Spirituality- The journey to an uncharted route of new horizons
Every spiritual seeker is much like a solitary passenger on an uncharted route of the inner trip. A voyage that forces him to let go of old connections opens up new horizons, enables him to cross each milestone in spiritual development, and ultimately leads him to the knowledge of Reality.
However, the procedure has a cost. During this trip, the associations, guidance, support, care, and protection that the aspirant had in the outward world are lost, and at times aspirants may feel hopeless amid the undiscovered ocean of spiritual immensity.
This necessitates a methodical approach on spiritual stages, with which any spiritual seeker may determine where he or she is on the path inside.
Sadly, there is no thorough work on this topic. Master's words are largely on sadhana, with little allusions to its stages. Furthermore, many faiths and spiritual pathways have diverse types of sadhana, making it impossible to establish a uniform standard for spiritual advancement.
Sri Ramakrishna's teachings and experiences, however, may be utilised to build a paradigm for spiritual landmarks because he practised numerous religions and religious pathways.
This effort seeks to identify the spiritual growth criteria. Although spiritual growth cannot be totally objective, this work has given a clear notion of one's status of spiritual advancement.
Key Stages of Spiritual Advancement
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, page 610-611, Sri Ramakrishna says:
- There are two signs that you have such expertise. First, there is desire or love for God. You may explain or argue all you want, but if you don't feel any desire or love, it's pointless.
- Second, the Kundalini is awakened. You have not acquired knowledge of God as long as the Kundalini stays sleeping.
- First stage: The novice stage is when a spiritual seeker listens and studies about God.
- Second stage: The second stage is that of the aspirant who is striving. He worships God, prays to him, meditates on him, and sings his praises.
- Third Stage: The stage of the flawless soul is the third. He has beheld God, realised him in his own awareness directly and instantaneously.
- God's grace is required to awaken the inner consciousness. A person enters samadhi as a result of this enlightenment. He frequently forgets the fact that he possesses a physical body.
The person abandons his attraction to "women and wealth" and refuses to engage in conversation unless it is about God. He is afflicted by worldly conversation. One recognises the all-pervading consciousness when one's inner consciousness awakens.
Gudhartha Dipika by Madhusudana Sarasvati
Madhusudana Sarasvati was an Advaita Vedanta philosopher who lived in India. He was a student of Visvesvara Sarasvati and Madhava Sarasvati, and his name is one of the most well-known in the history of the Dvaita-Advaita controversy. The Nyayamruta of Vyasatirtha sparked a scholarly dispute that lasted generations in the Advaita society. Madhusudan wrote Advaitasiddhi, a wave of rebuttal of the Dvaita school's Nyayamruta.
Advaitasiddhi, Madhusudana Sarasvati's most renowned book, served to build Vedanta on a logical foundation by rejecting all other schools' critiques. However, in his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, he presented a philosophy of life that included Yoga, devotion, and the logical insight of Samkhya as well as various forms of spiritual growth. The development of devotion was given the utmost priority by Madhusudana.
Madhusudana's work, the Gudhartha Dipika (an Annotation Revealing the True Importance of the Gita), is undoubtedly his most significant literary endeavour. Even though there are other traditional interpretations of the Gita, this work is second only to Sri Shankaracharya's commentary in terms of competence, profundity, and uniqueness.
In Gudhartha Dipika, on stages of spirituality Madhusudana Sarasvati says:
- First, perseverance in altruistic works; next, cleansing of the intellect; then, abandonment of all activities, guided by control of sense organs and other means; last, perseverance in devotion to the Divine, along with contemplation on Upanisadic words.
- This leads to perseverance in the Experience of Reality, and the outcome is jivanmukti, which is attained by the termination of ignorance, which includes the three Gunas, and lasts till the completion of the Prarabdha Karma experience. After it, there is videha-mukti.
- And my dedication to the greatest human goal, one attains absolute disassociation, as well as the virtuous disposition known as divine prosperity, while in the condition of jivanmukti.
Varieties of Religious Experience by William James
In his book Varieties of Religious Experience (p. 247), William James sums up the end result of spirituality objectively as follows:
- " The qualities of the emotive experience, which I believe should be named the state of certainty instead of the faith-state to avoid vagueness, are simply stated, but their intensity is perhaps harder to understand... The fundamental one is the elimination of all concern, the conviction that all is well with one, in the end, the calmness, harmony, and readiness to be, even if the exterior conditions stay the same..."
