Issue No. 122 • May 12, 2002
Editor: Mr. Virendra Pandurang Marathe
  
 
Articles

Need For Spirituality

Practical Guidance

Clarification
of Doubts

Children's Corner

Activities Worldwide

Religious Festivals

Implied Meanings

Spiritual Experiences

Science of Spirituality

Experiment of the Subtle Dimension

Saints' Quotes

 
Practical Guidance
On studying Spirituality

    Studying spiritual texts, unlike studying worldly texts, entails understanding the concepts, putting them into practice to imbibe them into one's thinking and attitude, and experiencing them firsthand. 
Significance
Study of Spirituality is an essential part of spiritual practice just like chanting (repeating The Lord's Name as per one's religion)* or being in satsang is. Regular study of Spirituality helps develop intellectual conviction in Spirituality, which is essential in sustaining one's spiritual practice, especially in the initial stages. Study therefore, helps strengthen one's determination and perseverance in following the spiritual path.
Study of sattvik (holy, spiritual) texts helps purify one's intellect, thus making it sattvik**. The sattvik intellect is essential in making decisions that are conducive to one's spiritual progress, besides deciphering the true (implied) meaning of holy texts and their spiritual teachings. In spiritual texts, an attempt is made to capture in words a subject (God), which is beyond words. Hence, there is often a difference between the literal and the implied (true) meaning of the text. Thus, a sattvik intellect is necessary to correctly understand the text and practice it appropriately.
Studying Spirituality is a means of being in satsang.
Spiritual progress occurs only when spiritual practice is done in accordance with the principles of the Science of Spirituality. Thus, an understanding of the principles of Spirituality is essential in doing the correct spiritual practice and making spiritual progress. Study of Spirituality imparts an understanding of these basic principles.
Study helps in both, individual spiritual practice (vyashti sadhana) as well as collective spiritual practice (samashti sadhana). It helps in individual spiritual practice by imparting progressive understanding of what to practice and in collective spiritual practice, as one can impart the principles of Spirituality that one has learned to others and thus, spread Spirituality effectively***.

 * On the Path of Guru's grace (Gurukrupayoga).
** Refer to Issue 111, Clarification of Doubts for details on the importance of a sattvik intellect.
*** Refer to Issue 62-67 for details on spiritual practice according to the (spiritual) class.



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