Manic Spirituality

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I’ve been reading through “Call of Spirituality, Vol I & II” for a few weeks and am getting into some really good stuff lately. One thing that struck me while reading last night is something Chariji said in regard to direct and powerful experiences of what humans call God.

He had earlier mentioned the power of God and gurus and how one person might have an experience that another does not, and usually the one who didn’t share the experience will say that the experience of the one who did is somehow less or invalid because it wasn’t confirmed by anyone other than the one who had it. Chariji explains that this kind of “judgement” is really useless and tells us that everyone has different experiences. He goes on….

“Now it is impossible for everyone to get the opportunity to experience him in a dream saying he is the Master. For that, one has to be either an atheist like the mythological figure Hiranyakashipu or Ravana, or else be a perfect devotee like Arjuna. It is not available to anyone in the interim stage. God reveals himself as God only to a perfect atheist or a perfect devotee. Those who are in between these extremes need to try to get it by enterinig the path of spirituality, exploring by means of questions and answers by practice. Arjuna asks Krishna, “How can I reach you?” and Krishna answers, “Through practice.” There is no way except that of spiritual practice.

I love this.

For one, I think I can absolutely agree with guruji when he says that God only shows Itself to those who have perfected their spirituality or to those who have zero spirituality. It just makes sense. When you’ve yet to consciously start the journey, you might need a jolting experience to help things be kick-started. And if you’re someone who’s been traveling the path in such a way that your spirituality is mature, then this kind of experience is not only a natural part of that maturation, but could also perhaps be considered a reward of sorts (although, as the path is traveled the so-called reward becomes less and less the focus.) For those of us who are in the “interim” stage(s), there remains work to be done. We’re apparently awake enough not to need being jolted into greater awareness, yet not awake enough to maintain prolongation of the direct experience we seek – Union.

Secondly, it’s great that guruji is able to so succinctly express a major element of Sahaj Marg which is 1) The absolute necessity of personal responsibility for one’s own development as a human and as a spiritual being, and 2) The absolute necessity and truth found in what we here in the west are talking about when we say, “Shit or get off the pot.” Krishna confirms and affirms as much in his discussion with Arjuna throughout the Bhagavad Gita.

I personally have no quams with atheism. Similarly, I take no issue with sainthood. There are cetainly days when either or both may apply to myself. The lesson here for me is to do. Always do. Either be what I am, or strive tirelessly for what I will become. Hangin’ around won’t get you far.

Aum Shri Mahaganeshaya Namaha
Aum Shanti

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After You’re Gone

Some time ago, I ranted on Facebook about how offensive I found the Mormon practice of “baptizing the dead.” I feel very strongly that this practice violates some kind of cosmic rule of live and let live. When I ranted, a number of my own family members who became Mormon after my grandfather’s passing, spoke up and said that I was wrong about that ritual and that I shouldn’t speak out about things like this because it makes me some kind of hypocrite. To be clear, it’s my understanding that this kind of baptism merely presents the dearly departed with a chance to accept the Mormon belief structure and gain the Mormon afterlife. Also, the hypocrisy referenced by my disgruntled relatives is apparently in regard to my critical attitude about someone else’s views or practice which my family members – knowing next to nothing about Hinduism – think goes against Hinduism. In this case, they would perhaps not be wrong within certain contexts, but in this context specifically they are still not necessarily right, either.

This weekend I’m spending more time at the computer than is usual because it’s my turn in my department’s on-call rotation. As I was logging on recently, I saw some kind of news headline mentioning that two popes were gaining sainthood “to bridge a divide” or something. It struck me… These two dudes were resting in peace, burning in hellflame, or maybe tossing crowns at Jesus’ feet or something (do only Protestant souls do this or Catholics, too?) and now their own afterlives are about to change entirely when they are sainted and begin interceding on behalf of Catholic believers who want something.

All this afterlife meddling. WTF?

Whatever happened to simply offering food and a little homage to our deceased relatives and letting past lives be past lives? I’ll admit, it’s a little tough for me to understand how devout people can be cool with trying to change the afterlives of their loved ones without their permission. But who am I?

Aum Shri Mahaganeshaya Namaha
Aum Shanti