- "The second characteristic is the perception of previously unknown truths. The secrets of life become clear..... but unspoken in words... The third feature of the assurance state is the objective change that the world appears to be undergoing."
- "Everything is enhanced by the appearance of freshness..."
The perspective of the World around changes
Coming out of the puzzles of worldliness and onto the path to liberation is a metaphor for the first step in the spiritual journey.
A person's perspective of himself and the world around him is how he identifies with the world. His convictions shift as he embarks on his spiritual journey. As a result, his perspective and identity with the world change dramatically. The following are the stages of these changes:
The shackles of the world begin to loosen
The profound identification of a non-spiritual person with the world makes him feel one with it. A sense of belonging, obligation and accountability is created by parents, spouses, siblings, relatives, friends, and coworkers. As a result, all of these factors drive a person to move in the world's loop.
On the other hand, a sincere seeker notices that things are starting to happen for him only to set him free from the monotonous existence. Marriage, children, and other forms of family life become unattractive to him, and even if he marries due to an unexpected turn of circumstances, he remains estranged from the relationship, and his partner becomes a spiritual ally.
The financial troubles of true seekers are managed by well-wishers, their yearning for luxuries subsides, and the trivialities of life cease to worry them. So these people are free from material obligations.
The world seems to be an endless pit
What had previously appeared to be a paradise for a spiritual seeker now looks to be a black chasm, and people whom he had previously believed to be his life's biggest foundation suddenly seem to be lethal adversaries (Sri Ramakrishna says it to be like a "Poisonous snake").
The places of pleasure and satisfaction seem dangerous traps, and previous attachments seem poisonous.
This state of mind in a beginner's mind has been defined in many ways by various spiritual masters. It may feel as if the entire world is on fire, or as if one's own body and mind are on fire. Some people experience oppressive suffocation, asphyxia, or a sense of drowning in the world's ocean.
With the narrative of the young legendary bird Homa, Sri Ramakrishna portrays this condition of mind. The mother lays her egg in the sky, and the egg hatches while it is still falling. Fearing destruction, the thriving bird emerges and flies high to seek its mother for safety.
The Homa bird is claimed to never stop flying, spending its entire existence unseen far well above ground and never landing.
Swami Vivekananda's life provides an illustration of this feeling:
Narendra: I went to my grandmother's house to study. As I attempted to read, I was overtaken with terror, as if learning were a terrifying experience. My heart was tumultuous inside of me. I sobbed uncontrollably: I'd never cried so hard in my life. I rushed away from my books. I ran through the streets. My shoes had slid off my feet and I had no idea where they had gone. I sprinted by a haystack and was covered in hay. I continued to sprint along the road to Cossipore. (936–Gospel)
Most spiritual seekers have a tangible sense of horror and fear about the world. Once a seeker has had this experience, the alluring tune of worldliness is irrevocably muted for him.
The world appears to be an extraterrestrial land
In rare situations, an aspirant may be required to live in the world to fulfil some responsibility. Such aspirants carry out their responsibilities with love and connect with others, yet they are also aware that they are alone in the world. They get the impression that they are visitors in a distant nation who must return to their true home as soon as possible.
When a seeker is drunk with divine love, he loses his feeling of belonging to the world, and all of his relationships with people dissolve. The sensation of belonging has now been replaced with a sense of global compassion.
Renunciation of the material is a sign of spiritual growth
One of the formal indications of that vast inner renunciation that leads to God is external renunciation. The world had been rejected by the majority of religious leaders, including Buddha and Christ.
People get dragged into family life like a vortex. The soothing murmur of children's simpering and the beautiful words of a devoted spouse masks the danger of the vortex. It becomes hard for a person to cut through the bonds he has created over the years, much like a silkworm stuck in its cocoon.
"He who has rejected the world has already made considerable progress," Sri Ramakrishna states (Gospel, p.372).
Anyone who has left their home in the name of God is undoubtedly a spiritually mature individual, even if they do not engage in many spiritual activities. He is like a free person who can do anything, but a person who is bound to the world is shackled. The latter can walk, although he stumbles frequently.
The desire for seclusion begins to grow
External or mental renunciation of the world is always accompanied by a wish to remain in isolation and to pursue one's goal sincerely.
However, it has been seen that some seekers throw up their previous associations to progress spiritually, but wind up forming new ties with strangers.
