PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY ... 4
For those that are interested in spiritual progress beyond fanciful imaginings, here are a few suggestions that may prove worthwhile to heed :
1. Read :
(a) 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' by M (Mahendranath Gupta) from cover to cover thoroughly once.
(b) The four yogas written and lectured by Swami Vivekananda. They are 'Jnana Yoga', 'Bhakti Yoga', 'Karma Yoga' and Raja Yoga'.
2. Seek out a spiritual Guru and be blessed with initiation (mantra deeksha).
Caution : The Guru must be (a) shrotriya, that is, someone well-versed in a spiritual tradition (b) akaamahata, that is, untainted by desires that eventually destroy knowledge and (c) Brahmanishthha, that is, devoted to the ideal of Brahman or the Self or God in his daily living. Also, it is preferable to receive initiation from a Guru who is a member of a reputed organisation like the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission where an age-old spiritual credibility holds and you are not likely to be duped.
Visit the person you wish to receive initiation from, watch his actions and satisfy your doubts first about the Guru's qualification with respect to the above three attributes before receiving initiation.
3. Initiation over, follow the Guru's spiritual instruction implicitly and be disciplined about your daily spiritual practices. If you practice, you will receive the benefits promised in the spiritual path but if you do not practice, such benefits will not accrue. Also, do not add on to, alter or amend the Guru's spiritual instructions. Practice as told and if you have any problems along the way, seek his counsel.
Written by Sugata Bose
For those that are interested in spiritual progress beyond fanciful imaginings, here are a few suggestions that may prove worthwhile to heed :
1. Read :
(a) 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' by M (Mahendranath Gupta) from cover to cover thoroughly once.
(b) The four yogas written and lectured by Swami Vivekananda. They are 'Jnana Yoga', 'Bhakti Yoga', 'Karma Yoga' and Raja Yoga'.
2. Seek out a spiritual Guru and be blessed with initiation (mantra deeksha).
Caution : The Guru must be (a) shrotriya, that is, someone well-versed in a spiritual tradition (b) akaamahata, that is, untainted by desires that eventually destroy knowledge and (c) Brahmanishthha, that is, devoted to the ideal of Brahman or the Self or God in his daily living. Also, it is preferable to receive initiation from a Guru who is a member of a reputed organisation like the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission where an age-old spiritual credibility holds and you are not likely to be duped.
Visit the person you wish to receive initiation from, watch his actions and satisfy your doubts first about the Guru's qualification with respect to the above three attributes before receiving initiation.
3. Initiation over, follow the Guru's spiritual instruction implicitly and be disciplined about your daily spiritual practices. If you practice, you will receive the benefits promised in the spiritual path but if you do not practice, such benefits will not accrue. Also, do not add on to, alter or amend the Guru's spiritual instructions. Practice as told and if you have any problems along the way, seek his counsel.
Written by Sugata Bose
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