In a capitalist society, the lure of money deals heavy blows to the practice of ethical and moral values in everyday life. At the same time, excessive stress on and indulgence in monetary pursuits results in a sense of dissatisfaction and emptiness at heart, a discontent that drives one to seek spiritual solace. In a money-obsessed environment, spirituality becomes identified mostly with matters related to yogic healing, healthy dietary habits, and moral preaching. But spirituality per se is much more than mere ethics and morality: it is about inner transformation. Maintaining a healthy body and observing good social behaviour are not the aims of spiritual life, though they are necessary preliminary requirements. The goal is much higher than mere concerns about a healthy body and mind.
Spirituality is about self-realization, the sacred
relationship with the supreme cause, the identification with the cosmic whole,
the ultimate reality of one existence. Possession of a sharp intellect with
vast knowledge of the material world does not necessarily reflect a spiritual
bent of mind. Spirituality is about experience of the inner truth and not
merely knowledge of scriptures or religious practices of one or more religions
of the world. It is a turning from outer experience to inner vision. It is an
extrasensory perception, revealing a reality that is at once intuitive, beyond
reason and argument, self-illuminating, timeless, and all-embracing.
As the Upanishads say, it is something after knowing which
nothing remains to be known. With such a lofty goal, would it be right for
anyone to limit the scope of spirituality to mere concerns about body and
social interaction? No doubt, the vehicle is important to its occupant, yet the
ideals and goals of the occupant have a different dimension than the mere
mechanics of movement. The destination is determined by the occupant. Let not
obsessive involvement with the vehicle obscure the purpose of possessing it. If
the destination is forgotten, the vehicle will be useful only for aimless
wandering and occasional accidents—and the consequent suffering.
Just as a vehicle is important for ease of movement,
body-centric thinking is relevant to maintaining a healthy body for
trouble-free pursuit of higher goals. A healthy mind is important for a healthy
body. The practice of yoga asanas and ethical living contribute to physical and
mental health. But
for spiritual growth, these are essential aids and not the goal. It is like
finding the first oasis in a desert and making it one’s permanent abode,
completely forgetting the onward journey to the ‘promised land’. It is a sign
of weakness of purpose to rest at the first opportunity for comfort. In any
purposeful journey, there are always temptations that need to be resisted if
one is to move forward. The weak will always find excuses to justify the termination
of a journey short of the desired goal, particularly when the journey is
difficult and the goal difficult to envisage. That is why it is said in the
scriptures that one in thousands embarks on the journey, and out of these only
one in thousands reaches the goal. But the result is worth the journey.
Ethics and morality, leading to good conduct in society,
become the predominant theme of many religious streams, specially the ones in
which enjoying heaven after death is considered the goal of life. These streams
help to keep alive a value system that aims to reduce the tensions and stresses
of everyday life and emphasizes love and compassion as universal values. Good
personal and social conduct is indeed the ends and means of many a religious
thought, and very rightly so. But for those who aim higher than heaven, and
wish to seek and unite with the ultimate reality—to experience it directly — good
conduct is only the beginning of a long journey of hard struggle. For them,
ethical conduct and healthy body are only prerequisites for internal
development that leads to intuitive experience of the ultimate reality. Again,
ethical living is necessary not because of social pressures, or a controlling
authority that oversees people’s behaviour, but because it promotes a tranquil
and peaceful mind. Unethical behaviour is disturbing, makes the mind agitated
and tense, and
renders one unfit for spiritual life. Even in one’s day-to-day work, one needs
a cool and contented frame of mind to make proper decisions. Ethical living is therefore
necessary for right thinking and right action. Ethical action must be embedded
so deeply in one’s mind that it becomes a routine and involuntary response to
all behavioural inputs to one’s personality. Only then can one be prepared
adequately to embark on the journey to self-realization.