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© 2005 Sanatan Sanstha

Need for Spirituality

Limitations of sectarian spiritual practice

    After the sensational movie “The Blair Witch Project” was released, in an attempt to remove misconceptions about witches, a practicing witch and Ivy League-educated attorney, Phylllis Curott, joined ABCNEWS.com for a live chat. In the conversation, one of the net surfers asked Curott to comment on the condemnation of witchcraft in the Bible saying that 'since it is the absolute truth, you cannot possibly challenge it'. To this Curott replied that “There are many paths to the divine. The Bible is but one. If it teaches you compassion, tolerance and love of your neighbour, then you are practicing your religion and I praise you. If you are using your Bible as a platform for intolerance and anger, then you are not practicing your religion and I grieve for you.”

    Such a simple fact as mentioned by Curott is not understood and practiced by many. This is one of the important reasons for the spread of the science of Spirituality. On the path of Spirituality, one often comes across sectarians who believe that their path is the only or best pathway to God. This goes against the basic principle of Spirituality that 'There are as many pathways to God as there are temperaments and people' (See Issue 1 for more information). No two people are alike, hence their needs to make them a complete being, i.e., be one with God Who is complete, will be different. Therefore, even though these people are spiritual aspirants, due to faulty or limited spiritual practice, their growth is hampered. It is for this reason that the science of Spirituality needs to be relayed to every such seeker.

– 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.