This binds them inextricably. A person advancing in spiritual life, on the other hand, abandons previous relationships and interacts with strangers very infrequently, i.e., he prefers to remain alone both externally and internally.
Pleasures of the senses become dull
A person may appreciate spiritual emotions, spiritual conversations, abstinence, and other spiritual practises on occasion, but his natural propensity is to revert to worldly pleasures. They resemble the housefly, which flies on flowers as well as rubbish.
A real spiritual person, on the other hand, is like a honeybee that only drinks nectar from flowers. Spiritually enlightened people abhor worldly pleasures to the point that they don't even entertain tempting objects near them, keeping in mind the fact that these things may lead to their destruction. If an aspirant is forced to listen to the worldly speech as he grows, he would experience a piercing ache.
A person who has experienced divine bliss has no desire to live a worldly existence. All yearning for marriage and children fade away in such people. Even angelic fairies beauty appears unattractive and repulsive to those who contemplate God's splendour.
According to Swamiji, a common man's primary source of delight and nourishment is closeness with animate and inanimate objects. According to him, the most difficult challenge for a spiritual seeker is closeness. He says that once the first turbulence of the sensations has passed, it gets easier to deal with them.
Odyssey- A Poem by Homer
This truth is brilliantly depicted in Homer's famed Greek classic Odyssey, which includes the tale of the Sirens' Island. The Island's inhabitants were half woman and half bird, but their voices were extraordinarily seductive. The sailors aboard passing ships were captivated by their melodies. Sailors, enchanted by the singing, would divert their ships towards the Island, floundering and capsizing on the dangerous cliffs that surrounded it. If there were any survivors, they were taken, prisoner.
Odysseus, a legendary warrior whose feats included the destruction of Troy, was forced to sail by the Sirens' Island. He was cautioned about the risk and told to use beeswax to seal the ears of all his sailors so that no sound could get in. To hear the singing, he had to tie his wrists and feet to the mast and have his crew pledge not to release him under any circumstances. This was completed.
The men did not respond to the music as the ship approached the island, but Odysseus grew so fascinated with it that he cried to be released, fought against the shackles, and warned the sailors with dreadful consequences if they did not follow his orders.
The description of Jason and his ship, Argo, may be found in the same epic. Jason and his companions were on their way back with the Golden Fleece when they were confronted by the Sirens' soul-crushing melody. Jason matched the Sirens' delicate melodies with even more beautiful Orpheus' lyre notes.
In the early stages of sadhana, an aspirant's senses may cause him pain. He may become like the sailors who had their ears blocked with beeswax in the second stage. However, as spiritual growth becomes more solid, the need to abandon the world and its objects fade. The allure of God's own song now outweighs the noise caused by material items.
There are times when a person living a worldly life, surrounded by things of pleasure but gratified to a large extent, may begin to believe that he is firmly set in renunciation. This is not correct.
The story of Mudgala Rishi and Rishi Durvasa from Mahabharata
The Mahabharata has a narrative of the ascetic sage Mudgala and his household, which included his wife and kid. They used to take their meals only once a fortnight. Alms were collected in such a way that there were no remains after their twice-weekly meal.
To put this sage's authority to the test, another sage, Durvasa, known for his rage, decided to pay a visit to Mudgala on the day he ate and asked to be fed. Mudgala was thrilled to have such a renowned sage as a guest and served him the prepared meals. Durvasa ate everything and then left, only to return a fortnight later. This time, he performed the same thing and repeated his test four more times.
So the family went three months without eating, but the sage Mudgala remained unaffected. Finally, the sage Durvasa commended Mudgala, adding,
' It is hard for even sages to conduct spiritual pursuits without nourishment.' Hunger arouses the worst of emotions in everyone. You are extremely amazing to have stayed emotionally unaffected despite being deprived of nourishment for such an extended period of time.'
The misconceptions of Spiritual progress
In our thoughts, imposed starvation elicits the most negative feelings. Those who live in the world but do not appreciate its joys because they are satiation are not truly great. Only when one's body and mind are not disturbed, even when away from pleasures, can one be regarded great. Swami Vivekananda disregarded the 'modern Janakas' who, though residing in the material world, thought themselves to be enlightened.
