FROM THE SPIRITUAL TREE
There is a tree beside my house. I call
it the 'Spiritual Tree'. I derive spiritual
inspiration from it. A tree is an evergrowing
being that was initially a seed
possessing the potential of becoming a
full-grown tree. A seed takes food from the
universe around it and then grows into a
tree. The same is true with spirituality,
the desire for which is intrinsic to, and an
integral part of, the very nature of, every
human being. To realize this spirituality,
Man must derive spiritual food from the
universe around him. A tree converts
carbon-dioxide into oxygen; a spiritual person is one who can take positive lessons
from negative situations. From this perspective, a tree is an embodiment of a
spiritual personality.
—Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
SPIRITUALITY — A UNIVERSAL RELIGION
SPIRITUALITY is a universal religion. It can be divided into two phases. One phase is related to the pre-scientific era, the second phase is related to the post-scientific era. In my view, the spirituality of the pre-scientific era was of a lower level. It is only in the post scientific era that it has become possible to attain the spirituality of a higher level, just as it has happened with regards to other disciplines.
By applying the mind one discovers that here, non-material reality exists beyond material existence.
According to past notions, the heart came to be regarded as the centre and the storehouse of spirituality. That is why, man worked very hard for thousands of years to attain spirituality by focusing on the heart. For the same reason, the spiritual masters all over the world regarded the method of meditation as the only way to attain spirituality.
Heart-oriented spirituality remained in practice, meditation-based; achieved by suppressing the thinking process of the mind. But the strange outcome of this spiritual practice for over five thousand years is that no spiritual master has been able to produce a truly creative work, unlike the mind-based disciplines which produced creative personalities. Besides, almost all the spiritual masters used the language of poetry or metaphor. In such a language it is not possible to produce any great spiritual literary work.
The secret of this failure of spirituality was revealed only after the emergence of science. Scientific research revealed for the first time that the heart was only an organ of blood circulation. It was not the centre of intellectual activity. It is the human mind which is the centre of intellectual activity. All the spiritual masters continued to seek spirituality in the heart. Whereas the truth was that the centre of spirituality existed in the mind.
According to my experience the truth is that spirituality—like other functions—is also a function of the mind. It is a phenomenon of intellectual development.
Spirituality is the highest intellectual achievement for a human being. But this achievement can only be made by developing the conscious mind.
By applying the mind one discovers that here, non-material reality exists beyond material existence. It is this discovery which is the beginning of spirituality. The more one realises this higher reality, the more one’s spiritual level gets developed. In reality, like many other discoveries, spirituality is also a conscious discovery, far from comprising of vague type of feelings.
The spirituality centered on the heart is based on meditation, the culmination of which is ecstasy. Ecstasy suppresses the intellectual function of the mind. Feelings take hold of him, he is no longer guided by his conscious mind. Without doubt, ecstasy can act as a temporary tranquilliser.
Compared to this, spirituality based on the mind results in a conscious discovery which leads man to intellectual realization. There is nothing greater in this world than a thrilling experience at a conscious level. Even at its culmination, ecstasy cannot bring man beyond the confines of a limited world, whereas an intellectual realization takes man to the limitless world.
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.