They offer spiritual learning for people with a wide variety of preferences.
Ancient Indian texts1 offer many paths for a person to become more spiritual (that is to have a more peaceful mind and to be unconditionally happy). This happiness is exactly what we all look for in life, although we may not realise it.
How do these texts do this? They do it by redirecting how we expend our power in this world. There are three powers we have as humans.2 These are the power to know, the power to believe, and the power to act. For a “normal” person, these are directed as follows: he has some knowledge about a few areas in the world and not so much about himself and or his own mind. For all practical purpose, he believes in his own sense-gratification prioritised over the well-being of others. And he acts accordingly. This normal person’s mind is thus a prisoner of anxiety about events that can take away his sense-gratification. Worse, what he imagines to be his happiness is actually flashes of moment in time, in the past. Any happiness that he thinks he is experiencing would similarly soon be behind him.
Ancient Indian texts can help pivot such a mind in a different direction. To the person who is more inclined towards knowledge, they can teach how the mind works and how it can be harnessed to be happy (see article on how to control the mind). To the person who is more inclined to devotion to God, they describe what He might look and what his nature would be. And, to the person who is inclined towards action, the texts describe how to act in service of others.
In each of the above cases, the texts direct a person’s attention away from selfish aspects of our existence towards something that is larger and more important than us. In doing so, they take away the anxiety that one’s selfishness makes one feel. The key thing here is that one does not need to become a saint to start experiencing the resulting unconditional happiness. Even a modest advance is very rewarding.
In addition to the above, the texts also use the knowledge to how the mind works to come up with “hacks” such as meditation that can more directly make the mind more spiritual (see article on this meditation technique).
Footnotes
1: By these, I am referring to the primary ones: Bhagwad Gita, Ramayan, and Mahabharat.
2: See Bhagwad Gita by Ramsukhdas.
Recommended Reading
Scientific Spirituality: A scientific, experiment-based approach towards spiritualism and ancient Indian texts could serve us well.
Controlling the mind: It is possible to acquire significant level of control over one’s mind and thereby lead happier lives. The approach may need to be radically different from what you might expect.
The Advanced Meditation Exercise (TAME): This meditation technique is an incredibly powerful way to keep the mind peaceful. It is prescribed in Bhagwad Gita, the primary book of Indian spiritual heritage. It derives its power by activating three key things in us: detachment, stillness, and transformation.
What about God: Everyone appears to have a personal relationship with God. Even atheists appear to ignore or disbelieve Him with a passion. Does He have a role to play in a personal spiritual journey?
Interpreting Ramayan: Going deeper into this great Indian epic to find profound lessons on life and spirituality.
There is no happiness without mental peace: If happiness is not unconditional, it will vanish. Vanishing happiness is not what we are looking for. And unconditional happiness can only come from keeping the mind peaceful (using yoga and meditation techniques).
Experience Heaven in this life itself: One does not need to wait for an after-life to experience what heaven feels like. But it needs focus, effort, and persistence.