We feel less upset when we are offended than when we recall it later and are more disappointed to recall our actions than when we did it. When we are away from the items we desire and think about them, we experience increased desires. When tangible items are there, they always have a softer grasp on us than when thoughts are presented before us. Even when they are well advanced, aspirants are prone to this mental propensity.
Apathy towards money, health, and fame
The need for earthly possessions and assistance fades as one grows spiritually. Wealth, health, comforts, money, reputation, and renown are unimportant to a real devotee. Even if they have to work for a living, they keep their wants to a bare minimum and never look beyond the basics. Their concern for the body is limited to satisfying their appetite through simple means.
Such people are satisfied on the inside, and they invest what they make without ever exceeding their budget. This representation illustrates the interaction between a spiritually developing individual and the world. The changes that occur in such people are not the result of thought or rationalisation, but rather of a natural process. For them, holding on to elevated values is not a problem; rather, compromising on the ideal is a hardship.
The impact of thoughts on Spiritual Progress
The character and personality of each human being like an open book that can be readily read if we know how to do it. Our face, body, and attitude are shaped by our mental condition. How we sit, talk, move, sleep, interact, and do other activities reveal how we think and who we are. Our vices, qualities, intellect, ignorance, hidden habits, dispositions, and, most importantly, spiritual make-up appear to be expressing itself via our limbs and features.
Structural changes in mind and body due to sacred thoughts
Thoughts have an impact on brain wiring, which in turn has an impact on the bodily structure. When one engages in a certain type of thought for an extended period of time, the body suffers lasting alterations. As a result of this transformation, it is now easier for the mind to fulfil desires that require the assistance of the body. As a result, the ideas of a sprinter hoping for Olympic gold will alter his brain, which will then remodel his body to make the goal a reality. Similarly, those who have aggressive ideas develop sharp lines on their faces, whereas a poet's face seems gentle.
When sacred thoughts enter the mind, structural changes occur in the mind and body. As a result, the face alters as well. The body alterations and markings are varied due to the spiritual patterns being diverse. An aspirant's whole look is plainly indicative of the mould into which he is attempting to cast himself.
A careful eye may see the philosophical knowledge of the mould, the beliefs, and the amount of progress gained. The great gurus are known to have the power to assess the true spiritual nature of a person and set them on the right path if they had chosen the wrong one.
Signs in the body of a spiritual person
The Brahmo movement, for example, was at its height during Sri Ramakrishna's time. People in Kolkata had drawn to the concept of the movement, which condemned idol worship and glorified the pursuit of knowledge, after being inspired by Keshub Chandra Sen. Declaring oneself a Jnani, or follower of the path of wisdom, had a certain allure. 'It will not do simply to repeat, "I am He, I am He", Sri Ramakrishna used to remark.
A Jnani can be identified by specific characteristics. Narendra has large, bulging eyes. He also has nice eyes and a nice forehead (P.249)... You see, I can identify a Paramhamsa by his neck and forehead (p. 881).'
When it came to non-spiritual people, on the other hand, he used to say, "Short stature and a physique with dents here and there are not desirable features." Spiritual understanding takes a long time for those with these characteristics (p.766)... Individuals having physical characteristics such as bony people, hollow-eyed, and cross-eyed people cannot readily gain belief (p.234).
The key changes that occur in a spiritual person
Changes in the body's structure:
- The weight of the aspirant's body seems to be burnt by spiritual thought currents. A devotee has a soft physique, and the joints in his arms and legs are not stiff, allowing these parts to be readily rotated around.
- The joints do not appear to be angular, even if the body is slim. The forearms of a person with a pristine mind are lighter than those of the average person. A saint's physique has a gentleness about it, even if he is heavy or strong. The sheer strength and cruelty of such people are drained from their limbs.
- It is believed that when the yogis respond to nature's call, their urine stream deflects to the right and their faeces do not have a bad odour. Divine personalities do not have elevated nipples. It is hard to say whether or not similar qualities apply to aspirants of other pathways.
- A person with eyes like lotus petals has good thoughts. The eyes of a yogi are pointed upward and red in colour, and the eyes of a pious person are long which reach very close to the ears.
- Certain physical disorders such as blindness, do not improve with sadhana. The great sage Ashtavakra's limbs remained deformed. Surdasa, the famous Hindi spiritual poet, was blind throughout his life. Other characteristics, such as gentleness, are likely to exist even in disabled people.
