Issue No. 229 • June 13, 2004
Editor: Mr. Pruthviraj Purushottam Hajare

Articles

Need For Spirituality

Saints' Blessings
to the Sanatan

Clarification of Doubts

Did You Know?

Messages to Seekers

Practical Guidance

Spiritual Practice for Awakening Spiritual Emotion

Children's Corner

 Religious Festivals

Spiritual Practice for Destroying Ego

Spiritual Experiences

Experiment of the
Subtle Dimension

Holy Verses

Spiritual practice for seekers of any religion
Question: I am a Christian and have been doing spiritual practice under the guidance of the Sanatan organization for over a year. I have had many good spiritual experiences, but every now and then I wonder if I am being unfaithful to my religion. Can you please guide how I should overcome this block that I sometimes get?
- Mrs. Therese Andrews,
Sanatan’s satsang in Melbourne, Australia.

Dear Therese,

    According to the science of Spirituality, when one has a spiritual experience (anubhuti), it is a sign that on the right path. Therefore, the fact that you have good spiritual experiences first hand would prove that you are on the right path.

    Regarding occasional doubts as you have mentioned, in spite of good spiritual experiences, the following points are noteworthy:
Study of Spirituality necessary besides spiritual experiences: Due to the very nature of the mind to resolve-and-doubt, in the initial stages of spiritual practice one may experience doubts of different types, despite spiritual experiences. Doubts are overcome with intellectual conviction based on a sound understanding of Spirituality, as one realizes that there are really no contradictions between various religions and spiritual principles when the proper context and implied meaning is taken into account. Thus, besides regular practice of Spirituality and actual experiences, regular study of Spirituality is necessary to get a sound understanding of Spirituality. Refer to the Practical Guidance section of Issues 122 and 123, and Clarification of Doubts section of Issue 66 for practical suggestions on studying Spirituality.
Influence of distressing energies: Given that one’s spiritual practice creates spiritual purity (sattvikta), distressing energies try to obstruct it to retain the raja-tama conducive environment necessary for their existence. Therefore, they may put or aggravate doubts in one’s mind to impede one’s spiritual progress. Being aware of this, coupled with regular, progressive spiritual practice, especially that of chanting* and prayer, is the most effective way to overcome distressing energy obstruction.
- Editor.
* If one is not doing any spiritual practice currently, one can begin with the simple, but powerful spiritual practice of repeating (chanting) (constant remembrance of) God's Name as per one's religion. Refer to Issue 3, Clarification of Doubts section for details on what Name to repeat according to one's religion. If one is already doing some spiritual practice, one can complement it with repetition (chanting) of The Lord's Name. Refer to Issue 23, Clarification of Doubts section for a diagrammatic explanation of how repeating (chanting) God's Name works. When done mentally, it can be done anywhere and anytime, as it does not need purity of body, time or place. However, in the initial stages it is recommended that one start by sitting in one place for at least half an hour daily and repeat (chant) The Lord's Name.
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