The state of our spiritual consciousness defines our Personality, and our personality is reflected in our Thoughts, Speech, and Conduct. The development of spiritual consciousness and the construction of an brilliant personality is a long and complex process. This process starts from birth and continues until the last breath, with both Nature and Nurture playing significant roles.
From birth, worldly illusions and distractions take on various forms to influence us, often causing us to forget the most important purpose of our lives and entangling us in an endless quest for material desires. It is up to nature and nurture to determine when a person’s worldly slumber will be broken, prompting them to progress towards their true goal with full commitment and resolve. Every individual is part of this journey, standing at a specific level on the staircase of spiritual consciousness. This level determines our character, identity, and life experience.
We spend our entire lives in the hope and desire that our life experience will be excellent, joyful, and effortless. To achieve this, we leave no stone unturned, including our religious and spiritual faith and devotion. Most people limit this faith to rituals, pilgrimages, donations, ceremonies, and fasts. In the hustle and bustle of these practices, they either do not grasp or forget the essence and true purpose of these religious teachings. This situation is worsened by imposters & hypocrites who, for their selfish gains, mislead people in the name of religion and steer them off the righteous path. It is essential to avoid such deceit.
If you study and analyse the philosophies and literature of any religion, you will realize that all fundamentally emphasize that our thoughts, speech, and behaviour should be exemplary and noble. All religions stress the importance of continually striving to overcome the six enemies: lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, and envy. True liberation lies in living life while controlling these vices.
Our life experience is determined by our actions. Only through good intentions and behaviour can we expect better treatment from others. Our image, respect, and dignity depend on our character. Our Virtuous Thoughts, Disciplined Speech, and Good Conduct are the qualities that make our lives meaningful. If we carefully observe, we will find that whatever we achieve or lose in life results from our character and actions.
The term “God,” whom we worship and consider omniscient, literally means one with virtuous qualities. Our fundamental life purpose is to understand and embody these various virtues. While it sounds simple, it is a very complex and challenging task. Identifying virtues, understanding their importance, practicing them, applying them in daily life, and steadfastly adhering to them regardless of the circumstances is not easy. The discernment, wisdom, vision, and alertness required to achieve this state can only be obtained from a True Guru. The literature and teachings of every religion are fully capable of fulfilling our spiritual needs. We can only attain this divine knowledge when we find a true guru who liberates us from the darkness of ignorance. Only then can we understand this subtle distinction and timely steer our lives in the right direction. The heaven we desire can be created here and now through the synergy of our virtues well-balanced with material and spiritual pursuits.
It is expected that while performing all worldly duties and responsibilities, we should elevate our spiritual consciousness and state to the next step of the spiritual ladder through the right knowledge and virtues. Gradually, we can attain the state known as liberation or moksha. This is the fundamental purpose of our lives.