Changes in voice, facial expression and health
- One of the earliest outcomes of spiritual practice is a shift in facial expression. Spirituality brings a sense of calm, which is reflected in the face. Harsh lines fade away, making it universally pleasing.
- Following that is a lovely voice. The flaws in the voice are smoothed out. Instead of a gruff, croaky, or strident voice, the person develops a pleasant, soothing, musical, and majestic voice that is appealing.
- The anxious agitation that characterises a worldly person is reduced, resulting in improved health. This does not imply that they will grow bulky or wrestler-like. This means that a successful aspirant will never be unwell. Disease and sickness affect them, but problems such as psychological disturbances no longer affect them. There is an overall sense of well-being.
Spiritual development provides satisfaction in the eyes and the face
- People are energized by the delight they experience. A youngster who is separated from his mother loses his health while receiving the greatest nourishment, but a poor youngster gains strong health with ordinary food and a loving mother. An adult survives on love, fortune, family, prestige, and so on. A person feels bewildered and listless when such a source of delight disappears.
- A person who devotes their lives to spiritual pursuits loses all worldly connections, ambitions, and hope. God is now his sole source of happiness. As one progresses in spirituality, his feeling of bliss grows; his eyes and face begin to glow with a type of internal happiness. The greater the intensity of one's love for the ideal, the more joy is shown.
An aimless look is seen in the face of yogis
- According to neuroscience, while the attention is concentrated on one thing, the information from other channels dims. The greater the concentration, the less attention is paid to other things. As a result, a person who is absorbed in reading books or watching an entertaining show is not conscious of a surrounding sound.
- This is what happens when an aspirant's immersion in God becomes profound and constant. An accomplished seeker is too preoccupied with higher thoughts to see what is going on around them. The visual cortex, which is fairly busy in a normal person, loses significance in the brain of such an aspirant.
- The proclivity to gaze out from the corner of one's eye or to map one's surroundings with a sweeping gaze fades. This gives him an aimless expression with his eyes wide open. They seemed to be staring at someplace far away. Sri Ramakrishna described this expression to the sight of a mother bird hatching her eggs.
A flushed chest and a gleaming skin
- The body takes on a new type of light as commitment and purity increase. Even a dark-skinned aspirant would notice a new gloss on his skin. The bodily parts appear to be glowing. In very rare circumstances, the body may appear to be emitting light. As a result, various saints are shown with an aura surrounding their heads.
- Even when sick, the facial expression remains appealing and retains its radiance. During devotion or concentration, the chest flushes. Limbs get more reddish.
Eyes become moist even just by a thought of god
- People become emotional as they chant, sing, and dance in the name of God. It has been observed that during communal singing and dancing, individuals shed copious tears to express their feelings. This type of sadhana has been prominent for centuries and remains to be so now. The relief provided by such emotional eruptions provides a profound experience of well-being. As a result, individuals like imitating it.
- In comparison, those on the road of devotion are overwhelmed just by considering or hearing the name of God. This occurs even during peaceful meditation in solitude. Tears come from the corners of the eyes, filling them up.
- There is a tale about a scholar who used to read the Gita out in the open regularly. Another man, who did not appear to be educated, sat at a distance and wept as he listened to the recitation. When questioned if he grasped what had been read aloud, he denied and claimed that he only saw Arjuna's chariot next to him, in front of which sat and conversed Lord Krishna and Arjuna. His eyes welled up with tears as a result of this.
- The overflow of such devotion always sheds tears. Moreover, the bliss born out of true devotion also brings excitement to the body and makes the hair stand on the body of the spiritual seeker till the end. It is not to be confused with goosebumps. In extreme cases of absorption, the hair may appear straight and firm like a hedgehog's quill.
One becomes free from body consciousness
- We are reminded of an episode in which Girish Chandra Ghosh and Narendra Nath Dutta, the future Swami Vivekananda, were meditating at night under a tree. Because of the mosquitoes, Girish was unable to meditate. He stood up from his seat and noticed that Narendra's body was covered with mosquitoes like a thick blanket, but he was completely unaware of it.
- As long as a person is connected to material things, he will be self-conscious. His mind is busy, which keeps the various parts of the brain linked with different senses engaged. This heightens self-consciousness.
- As one's attachment to earthly things fades, so does one's awareness of the outside world. The body's consciousness is reduced as a result of this. Although total freedom from body awareness is unattainable for most individuals, intense spiritual discipline can get one totally out of this consciousness.
