. A student, who has passed grade 3, will not be able to sit for the grade 4 exams if he has been continually studying only the grade 3 syllabus. So too spiritual seekers should try to improve their capacity to do spiritual practice so as to not get stuck at one level of spiritual practice.

Let us go through the various stages of development from more gross forms of worship to more subtle forms as per the level of the seeker:

1. At an initial level we feel that we can make contact with the Divine only by going to a place of worship and through praying to a statue of God or a Divine Being.
2. Next, we feel a connection with the Divine not just through rituals but through reading spiritual books whilst sitting in the place of worship.
3. In the next stage we feel that even words are too gross, and just experiencing the vibrations in a church or temple are enough to spiritually nourish us.
4. After this we do not need to even go to a place of worship, but can experience God in the beauty of Nature; high up in the mountains, at a serene lake, etc.
5. At an even higher level, we do not need nature anymore but can experience God in daily living. Even if we are in an unpleasant place such as a filthy slum or in the middle of a war zone, we can perceive the comforting blanket of God’s presence, and can worship Him there in the quiet presence of our hearts.

Offering to God as per Talent or Capacity 

All of us have some kind of resources at our disposal. These have been given to us by God. A basic principle in spiritual practice is that we use these same resources to serve Him as part of our spiritual practice and grow spiritually. The resources we have fall broadly into four categories: Our body, our wealth and worldly connections, our mind and intellect and finally our sixth sense. By consistently offering what we have to serve God as part of our spiritual practice, we grow spiritually. Even if one does not have wealth or a high intellect, he can still offer his body in service to God and thereby grow spiritually. The four types of offerings mentioned above are not mutually exclusive. If a person has a good intellect and a strong understanding of Spirituality, he may be inclined just to offer his intellect. However, the principle is about ‘offering all what one has’. As the person has a body and also may have some wealth, he should offer that along with his intellect. Out of all offerings, the mind and intellect are the most superior as through that medium one can help others understand and practice Spirituality.

Ref: SSRF