Meditation: "I don't have time" - Swami Rama

Religion and Spirituality

A man is quite restless and seeks a path for inner poise. He may choose either the path of religion or of spirituality. On a mundane plane, they may not appear much difference between religion and spirituality –people use either path for inner poise. If you look closely you will find while religion is a directed path to achieve the truth, spirituality leaves a seeker to explore his own path. A spiritual seeker after attaining the highest wisdom preaches the people certain path to follow for their benefit and this directed path based on the experience of one or a few individuals takes shape of a religion. Thus a religion is bound by customs, traditions, culture, formalities, practices, etc. With elapse of time the real essence or message of the religion gets overshadowed by mere rituals of customary and traditional formalities and practices.

The present day generation is the generation of enquiring nature and so is its mind explorative. It wants to have first had an experience before following and accepting anything and seeks reasons for all actions. Religion is too inadequate to answer all the queries of this enquiring mind. It is only the spirituality which has the capacity and potentiality to answer all the question of the enquiring mind and take the person to his true nature. Spirituality addresses human self transformation process and self enquiring methods. In his great work of Yoga Sutra, Maharshi Patanjali starts with the sentence, (Atha Yoganushasanam). The word, atha generally is used as an auspicious beginning of a function or puja or any ritual. The real meaning of this word is ‘open’, ‘let us open out ‘. Maharishi Patanjali when starting his lessons on Yogashastra, says ‘let us open out’ the discipline of yoga and have the first had an experience. He never restricts you to follow any strict path. He asks the seeker to realize what he is seeing in the external world is not true. He asks the seeker to look within and enquire about himself: who I am? Dear friends, this enquiry about yourself will bring in transformation in you and will answer all questions that were bothering you and keeping you restless.

(By Beloved Guruji Pattabhiram Disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas)

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