Welcome to part four of our spiritual journey. In our previous article, we looked at why spiritual science is needed during these changing times. We found that because spiritual science attempts to synchronize all faith traditions with “right thinking” that the marriage of spirituality and science is not only plausible but inevitable. In today's article, we begin to reveal how to achieve spiritual awakening.
How To Achieve Spiritual Awakening
Go look at an Indian guru or a Buddhist monk, and you'll observe that there's a dreamy look in their eyes or a state of bliss that emanates from their countenance. Since most people, especially those living in the city, are pervaded by stress in an environment where deadlines, expectations, and goals are at the forefront of their thoughts, the urge to disentangle oneself from worldly worries and insipid thoughts can take its hold every once in a while. Some resort to travel and some depend on the company of friends. But after weeding out negative thoughts, an individual will most likely find himself amid stress again once he goes back in the stranglehold of the real world. So what's the best cure after initial attempts to find solace has failed? It can be summed up in two words: spiritual awakening.
What Is Spiritual Awakening?
“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.” – Swami Vivekananda
Spiritual awakening is a process that takes place in an individual's being. It involves heightened consciousness, enlightenment, and transcendence. How do we exactly reach this state? Does it involve secluding ourselves in one solitary room and concentrating as hard as we can? Maybe so, but the act of achieving spiritual awakening is a much more sophisticated process.
Spiritual Awakening Through Meditation
A full understanding of how our mind works is instrumental in this endeavour. Everything around us - tangible and intangible - are all products of the mind and its processes. Human perception is limited, and what we sense in our surroundings are its mere products. Take colour for instance. Colour is just a quality assigned by the brain under different degrees of wavelengths.
So colour in itself is just an illusion, and we can't really tell that red or blue is an absolute truth when describing specific objects. And knowing that our mind is limited by the interpretations of the human brain, we will need to do away with the mind while trying to attempt this exercise. You need to look at the mind like a casual observer and treat it as something separate from our selves. Try to relax and concentrate, and ensure that you are in a location secluded from outside interference.
Imagine that you are in an invisible dome and that the mind is outside, wherein thoughts and fancies are unable to penetrate. If you achieve this, profound silence will ensue, and you will feel that you are free of the mind. You'll feel expansive, bigger, and encompassing. In the state of heightened consciousness, you will have a glimpse of reality, as opposed to the false reality that our mind perceives. You will feel peaceful, and a sense of connection with everything will be felt more profoundly.
Practice Is Fundamental
This takes a lot of practice and discipline. And it is inherent that you allow yourself to be alone and in a place where nothing can disturb you. Through constant practice, achieving spiritual awakening will be second nature to you and this heightened consciousness will last longer. Most important of all, this practice can help you improve the quality of your life.
Stay still and silent, my brother, and the truth shall set you free!