Write Spirit

Ancient wisdom and modern inspiration

Archive for July, 2007

Spirituality and Philosophy

Philosophy and spirituality share some common ideas, but also differ in their approach and practise of the truth. To some people there is a wide divergence between philosophy and spirituality. However, to some extent, they share some similarities and both have their role to play in the discovery of truth.

1. Mind and Heart.

Philosophy deals primarily with the mind. It tries to understand, solve and explain problems through mental clarity and written explanation. Philosophy can seek to prove the existence of God, but this proof is always through the medium of the human intellect. In philosophy, it is the mind that is predominant.

"Philosophy is in the thinking mind. Philosophy is of the searching mind. Philosophy is for the illumining mind."

[1] – Sri Chinmoy

Spirituality accepts the mind can have a role to play; but, at the same time it can never be satisfied solely with the reasoning of the mind. Spirituality wishes to experience the heart of reality, and not just examine life from the fringes. Spirituality is not so much concerned with proving God’s existence; spirituality teaches us to make the God a living presence in our consciousness.

"Spirituality is in the aspiring heart. Spirituality is of the liberating soul. Spirituality is for the fulfilling and immortalising God."

[1] – Sri Chinmoy

2. Proof vs Experience.

Philosophy seeks to prove and convince others. For example, philosophers seek to prove either the existence or non existence of God. A philosopher can enlighten others to a limited extent. But, in practise, few are converted by the philosophy of others. Even the most persuasive and convincing explanations of God’s existence leave us unsatisfied. Spirituality is not concerned with convincing others; spirituality is primarily a matter of personal experience. Spirituality is not something to be talked about, but, lived. It may be impossible to explain our spiritual experiences to others, but this does not matter. The belief or disbelief of other people does not impact on our experience. Practising spirituality can give us a genuine feeling of inner peace and connection with our source. When we develop this connection we have good feeling towards others, but, we do not feel responsible for their beliefs.

3. The Role of Consciousness.

The essence of spirituality is consciousness. A spiritual seeker seeks to bring to the fore his divine qualities of peace and light. These are not mere words, but, become a living presence. Philosophy can talk about these states of consciousness, but on its own it cannot bring them into the consciousness of the reader. The highest philosophy can lead a seeker along the right path; but, ultimately philosophy has limitations in moving the reader from a mental understanding to a direct experience.

4. Complexity and Simplicity

Spirituality loves simplicity. Philosophy loves complexity. Both have their roles to play; but, it is often through simplicity that we can most easily reach the goal. Philosophy takes delight in pursuing multiple lines of inquiry. Hypotheses are tested against the strictures of logic and the most developed reasoning of the mind. Spirituality does not criticize the path of the mind, but, says to the aspiring seeker. "Dive Deep within. All questions can be answered in your silent mind and aspiring heart."

Philosophy takes us along the path to our destination. It can remove the ignorance and prejudices of the mind. By illumining the mind it can aspire us to understand and grow into the truth. Spirituality urges us to make the truth a living reality. Spirituality and philosophy need not be at loggerheads. Spirituality informs philosophy, it gives added meaning to the illumination of the mind.

[1] Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality by Sri Chinmoy

My Gratitude Flames

 

poem

My Gratitude Flames

Thorns die,
Roses live.
Hate dies,
Love lives.
Desire dies,
Aspiration lives.
The human in me dies,
The divine in me lives.

My gratitude-flames
In the Heart of God
Never shall die.
Eternally they breathe,
Eternally they sport,
Eternally they manifest
The Supreme,
My Supreme.

 

By: Sri Chinmoy

More: Gratitude Quotes

Photo by: Prabhakar Street, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

 

Quote: Let my Soul Smile

 

poem

Quotes by P.Yogananda

 

“Let my soul smile through my heart
and my heart smile through my eyes,

that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.”

 

“Many people excuse their own faults
but judge other persons harshly.

We should reverse this attitude
by excusing others’ shortcomings and by harshly examining our own.”

 

“There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends.
That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first.
When you learn to live for others, they will live for you.”

 

 

By: Paramahansa Yogananda

Yogananda Poetry

Video Yogananda

Photo by Pavitrata Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

 

Is it possible to stop the thoughts of the Mind?

"No matter which path you follow for meditation, the first and foremost task is to try to make the mind calm and quiet. "

– Sri Chinmoy [1]

Beginners to meditation find that when they sit down to meditate their mind is akin to a mad monkey; no matter how hard we try, the power of the mind’s thoughts seem to make meditation most difficult. However, it is possible to have a completely clear mind. It is not easy, but there are various techniques that can be used to quieten the mind. These are some techniques that I recommend.

1. The Source of Thoughts.

Whenever a thought appears in your mind, ask yourself – where did this thought originate from? Try to dive deep into the source of this thought. When you follow the source of your thoughts you realise that our real essence is not mental thoughts; there is something beyond thought. This is a powerful technique for calming our mind because we realise there is a separation between what we are and our thoughts. When we feel thoughts as separate from our identity it is easy to stop them completely.

2. Will Power.

Another technique to stop thoughts is to use the power of our will. Develop the determination to stop all thoughts completely. Feel like you are vigilantly guarding your mind. As soon as a thought appears stop it entering. If you like you can imagine throwing it out of your mind completely. The important thing is to not allow any thought, whether good or bad.

3. The Spiritual Heart

A most effective technique for reducing the power is to move our awareness from the mind to the heart. The mind, by nature, invites thoughts, The heart is the seat of the soul; it is in the heart where we can feel an expansive quality, not limited by the mind.

"The mind has its own power, and right now this power is stronger than your present eagerness and determination to meditate. But if you can get help from your heart, then gradually you will be able to control your mind. The heart, in turn, gets constant assistance from the soul, which is all light and all power."

– Sri Chinmoy [2]

The nature of the heart is to identify with a meditative consciousness. In the heart thoughts will automatically lose their power. To enter the heart we can listen to the heart beat. We can also imagine a beautiful heart garden. The important thing is to feel our whole sense of awareness leaving our mind and entering into the heart.

4. Mantra.

Repeating a mantra many times creates a meditative vibration. It focuses the mind in a very direct way; the mind gets used to concentrating on one particular thing at a time. When our mantra ends, our mind will be clearer and more receptive to meditation.

5. Aspiration

The real secret to a quiet mind is a genuine aspiration to realise the benefits of meditation. If we are satisfied with what we have and what we are, we will not feel the necessity of diving deep within. However, if we feel the necessity of discovering our inner reality, we will have the motivation and enthusiasm for persevering with our meditation. This is important, because, when our aspiration is intense it brings down a grace from above; it is this grace which makes a silent mind much easier to achieve.

[1] + [2] The Silent mind by Sri Chinmoy

Resources on meditation

Photo and article By Tejvan Pettinger.
Oxford Sri Chinmoy Centre