The title of my blog has changed, but has the content too?
Even though the concept around my writing remains spiritual, my focus has grown wideshot. This is my personal spiritual growth – an unbiased self-analysis.
We all are spiritual beings, created with a combination of a physical sense of morality and a spiritual sense of soul. Just as eyesight could be 20/20 (balance of physicality and spiritual-ness of our existence), Or it could be short or long-sighted (combination of more materialistic and less spiritual, or vice versa), we can be different in our awareness of the ONE power existing within and outside us all, but in reality, all humanity is born of a single omnipresent power.
I also know that my regular readers would also have a few questions about the reference to the ‘Sikh’ term in the title. My connection with Sikhi is much more than what is generally defined as Sikh religion for simplistic understanding by many. But my aim is not to influence anyone with a religious doctrine, or establish myself as a preacher of Sikhi. In fact, I shall be sharing my understanding of the spiritual influences in all aspects of life, from the domestic to working life, from the political to social views.
In reality, Sikh-ism is a much vaster spiritual philosophy than a mere religion. It caters for all humanity, without prejudice or bias, with selfless service towards others, in balance with service to self with rich yet un-dogmatic morality.
So, my beliefs are based on my learning from Sikh philosophy about universal humanity and spiritual connection between all beings. It’s through understanding of life in its completeness that we can even begin to comprehend our place in the cosmic plan.
My posts and my book have already established that I believe in spirituality that transcends the ritualistic and institutionalised constrictions of a religion, though religious discipline can run parallel to spiritualism, but never alone. In this light, I shall attempt to elucidate the wider focus of my old blog with a new perspective.
During the process of meditation and trying to keep the energy/power inside, outside, and around me ignited, I discovered that my spirits at all levels were most at peace when I followed a focused discipline, rather than improvising a solution to my desire daily during meditation. Hence, I needed a set curriculum of consistent moral principles to keep the flame of my spiritual quest ignited inside me.
Let me simplify it further with the help of an anecdote. Suppose you have cattle to feed and water them every day to keep them alive since your own life and livelihood depend on it. You take them out in search of grazing land, ponds and brooks every day. Shortly this patch of land becomes baron and you wander farther afield, looking for a new source of green pasture in a new place. Then one day, you find that you can get a permanent pass to enter the luscious green farm with plenty of food and its’ own river of fresh water. But, in order to enter the farm there are certain mandatory conditions. You work within a set of mandatory discipline put in place by the landlord.
What would you prefer, walking in the wilderness or settle on a farm?
My cattle of spiritual desire were getting hungrier and thirstier, and I often felt tired of searching for new sources of life in different dimensions. So I chose the discipline of a farm over walking in the wild for sporadic nourishment for my hungry soul. For me, this farmhouse was built on the spiritual land of Sikhi, just as your farm might be built on the spiritual land of Christianity, or Islam, or Buddhism. In fact, it’s our mortal eyes that put a nameplate outside the walls of this farm – but, it’s the same land of green pastures with One landlord. However, it’s okay, so long we don’t fight over the nameplate. We can go to different schools to learn the same curriculum. For me, the school is Sikhi, but the spiritual curriculum is the same.
My rebellion has always been against the synthetic manmade rituals, which mean nothing and have no place in the Spiritual farm. My belief has not changed in this regard. However, I’ve learnt that the karma of learning, understanding, and praying through scriptures is not a ritual; but reciting something without understanding, believing or following it, indeed is.
So, I learnt that where Sikhism has its discipline, like on the green farm, there are no cosmetic rituals in its philosophy. I am glad that I researched to dig deeper, and found that where I was looking for a glass of water and considered it to be manifestation, I was ignoring the sea of nectar flowing just next to me. My soul feels quenched after every sip.
So long it’s only spiritualism that is illuminating your belief, the candle of religion can be used as the source of light. But one must remember that without the light, the candle is only a stick of wax.
LOA ( My previous focus) is but only a part of Sikh philosophy. Why settle for a bud when you can have the whole garden?
Similarly, anyone who rises above the prejudice of disparity of rituals, different nameplates on the farmhouse, language dissimilarities, nationalistic segregation, or physical variations, can unite spiritually with the rest of humanity, and through its ignited moral flame can connect with the ONE Omnipotent, the Nirankar.
More on the subject of the new title in part 2 of this opening blog post.
As a preview- remember that mortal life on this planet and immortal soul coexist, and so do our spiritual aspirations and human needs.