By; AiR – Atman in Ravi: Happiness Ambassador, Author, Spiritual Mentor and Philanthropist

Spirituality is one of the most talked about subjects, nowadays. Everyone thinks that it is somehow, very cool and fashionable to say, ‘I am not religious. Rather, I am spiritual.’ Youth and teenagers post philosophical quotes by ancient philosophers and saints on social media and add a tag, ‘Being Spiritual!’ But does one understand the concept of Spirituality? Does one understand the essence of Spirituality? Does one know or realize what the purpose of being spiritual is, or what it is that Spirituality teaches? Maybe not. Not everyone understands or realizes the essence of Spirituality.

So, what is Spirituality? Spirituality is the science of the spirit. It is understanding our spirit, our Soul. It is to understand and realize, ‘Who am I? Why am I here? Why did I take this human birth on this earth?’ It is the Realization of the Truth about birth, death, life, rebirth, Karma, Self-Realization and ultimately, God. It is the Realization – ‘I am not this body, mind and ego. I am a SOUL, a Spark Of Unique Life. The Soul is the life energy due to which I exist. The Soul is an energy and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Hence, I am birthless and deathless. I am immortal. I come from God and I will go back to God. God is not God. God is a Supreme force, the Divine ocean of energy, where all Souls emerge from and merge back into. God is birthless, deathless, formless and neither a male or a female. God is a Power that is beyond human comprehension and Immortal. Hence, God is a Supreme Immortal Power, SIP. All living creatures are essentially Souls that have emerged from the SIP and after death, will merge back into SIP. Therefore, every living creature is a manifestation of the Divine. The ultimate goal of a human life is to transcend Karma, break free from the chain of death and rebirth and be united with the Divine by attaining Moksha, Liberation or Salvation.’

Now, let us understand what community is and how it is important in an individual’s life. A community is a group or a section of people, who share some common interest, characteristic, thought process or ideology. Communities are built in this modern society, to form a kind of support group or a sense of kinship for individuals, who want to do certain things.

Can there be community support for an individual, who is on a spiritual path, for his spiritual growth? There seem to be innumerable communities nowadays that claim to support people on their spiritual journey and paths. But can a community really help in the spiritual growth of a person? No. People who understand the essence of Spirituality, also understand that the journey of spiritual growth, progressing towards the ultimate destination of Spiritual Awakening is an individual’s journey, a personal journey. The ultimate goal of the spiritual journey is one – To attain Moksha, Salvation or Nirvana but every one of us has a different journey and a different path laid out for us and one has to go on this journey alone. A community can provide support for social growth, economic growth and even religious growth but not for spiritual growth.

Why can’t a community help in the spiritual growth of an individual? As discussed earlier, Spirituality, the subject and the ultimate goal or purpose of a human birth may be one but there are innumerable ways or paths to reach that goal. These paths or the spiritual journey of an individual depends on his individual Karma. Karma is personal to every individual. No two people share their Karma and it is Karma that lays down the course of an individual’s life. Hence, Karma is personal to an individual. It is not community Karma. Similarly, the journey of spiritual growth is also a personal journey and varies from individual to individual.

It is said that in this world, 1% of the population is physically blind and 99% is spiritually blind. So, of the 1% of the population that understands Spirituality, only 1% gets on the path of seeking their ultimate purpose in life. They start a quest to discover the purpose of their birth. One who is truly spiritual and works towards spiritual growth understands and most importantly, realizes that this path and this journey are an individual’s journey, his personal journey and that a community is not that helpful on this path.

Even though the journey of spiritual growth is a personal one and a community cannot help an individual grow spiritually, there are many ways that a community can still indirectly contribute to the spiritual growth of a person. Religious communities may equip a seeker with the knowledge of the scriptures. Religion is just a kindergarten, while Spirituality is the university. Religion teaches us the existence of God but Spirituality makes us realize, ‘Who is God? Who are we?’ Religious communities can provide a spiritual seeker with knowledge of the scriptures, which is essential to being on the path of Spirituality. Religious communities help one connect with a personal God. Even though they may teach that God has a form, a birth date and a death date, they make a person realize that God is a Supreme Being, a Supreme Power, who is Almighty. Religious communities may help inculcate the yearning in an individual to attain God and thereafter, help one take up the path towards God and Spirituality. So, once the spiritual journey of an individual is started with religion, the individual must learn, at some point, to let go of religion and progress towards Spirituality. This teaching can be given by an evolved Spiritual Master, who can help the seeker get to their spiritual goal.

There may be spiritual communities, consisting of people who are at various steps on the path of spiritual growth. Communities like this may motivate and help a seeker on the path of Spirituality. There can be knowledge and spiritual practice sharing among people in this community.

The path of Spirituality and the journey of spiritual growth is a tough one that may have periods of fatigue, loneliness and maybe even monotony. Many of the individuals, who start on this path, are unable to continue on it because they may not have the right guidance or motivation. Sometimes, the Realization of the Truth can put an individual in a state of contemplation. There may be many questions, doubts and hurdles that an individual may face in this journey. Spiritual communities or a group of like-minded people who follow Spirituality, can help and support one another on this path. They may be guided by a Spiritual Master or a Guru, who is most essential for an individual on this path. The spiritual journey is, no doubt, a personal journey for an individual. The role of a community is limited for a seeker, as every hurdle, every obstacle and every doubt may be unique to an individual. The seeker has to be constantly guided by an Enlightened Guru, a Spiritually Evolved Master to reach his ultimate goal but the biggest and most important role that a community can play for an individual is to keep him on his spiritual path, motivate him to progress further in realizing his purpose in life and not let him stop or turn back from this path.