FROM THE SPIRITUAL TREE — Spirituality—A Universal Religion

Another misgiving of heart-based spirituality was that an unscientific viewpoint became prevalent regarding the ideology of God. When the spiritualists focus their hearts in their meditations, after some time they start feeling that the boundaries have disappeared. They find it very thrilling; it is this feeling which is known as ecstasy. In this experience they find that they have reached a world where there is unity of existence; where the difference between the creator and the created has disappeared. Spirituality centered on the heart is based on meditation, the culmination of which is ecstasy. Spirituality based on the mind results in a conscious discovery which leads man to intellectual realization. This experience is not of the nature of an intellectual discovery; it is in actual fact a obscure feeling of a temporary nature. Still, on the basis of this obscure feeling it came to be believed that there was unity of existence at the higher level. This feeling resulted in that theological concept which is termed non-dualism—that God and man are the same in existence. Man is not separate from God, rather he is a part of God. It is this concept which has been described by a Sufi (mystic) in these words: anal haq, that is, “I am the Truth.” Without doubt, this concept is irrational for the simple reason that experience shows that man has no divine qualities. The truth is that man is the created, and not the Creator, or a part of the Creator. According to my experience, that concept of God is rational which is called Monotheism in theology. It is based on the idea of dualism; that man and God have a separate existence. Both have totally separate identities. God is the Creator and man is the created. There are two main sources of this spirituality. A perusal of nature and close affinity with God as a result of which one may start receiving inspiration from God. This is the real basis of spirituality. Without doubt, spirituality is the highest intellectual achievement for a human being. But this achievement can only be made by developing the conscious mind. o