True.

Nothing can lead to spiritual development if we have no control over our thoughts and actions.

Personally ,I feel people who overdo their bit in the name of religion by fasting or visiting religious places are just hiding behind a facade..Im not an aethist neither am I generalising but i have noticed people who pretend to be fanatics just evoke nothing but amusement from my side.Belief in God is sumthing personal and not something you have to proclaim to the whole world.I have come across people who are fanatics to the core to the extent of displaying their so called religious tactics to one and all and the next moment using nothing but abusive language!It just makes me laugh at the complete paradoxical behaviour!I personally belive its more important to be sensitive to your fellow human beings....Well to each his own..

Yes, one should pursue spiritual activities which are internal and showing off is just increasing the go and degrading oneself.

Fasting and then eating the double amount is obviously an act of hypocrisy, but I also know people who believe in keeping a proper fast to show their faith in the Supreme power.

I feel that fasting and visiting the holy places give humans an opportunity to be with GOD. How many times in our normal day do we remeber GOd or Thnak him? Its just when we pay a visit to these holy places that we try to be with him.

So, fasting and visitng holy places does have apositive side to it too.

Sorry to repeat, due some error.

Yes, one should pursue spiritual activities which are internal and showing off is just increasing the ego and degrading oneself.

Hi Dr,

What’s this?? I mean, it looks like you have uploaded a pic of a local park - with the wrong caption!!

Anyway, I do understand people are short of words sometimes.

In your next post, please include more pics. Doesn’t matter if you avoid the captions altogether. It will certainly help people to change their mood after browsing thru so many serious posts.

P.S - BTW, captions generally go below the pic, right? M not sure but I had that idea.

Pictures are to attract your attention to the topic. Please read the message and answer the question.

Fasting and Visiting Holy places cannot make you a spiritual person. God is within everyone. We do not need to go searching for him to holy places or by keeping ourselves hungry.

One should do enough for the sake of humanity to please is own conscience. This is what I see spiritualism as. You do not need someone to tell you what the holy sermon means or to show you the divine light. At today’s pace, service to mankind is service to god and that is spiritual enough a thought.

The Meaning of Spiritual activities is not clear to most of us as we have no guidance from any one who has mastered that skill.

The true spiritual activity is one when we are able to concentrate our attention internally at the centre of the seat of spirit and are able to repeat the HOLY Name and contemplate HOLY Form or Listen to Spiritual Sounds.

Fasting or visiting temples are practices followed by ritualistic folks.

With no offense to their beliefs, I do feel that fasting on auspicious days may not necessarily imply that the doer is god-fearing. And the same applies to the practice of visiting shrines.

However if such practices augments someone’s an internal strength to follow his/her belief then I see no harm too.

In my case, I may not be able to fast. But I do love to indulge in the blissful , positive energy that I can feel at certain holy places....like Vaishnadevi.

However in my daily routine, I rarely find time to actually stop by at any temples.

So we now should learn that skill from you Mr. Saini. Spirituality for me is what makes me happy. You see millions of people rendered homeless and hungry and you still go in search of that divine light-Not fair. Instead, if you can do something for those people and then die a satisfied life would be spiritualism for me. In all this, I would always ask for his kind benevolence to help me help the suffering.

The practical world is better forget those babajees that flock Aastha Channel. Live for others and the god shall take care of you. Everything else is useless. He has send us to do a service to mankind, not to sit on a throne, close your eyes for the world and forget about the needy.

The meaning and objective of spirituality and the results obtained by the activities mentioned above should match. DO they match ?

You are right. One should do work for the mankind. At the same time one should devote some time for spiritual development also.

I don’t care if they match or no. I balance my thoughts and deeds according to the situation and as per my state of mind at that particular moment.

There are times I may not visit a temple at all for months....and one fine day I just feel like stopping by and stepping in a temple to bow my head and pay regards and carry on.

That doesn’t make me less spiritual or more ritualistic.

Your views above are true for majority of people here in this world. As they have no time to think beyond this as they are engrossed in daily routines.

To live life like this is better than that which people live without any knowledge of the Objective of their existence.

The better kind of life is of those who balance their activities so that they do the routine jobs as well as spare an hour or more for truly spiritual activities.

Finally, who is in which group depends on our past karmas and our ability to understand the truth of life.

Can’t say. Don’t know.

Should one know about it or not ?

BE HAPPY with what ever you have been granted by HIM!!!

Very true!

For some, spiritual development is a very tough job and hence, they really have to take out special time to gain some insight. I mean they have to ’devote’ time to learn the basics.

Some do it by fasting and going to Holy places...while others try to gain it by coming out with doubts over others’ beliefs.

Anyway, its God’s will.

Be positive is the best way to be happy. And having faith in GOS’s Will is tremendous source of happiness.

One should learn from others if there is desire for improvement.

Thanks for your kind words.

Spirituality signifies an attempt to find the god within and without and battle negativity. It’s recognition of a meaning to existence that transcends one’s immediate circumstances. The obvious truth is that it’s not easy to talk about spirituality. It is easier to talk about religion. I can immediately think of all kinds of things to say about religion.

It has created great problems, it’s connected to politics, it is often a source of comfort, how similar the so-called “great religions” etc. It’s a topic that everyone has much to say about. Let’s compare that to spirituality. In a way, it is a word like “fog” – you can recognize it but you can’t catch it.

The individual ego is a very limited form of identity. Ignorant of our true selves we derive a false sense of identity from what we have, or what we do from our possessions, our role in the world, how others see us, etc. Because the world on which it is based is continually changing, this derived sense of identity is always under threat, and our attempts to maintain it are responsible for much of our ”self-centered” behavior.

Religious people seem much more preoccupied with certainty. They want hard and firm answers. For me, that slides rather easily into dogmatism, which ends up being the antithesis of spirituality. For me, spirituality is when you have faith; religion is when you have faith IN something.

completely agree with atuls comments

One has to understand the philosophy of life then only he or she can work towards the goal.

Thanks for your detailed comments, will reply back later when I will be free.

Spirituality means ability to communicate with the Creator.

Lack of objectivity of any organization leads to trouble, as we see today, all over.

Worship in the form of help to the needy is accepted by HIM as HE Himself is Merciful and Kind.

Spirituality for me is finding solace in one’s own deeds and thoughts. We all are the product of god’s will. Fasting holds no meaning if the action is diluted with bad deeds or thoughts. If it inspires to search for god within oneself then its ok.
Likewise with going to temples and shrines. If they inspire us to do good or be good or act better in life then it’s ok, but humans are addicted to rituals.
Like my guru says...If bathing in Ganga washes away sins, then all the people who stay near the river should have attained moksha by now...
Its the deeds and thoughts that matter the most.

Very true. It has to be full devotion from body, mind and soul. All good deeds to others are good and liked by HIM and pleases HIM.