What is Spirituality all about? Is it giving up all the pleasures of the world, and renouncing everything and going into the forest to live in solitude? Is it about having a long beard and hair, and wearing robes? What is it to be Spiritual in the modern world? People wonder if it is actually possible to live a Spiritual life in a family and run a business. Because of the fairy tales we have been told and the myths associated with Spirituality, people are confused. The rituals and superstitions in religion are often mixed up with being Spiritual. Spirituality has been branded and positioned as that state where a man gives up all his pleasures and possessions. But is it true that you have to give up all your worldly duties to pursue a Spiritual life? Spirituality is a Divine way to overcome all suffering. It is a way to eternal bliss, peace and joy. Anybody can choose to live a Spiritual life and one does not have to give up this world to be Spiritual.
What is the true meaning of Spirituality? Many people consider themselves to be Spiritual when in reality, they are religious. Unfortunately, Spirituality has been misunderstood. It has been confused with religion and it has been labelled and branded such that one shudders at the thought of living a Spiritual life. Because all of us have been conditioned and taught to believe in theology based on our scriptures, we consider God to be somebody in heaven. We also believe in Divine Spirits, angels, and ghosts. Spirituality reveals the Truth. There is no devil. There are no ghosts and spirits. These are a figment of our imagination, the result of the stories we read and the nonsense that we let others feed us with. The Spiritual world is all about Enlightenment. It is about overcoming ignorance and Realizing the Truth.
Is it possible to live a Spiritual life being in this material world, enjoying all the pleasures, eating and drinking, living with people, and being surrounded by a world of modern gadgets and gizmos? Of course, it is! Spirituality is not about giving up the world and going into the forest. It is about discovering the Divine Spirit within and living a life of eternal bliss and everlasting peace. It is about transcending the triple suffering, the pain of the body, misery of the mind and agony of the ego.
Unfortunately, the world today has forgotten the meaning of a Spiritual life. Most of the 8 billion people on earth are living a life that is deeply embedded in the material world. Our entire focus is on our material possessions. Even our happiness comes from material pleasures. We have forgotten the true essence of our Spiritual life. Therefore, we do not experience eternal bliss and everlasting peace. Life in the material world is mostly about achievement. It is about success and wealth, name and fame, pleasure and power. Man has forgotten that none of this is eternal. All this pleasure, all this power is momentary.
What is this Spiritual world of ultimate happiness? Man lives as the body and enjoys pleasures as he gratifies his senses. But he also suffers physical pain. Then, man lives as the mind and fulfils his fantasies. But soon, he is tormented by fear, worry, stress, and anxiety. Man lives as the ego and enjoys success and fame, but the very same name suffers the agony of anger, hate, revenge, and jealousy. It is only when man discovers he is not the body, mind, and ego, that he is liberated from suffering, and enjoys Divine peace and bliss as he realizes that he is the Soul, the Divine Spirit.
Most of us struggle through life. We want to be happy, and we chase pleasure, achievement, and success. Then, we are faced with defeat and disappointment along with a broken heart in the material world. We often turn to God, the one solution to all our problems. But at the same time, we also get trapped in the rituals and superstitions of our religion. We are confused and want the magic of Spirituality, but don’t know where and how to get it.
Most of us are lost in the material world. We don’t realize how we can live a Spiritual life and be liberated from all misery and suffering. We don’t even start that Spiritual journey that can take us to bliss. We put off our Spiritual voyage to a tomorrow that will never come. Some of us are lucky, we make that choice and go on a quest. We Realize the Truth and discover how to live a Spiritual life in a material world.