In all my years of teaching, I see a common pattern among the so-called spiritual people. Very often, they perform some technique in the name of sadhana without a clue why they are doing it and what its effect is on the body and mind. They just keep doing it because some charismatic person with clever marketing has presented the so-called ultimate technique.
These people have spent time, energy, and a lot of money, only to end up disillusioned after a few years. Yet they keep saying, “Oh, it helped me a lot.” But how exactly did it help? Nobody knows! Whether it is a worldly activity or a spiritual one, you need to be clear about:
. What you’re doing
. Why you’re doing it
. What the goal is
. How what you are doing is connected with the ultimate goal
If all these are not clear, and the person just continues with the practice, believing something will happen, nothing is going to happen. As my teacher used to say, “Whatever has to happen has already happened.”
In traditional teaching, these things are clarified right at the beginning:
. What is the spiritual goal?
. What are the intermediary goals?
. What is the process, if any?
. How do you achieve it?
If you have joined a group where all this is already clarified, approach the person in charge—the guru or the teacher—and ask them. They’ll be happy to explain all this. If they cannot or will not, then, maybe, it’s just a trip, or it is fake, or it is not meant for you.
No authentic spiritual teacher will ask you to give up your logic and reasoning. They will encourage you to use your logic and reasoning to understand what is being said and expressed.
In fact, in the Indian tradition, in the Gita, Krishna says to serve the teacher with many questions. Let your questions be the service, indicating that learning and understanding are most important. Without that, your spiritual practice can remain trivial at the worst or help you handle certain aspects of your mind at the best.
The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at [email protected]
