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Thursday, February 10, 2011

What is Spirituality?

What is Spirituality?

They say science is an outward search and spirituality - inwards. We have heard enough of the differences between science and spirituality so far. It is also said that science and spirituality are diametrically opposite poles. Science is based on some inherent assumption which results in some hypothesis and this “so called” Spirituality is also based on some beliefs or ideologies.

But is there any similarity between Science and Spirituality..?? Oh ...yes!! Science as well as Spirituality both are based on one single foundation of assumption and that is nothing but “Acceptance of Duality”!

Both believe in the presence of a separate ‘Searcher’ and there starts the concept of Search….concept of Union…concept of Yoga!!! :-)

Spirituality is in a way a relative term or a concept and hence the definition of the same will vary person to person. For someone spirituality is reducing sufferings or self improvement or escape from boredom or curiosity of the unknown or to get enlightened (?) etc. There are various sub-concepts found associated with the concept called spirituality like Building schools, carrying out social work, building ashrams and centres, helping others (?) or to be associated with any particular spiritual sect or a group or registering a Spiritual Guinness book record and many more. But all these purposes and sub-concepts are entirely based on the foundation of assumption as mentioned earlier.

In a broader perspective the spiritual seeker may get involved either in seeking or finding answers based on the foundation of his/her assumption that he/she is a separate entity or else the seeker can try & find out by challenging this foundation of assumption.

The first option of seeking on the foundation of assumption is usually & naturally opted as a path and the seeker realizes (or may not realize) the futility of the same after many years as the seeking never ends with any of the methods professed or practised as all of them keep the seeker still enmeshed in the duality and in the games of the duality. I have seen hundreds of so called seekers, seeking for more than forty years and yet suffering and waiting for the enlightenment. What is enlightenment? Well that is a separate subject and can be dealt separately. ;-)

Hence the real question can be asked within is, "Who" is seeking the spirituality?". Or may be, "Who is seeking?" What is the nature of that identity which is seeking? With the pondering on this question, the seeking definitely ends. As the sole & whole purpose of seeking is nothing other than ending the seeking!! With the ending of the seeking the spirituality gets revealed as a mere illusion. Spirituality and the Samsara are not and were never separate. But as the seeker believes in the realness of the Samsara, hence his belief on the realness of the spirituality strengthens which further leads to belief in the concepts like nirvana or the enlightenment which subsequently leads to more concepts and more bondages instead of the freedom for which the journey had started. :-)

You are welcome to ponder over, enquire, investigate, absorb or else get ABSORBED..!

With Love,

-Nitin Ram
25 Nov 2010
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Being is 'ease' and becoming...a Dis'ease'