The Essence of Spirituality
आध्यात्मिकता का सार
-विमला ठाकर (26 दिसंबर, 2012)
आध्यात्मिक होने का अर्थ है, जीवन के स्पष्ट, अस्पष्ट और अनंत तीनों ही पहलुओं से एक साथ सम्बन्ध रख पाना। सच्ची आध्यात्मिकता भय-आसक्त मनुष्यों के लिए जान बचाने का कोई रास्ता नहीं दिखाती । संसार में बच निकलने के और कई रास्ते हैं, पर वे आध्यात्मिकता का सार नहीं हैं। इस बात को ठीक से समझ लें।
असल में धार्मिक और पूर्णतः आध्यात्मिक इन्सान होना काफी हिम्मत का काम है। जब हम खुद को राष्ट्र, धर्म, सम्प्रदाय, और सिद्धांत के नाम पर मानव निर्मित दीवारों पर नहीं बल्कि जीवन की संपूर्णता पर समर्पित कर देते हैं, फिर हम किसी खास जाति या धर्म नहीं, बल्कि पूरे भूमंडलीय परिवार का हिस्सा बन जाते हैं। आध्यात्मवाद में हम में से कोई भी चुनौतियों से नहीं बच सकता। हम जहाँ भी जाएँगे, वो चुनौतियाँ हमारा पीछा करेंगी। हमारे अन्दर मानव जाति की विरासत का निवास है; वह ज्ञान, अनुभव, सम्पूर्ण मानव जाति के वो संस्कार, हर मनुष्य के मन का हिस्सा हैं।
आप यह समझने लें कि आध्यात्मिक जांच का मतलब जीवन और जीवित चीज़ों से दूर हटना नहीं बल्कि जीने के तरीके में एक नए गुणात्मक दृष्टिकोण को जन्म देना है। यह जीवन से भागने का तरीका नहीं है और न ही मनोगत और श्रेष्ट अनुभवों को इक्कट्ठा करने का कोई अहंकार-केन्द्रित कार्य। हम अक्सर धार्मिक और आध्यात्मिक खोज, और साधना के बारे में बहुत तुच्छ तरीके से बात करते हैं।
अगर हम आध्यात्मिक जांच के माध्यम से कुछ व्यक्तिगत लक्ष्य हासिल करना चाहते हैं, तो हम केवल अपनी महत्त्वाकांक्षाओं का शारीरिक और मानसिक क्षेत्र से धार्मिक क्षेत्र में स्थनान्तरण कर रहे हैं। आध्यात्मिक जांच, आत्मकेंद्रित या अहंकार-केन्द्रित कार्य नहीं है। मानव जाति जिन चुनौतियों से जूझ रही है, यह उनका सामना करने का तरीका है।
मनोगत क्षेत्र में हमें कई दिलचस्प अनुभव हो सकते हैं, इस किस्म की आध्यात्मिकता पैसा बनाने का एक अच्छा साधन बन चुकी है। कई लोग यही काम करते हैं, और दूसरों में खास मानसिक शक्ति को जागृत करने की उम्मीद जगा कर उनसे पैसा ऐंठते हैं।
लेकिन धर्म और आध्यात्मिकता अमूल्य, पवित्र चीज़ें हैं, खरीदने-बेचने का सामान नहीं, न ही नए संप्रदाय स्थापित करने और शिष्य इकट्ठे करने का साधन हैं।
अगर हम आध्यात्मिकता के नाम पर खेल खेलते रहे, हम अपने अहम् को परिवर्तन की आग से बचाने की कोशिश में लगे रहेंगे, वो परिवर्तन जो हमें सच्चाई तक पहुँचाने में मदद कर सकता है। अगर हम यही चाहते हैं, तो हमें अपनी सफाई देने की खुली छूट है, लेकिन अगर हम सिर्फ मानसिक अनुभव इकट्ठे करने में लगे हैं और तंत्र-मन्त्र से खिलवाड़ कर रहे है, तो यह नाटक करना बेकार है कि हम आंतरिक परिवर्तन का कार्य कर रहे हैं। आध्यात्मिकता की राह पर चलने का उद्देश्य है खुद को अहम् के जेलखाने से बाहर निकाल पाना; आंतरिक अनुभवों और तंत्र-मन्त्र के माध्यम से उस जेलखाने को पहले से ज्यादा रोचक बनाना नहीं।
हम में से बहुत से लोग अपने जीवन को आध्यात्मिक दिखाने की कोशिश में लगे रहते हैं, अज्ञात और गुप्त चीज़ों को जानने की कोशिश, प्राचीन चिकित्सा पद्धतियों में पड़ने की कोशिश, अलौकिक ज्ञान में उलझने की कोशिश, लेकिन जब तक इन्सान अपने आप को संस्कारों के जंजाल से मुक्त नहीं कर लेता, सिर्फ नाम के लिए आध्यात्मिक जानकारी का कोई फायदा नहीं है।
मानव जाति की सबसे बड़ी ज़रुरत अलौकिक जानकारी और अनुभव इकट्ठे करना नहीं, अत्यावश्यक हैं परिपक्व और सम्पूर्ण इंसान जो अहंकार, आसक्ति, भावनात्मक असंतुलन से परे हैं और जो सचेत, ध्यानशील, संवेदनशील, रचनात्मक और सजीव हैं।
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What is the essence of spirituality for you? How do you set yourself free of the tyranny of conditionings? Can you share a personal story that illustrates the essence of spirituality?
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8 Past Reflections
On Dec 26, 2012 aj wrote :
Amen, Narendra!
