Spiritual Experiences

Spirituality is a science in which knowledge is attained through spiritual practice and the spiritual experiences (anubhutis) resulting thereof. An experience beyond the five senses, mind and intellect is known as a spiritual experience.

Automatic chanting of 'Shri Gurudev Datta' despite resistance to do so

I was rather resistant to chant 'Shri Gurudev Datta', which all other seekers had been doing without any doubts. I also had difficulty in pronouncing the words of the chants correctly. One morning I got up early to chant my main chant ('Ave Maria', as I am Catholic) and as I started focusing on 'Ave Maria' I found the words 'Shri Gurudev Datta' forcing themselves into my mind! I wanted to say, "A…ve…Maria" but would end up saying, "Shri... Gurudev… Datta." When I realized what was happening, I felt as if it was not I doing the chant of 'Shri Gurudev Datta' and that God was gracing me with the capacity to do it. This incident inspired me try to chant 'Shri Gurudev Datta' regularly.

- A Seeker.

[As this seeker discovered, when we are doing appropriate spiritual practice, God graces us with the capacity to continue further and higher levels of spiritual practice. In doing appropriate spiritual practice, and putting in efforts to grow spiritually, He surely removes our obstacles in reaching Him faster.

-Editor.]

Realization of how God is focused on us even when we are not focused on Him

We were to give an introductory lecture on the science of Spirituality in the Atlanta area, where lately, no one had been showing up for the lecture. I was not feeling particularly spiritually good that day, so I decided to stay at home and let my husband go for the lecture by himself. In the meantime, I turned on the TV and realized that one of my favourite shows was on.

The show was about a man, who felt no need to go to church or attend a Bible study group. His wife, who was a regular churchgoer, would often invite the other church members to their home for Bible study since the church had bad lighting. This would make the man very angry because he would have to turn the TV off during their study session. In order to be able to continue watching TV in the evenings, he agreed to fix the lighting at the church. While fixing the lighting, he got an electric shock. Somehow, he survived the shock and upon waking up, he saw the face of Lord Jesus. This had a great spiritual impact on him and made him want to change his life to be devoted to God. So, he began to preach to all the people in the neighbourhood. He felt as though he was God's personal messenger. He quickly developed a self-righteous attitude and wanted to be known for his good works. One night, while taking a walk, he noticed another preacher, who was saying a prayer for a homeless man while the homeless man was asleep. He asked the preacher why he would not awaken the homeless man so as to make him aware of the good deeds being done for him. The preacher answered that he was not doing it for recognition, but because it made him feel good. Then the man asked the preacher what he would do if on Sunday, no one came to church. The preacher said that he would probably give the sermon anyway because even if no people were there to hear it, at least the angels in heaven would.

This episode of the show was such a big realization for me! Then another surprise followed. After several attempts to spread Spirituality through introductory lectures on the science of Spirituality held at this bookstore with no attendees, tonight a person not only attended but also accompanied my husband back to our house to buy books on Spirituality published by the Sanatan organization! What also touched me is the fact that even though I was not focused on Spirituality, God was still focused on me. He was teaching me through the very worldly temptation (TV) that I was using to escape Him! Finally, I also learned from this incident that, just like the character in the TV show, I, too have been much too focused on what others think about me and not focused enough on my spiritual practice and my inner relationship with God. God loves us so much that when we turn our back on Him, He reaches out to us even harder. Seva should not be done with an attitude of how much one is doing or who is doing more, but as a means to just enjoy being with God and helping other seekers to be with God. This realization was a reminder that God is always there and trying to help us. We just have to be willing to accept His help and guidance.

- A Seeker, Atlanta, USA.

[As this seeker pointed out, God is constantly trying to reach out to us. In Spirituality, it is about the target, not the tool. Whether or not our attempts to help others go closer to God are met with success, it is the effort put in to reach God that counts.

-Editor.]

*If one is not currently doing any spiritual practice, or to complement one's current spiritual practice, one can begin with the simple, but powerful spiritual practice of chanting or constantly remembering God's Name according to one's religion. Chanting also acts as a useful complement to any spiritual path one may be already following. It is a practice recommended for the current times by Holy texts and Saints of all religions.

Seekers in the initial stages of spiritual practice (less than one year) can repeat The Name of the Lord as per their religion (refer to Issue 3 Clarification of Doubts section for details).
Seekers who have been doing regular spiritual practice for over a year or so can determine the appropriate chant for them from the experiment given in Issue 124, Message to Seekers section.