Walking the Spiritual Path

Where knowledge is of the Self (Svarupa Jnana), how can there be various kinds or grades? Knowledge of the Self is one. Proceeding step by step refers to the stage where one has turned away from the pursuit of sense objects and one’s gaze is entirely directed towards the Eternal. God has not yet been realized, but the treading of this path has become attractive.

-    Anandamayi Ma

The idea of a spiritual path is a metaphorical concept that serves a purpose as we pursue the goal of awakening.  There is a tendency to mix metaphors when talking about the spiritual path.  Are we on a journey or are we waking up from a state of sleep?  Or is there, as Ram Dass entitled one of his books, a “journey of awakening?”  Both are metaphors for process of releasing our exclusive ego-fixation and coming to realize our true being.  With most journeys we start from here and go to there.  On the spiritual path we start from there and come back to here.

For most of us walking the spiritual path means maintaining a daily spiritual practice.  It might be mantra recitation, Vipassana meditation, kriya yoga, selfless service, devotional ritual or deep philosophical inquiry.  It might just be remembering to love your neighbor as yourself.  There are a variety of alternatives and we each have to find the path that is right for us.  The important point is to keep on trying.  It is not always easy.

The world dream has its own gravity.  When we choose the path of awakening we are going against it.  One can become lonely as one realizes that friends and family are not interested.  Loneliness is an important part of the journey.  We have to separate ourselves from the collective dream in order to awaken.  The majority of people in this world are still dancing around the golden calf.  Loneliness, solitude and self-awareness are crucial aspects of the path.  We are moving from the world of distractions to the inner reality.  You can’t develop spiritually if you are afraid to be alone.  We can’t grow spiritually unless we are willing to confront the fear of death.