Any one/thing that says "I am right and you are wrong", in matters Spiritual, limit God. Since we are all God's "originals" (unlike any other "creation") the way we come to Him will, too, be unique. WHO ARE WE to "package" God? I have enough sin, by my own human nature, I care not "box" the One Who came to save me.
Spirituality unites.
Religion divides.
Freedom "to just be" . . . to forgive . . . to be compassionate . . . to love . . . holds us together, in/thru Him.
Any one/thing that says "I am right and you are wrong", in matters Spiritual, limit God. Since we are all God's "originals" (unlike any other "creation") the way we come to Him will, too, be unique. WHO ARE WE to "package" God? I have enough sin, by my own human nature, I care not "box" the One Who came to save me.
Spirituality unites.
Religion divides.
Freedom "to just be" . . . to forgive . . . to be compassionate . . . to love . . . holds us together, in/thru Him.
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On Dec 26, 2012 Narendra wrote :
Corrected copy.....
What is the essence of spirituality for you? Spirituality for me is an adventure in finding the limits of my own consciousness. On this adventurous path, I hope to go though the limiting boundaries set by the body genetics, culture, my own emotions and the physical world of sense perception and even rationality, to experience the unifying consciousness that holds this universe together as universal love or god. How do you set yourself free of the tyranny of conditionings? The tyranny of conditioning is based on the fear of god and in the absence of love of god and nature. The internal tyranny of conflicting thoughts and emotions can be replaced by love, through unselfish effort as an expression of love. The same unselfish love and courage or karmayoga, can also be used as a kshatriya dharma to fight the external tyranny of disrespectful, intolerant religious, financial and political organizations that have destroyed and continue to destroy ... [View Full Comment]
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On Dec 26, 2012 a wrote :
One's Spirituality is poured out in/thru one's every word, breath, action, expression . . . in anything and everything that comes out of us! Whether sleeping or awake, our spirit is revealed by who ever our audience may be (most often, God alone). Anything that is not physical, falls into the "spiritual", for any living being.
This is why my spirit is very much attracted to God's Spirit. His Word, Breath, Expression, Action . . . all boil down to Love and Life.
He is ALL GOOD! Spirits affixed to His, not only survive but flourish. Dependent on any other . . . I do not really care to go there!
Personal story: As a child, I was drawn to my best friend Mary's family and home . . . God centered/Spirit filled. Not perfect, but incredibly Love filled . . . incredibly Peace filled . . . incredibly different from my own home and family. I decided I would invite Jesus' Spirit, Heart, Life and Love into my Spiri... [View Full Comment]
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On Dec 23, 2012 Manisha wrote :
To me, the essence of spirituality is truth. It is to see the totality and inherent beauty of things with complete clarity. This requires the arduous task of chipping away the ego, so that the clarity of vision is not clouded by ignorance, attachments, desires, and fears. Truth gives way to wisdom, gratitude, compassion, and generosity. For Gandhi, truth was synonymous with love, and Khalil Gibran's beautiful words come to mind: "Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself."
The essence of spirituality remains elusive to me as I have taken one or two very small steps on the path of truth. What moves me on this path is meditation. It has been so helpful in freeing me from the tyranny of conditionings, and in illuminating what I need to do to move forward on this very long path as there is still so much work ahead.
A few weeks ago I took part in a 10-day silent meditation course. It was the second course of this type that I have received ... [View Full Comment]
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On Dec 22, 2012 david doane wrote :
The essence of spirituality for me is an abiding awareness that we are spiritual beings having a human experience; to live with an abiding awareness that all is Being/Spirit/Sacred, and each of us is an expression of that that Source; to live with an abiding awareness that I am in this world but not of it in the sense that I am not consumed by any form including ego; to live with an abiding awareness that each expression of Being is different but not separate, all is one and all is sacred, and to live with compassion for all. I set myself free of the tyranny of conditionings by becoming more aware of those conditionings which happens unpredictably through living and I help it along by activities like paying attention, reflection, input from others. I meet with a small group of men, our "spirituality group," and we share reflections, insights, and readings which has very much nurtured my spirituality over the past 6 years and for me has often been spiritualit... [View Full Comment]
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On Dec 21, 2012 Rajesh wrote :
What a wonderful passage. The last paragraph captures the essence of the passage "the urgent requirement is for mature, whole human beings who are free of ego attachments, emotional imbalances....". Whole-ness seems to be completely disregarded in these times. Instead, we seem to put on a pedestal a fragmented approach where we achieve competency and specialization in a particular field or sphere of life. Many thanks to Service Space for reminding of our whole-ness! Moving towards whole-ness is a journey I participate in with many others and am thankful for encountering the path.
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On Dec 21, 2012 Conrad P Pritscher wrote :
I experienced the essence of spirituality when I noticed what I thought was a hungry man looking in a garbage can for food. I gave him a couple of dollars. He was deeply appreciative and had great gratitude. I experienced gratitude for having the opportunity to feed someone hungry. Being kind to others and yourself is the essence of spirituality. I've not yet found any sure way to set myself free from the tyranny of conditioning. I am still somewhat conditioned to have a "me first " attitude. Reading iJourney pieces and comments about those short articles has helped me reduce my "me first" attitude. I have been very heavily influenced by ServiceSpace.org and iJourney to be more spiritual in the sense of seeing myself as Stardust at times helping other pieces of Stardust, and noticing other pieces of Stardust helping my piece of Stardust. A s was recently mentioned in I journey comments,we are not drops ... [View Full Comment]