Spiritual Seekers & Teachers

Dr. Rajesh Bhola
India
Apr 18, 2014

 

The idea that spiritualism leads to happiness is correct; the idea that it does so by eliminating suffering is false. A spiritual seeker generally believes that following a path of spiritual life will bring him into a world of no pain, no suffering, no obstacles, no wrinkles…and perhaps no death! But we all know that howsoever pure and compassionate our life may be, we cannot free ourselves from the challenges that life offers. Spiritualism points to the possibility of happiness within suffering, and suffering within happiness. The one does not preclude the other. We can die happy. Suffering is a respectable reality of life. Many spiritual seekers have come to believe that the enlightened or self-realised person or a saint is a kind of perfect being - totally disciplined, entirely in control of his mind and body and removed from the daily realities of existence. He is seen as a person to whom everyone looks for guidance and who will protect his disciples from all the difficulties of life. Self-realisation is not about being separate from the world and other people, but being at one with everything. It means understanding that one’s place in the fabric of all that exists in the moment has never been in one’s control. And with this understanding comes true peace. Spiritual seeking is usually about achieving enlightenment, but there is confusion about the methods of attaining that stage of self-awareness. We think that awakening is a state of calm, where everything is fine – and there is no trouble, pain, grief, sadness, disappointment or frustration. The spiritual path is often described as the path leading to the end of suffering, particularly in all the Eastern religions.

A spiritual teacher is like a person holding a torch. When seekers comes in contact with a true teacher, the responses can be varied: some may want to take the teacher’s torch or think that’s the type of light that they should be shining; some are immediately appalled at everything that they see, blame the teacher and run away; some are transfixed by the teacher holding the torch, and choose to sit and adore the light instead of igniting their own torch. Sometimes the student will be wise enough to touch his or her torch to the teacher’s, and from that contact the student’s awareness is momentarily ignited. But it then becomes the student’s job to tend to that light; if not tended, it may quickly get extinguished - like fire on wet wood. The student must repeatedly return to the teacher, to re-ignite that flame… until he can create an acceptable space that can hold the heat and brilliance of the fire - which is nothing more than his own awareness. One of the most important purposes of the spiritual teacher is to turn the student inward and to teach him how to learn. The student must also be taught how to engage with rationality and to know when to let go. Without that inner compass, the student becomes dependent on the teacher and loses clarity. The teacher has no intention of being the permanent eyes for any student, and so he will continue to guide the student back to his inner journey - until the flame of awareness burns on its own. It is true that spiritual teachers do not work with all spiritual seekers. This is not out of an ego game, but instead comes from a profound and loving space of helping those who are ready to go into these deep places - while letting those others, who are not yet equipped, continue to grow on their own. The spiritual teacher truly understands that there is a divine plan at work, and that if the student is not yet ready, the teacher should in no way interfere with that lack of readiness. For those who are ready to take the next step, the teachers will often challenge them, to see if those inner seeds of readiness are actually ready to sprout.

No one can really explain the truth. No religion, doctrine, scientist, spiritual leader or guru can tell you what it is. And absolutely no one can give it to you either. Either you experience truth for yourself or all you will ever get is a blurred picture of someone else’s experience - which might not have anything to do with truth in the first place. Some people are born with a spiritual propensity; the rest of us awaken later in life. A dramatic event such as a near-death experience can awaken us; or we might experience a spontaneous awakening through a holy instant. So a spiritual awakening can be gradual and subtle; or it can sometimes be sudden and intense. Regardless of the form it takes, it launches us on a conscious spiritual journey. We become interested in all things spiritual, and less interested in material things. We start asking questions like - What am I? Who am I? And what is life’s real purpose? As our awakening continues, we undergo a personal and spiritual transformation. We no longer want to be what we used to be; nor do we want to do what we used to do. A quest for spiritual knowledge and wisdom now motivates us. We want to know the Truth. Because of his spiritual dedication, a seeker can lose interest in other activities that once seemed important to him. Perhaps he regrets that he wasted so many years of his life on them. In contrast to his old ways, he now seeks to change himself, rather than trying to change the world. The spiritual journey is seldom easy; and the seeker discovers this sooner or later, when he encounters blockages, temptations and his own character defects along the way. He often experiences frustration, spiritual stagnation and dark moments - when He seems remote. The learner should be cautious in getting caught up in spiritual sideshows and guru worships, cults, sects and secret societies. These can divert him from his spiritual goals. There are two spiritual practices that he can take up: one is to practise contemplation, which is a variation of meditation - in which he consciously focuses on a spiritual thought; the other is to practise random acts of kindness at all times - with no expectation of reward or recognition. It is strange but true that some of us become spiritual seekers, while the rest of humanity continues to languish in darkness. How do we become spiritual seekers, and how does this transformation affect our lives? For seeking the truth we must go alone. Religion is only a tool - like a boat that will help us cross a river on a foggy afternoon. We still have to row to get there. And when we finally reach the other shore, we will have to leave the boat and make our own way forward. There is only that much a boat can do for us; and if we do not let it go, it will become a burden.

Spiritual teachers are incredibly helpful people. In a world where there are so many lies and misconceptions, they help light the path back to the inner world within each of us. However, due to deceptions that lead people towards external answers, the role of the spiritual teacher is today vastly misunderstood. He is often expected to be some kind of candy seller; and if the seeker gets enough of this candy dose he may be deluded into thinking that he has reached an affliction-free land. I am a spiritual seeker, and have been since my adolescence. I read almost everything that I could get my hands on, because I had a strong passion to learn and to explore. I am not a religious person, but I certainly remain a student of spiritualism; and may be these two are very different things. I turned to self-help books of enlightenment in my quest to learn who I am. I have always loved to study and learn about different religious philosophies. In many ways I embrace all faiths, because I believe in my heart that people have a right to worship as they see fit, and diversity leads to exploration and understanding. I still remain a student and a seeker. What I could learn till now is that all the efforts that we put into ascetic practice in this life are intended to get us to a point where we would be immune to all the ups and downs of life. What is necessary is to live a noble life. Our heart would then always be at peace. That is the true Nirvana that a spiritual seeker can attain even while living on this planet.   

Dr. Rajesh Bhola is President of Spastic Society of Gurgaon and is working for the cause of children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities for more than 25 years. He can be contacted at rabhola@yahoo.com