Question: Can I be an atheist and yet a spiritualist? If not, is there any other name for getting in touch with your true self?
Answer: Yes, you can be an atheist and yet a spiritualist*. When you are an atheist you do not believe in God. But for that matter, when you will be a true spiritualist, even then you will not believe in God, for, then you will be 'God' yourself.
God truly is to us as a sea is to a drop of water in it. The drop may not believe in the sea, but when it will go down to its ultimate depths to understand itself - to which we may call spiritual depths and which will make it a spiritualist - then it will come to know that it in fact itself is the sea. And even then it need not believe in the sea, for then it itself will be the sea. I do not believe in myself, I am.
As to another name for getting in touch with your true self, it could be called self-realization. Obviously, you will realize your true self only when you will go down to your ultimate depths by peeling layers upon layers of your conditioning, of your conditioned self. And then you will find that there is, in fact, nothing else but your own self all-around. Just as the drop of the sea of the above example on realizing its deepest or spiritual self will find its own unlimited self in the form of sea all around it. Which is in fact why wise say, you perceive only what you are.
Spirit is the substratum, is the base on which all forms and hence all individualities are formed. Naturally when you will be spiritual you will go beyond all forms and individualities. And naturally again, then you will see the One, One substratum, to which people give various names including God but which is really unnamable, beyond words.
PS: (No doubt remaining in that state of Oneness is like constantly remaining in a state of orgasm to give a concrete example and in a state of love-at-first-sight to give a subtle example. We cannot. Yet we constantly strive for it and beyond a point it begins to linger permanently under our actions/state of becoming.
Question: Please elaborate a bit more on peeling layers upon layers of our conditioning, of our conditioned self…
Answer: As we evolve we in fact peel away layers and layers of our conditioning, our conditioned self.
Our conditioning shows us our bondage in various ways and we try to free ourselves of this bondage by peeling layers and layers of our conditioning.
Suppose I am unfortunately conditioned to go to the pub every evening. I go to the pub no doubt, but at the same time I resent my slavery to this thing in the heart of my hearts, at the deepest layer of my being, at the core of my being. I detest it, try to revolt against it, try to rise above it, try to transcend it. And ultimately I will transcend it, which will mean ultimately I will go beyond or deeper than this conditioning. More the energy we have more we will put ourselves into various conditioning situations first, in reality only to transcend them, so as to ultimately become our own masters, so as ultimately to enjoy ourselves beyond conditioning.
There were the days when I was slave to drinking and smoking daily. Now I drink or smoke but not daily, not daily in the evening, but when I - repeat I - wish it. Drink or smoke are now no longer my master, I am their master, I may use them the way I like, or I may not use them altogether.
Even if some people have shunned such things through oaths of various kinds they are not masters of it, they have become conditioned in another way, they have become bound in another way. The above are just examples.
Actually we go on de-conditioning ourselves in this way all through our life and lives. In the ultimate life or in the ultimate unconditioned state we will merge indistinguishably with the All Spirit just as the drop of the above example will merge indistinguishably with the sea.
*PS(28/05/2011): Though spirituality too is not an end in itself. Going beyond all isms is the end. Going beyond all yet embracing all.
Related: http://self-designed-universe.blogspot.in/2011/05/spirituality-of-atheist_29.html
Answer: Yes, you can be an atheist and yet a spiritualist*. When you are an atheist you do not believe in God. But for that matter, when you will be a true spiritualist, even then you will not believe in God, for, then you will be 'God' yourself.God truly is to us as a sea is to a drop of water in it. The drop may not believe in the sea, but when it will go down to its ultimate depths to understand itself - to which we may call spiritual depths and which will make it a spiritualist - then it will come to know that it in fact itself is the sea. And even then it need not believe in the sea, for then it itself will be the sea. I do not believe in myself, I am.
As to another name for getting in touch with your true self, it could be called self-realization. Obviously, you will realize your true self only when you will go down to your ultimate depths by peeling layers upon layers of your conditioning, of your conditioned self. And then you will find that there is, in fact, nothing else but your own self all-around. Just as the drop of the sea of the above example on realizing its deepest or spiritual self will find its own unlimited self in the form of sea all around it. Which is in fact why wise say, you perceive only what you are.
Spirit is the substratum, is the base on which all forms and hence all individualities are formed. Naturally when you will be spiritual you will go beyond all forms and individualities. And naturally again, then you will see the One, One substratum, to which people give various names including God but which is really unnamable, beyond words.
PS: (No doubt remaining in that state of Oneness is like constantly remaining in a state of orgasm to give a concrete example and in a state of love-at-first-sight to give a subtle example. We cannot. Yet we constantly strive for it and beyond a point it begins to linger permanently under our actions/state of becoming.
Question: Please elaborate a bit more on peeling layers upon layers of our conditioning, of our conditioned self…
Answer: As we evolve we in fact peel away layers and layers of our conditioning, our conditioned self.
Our conditioning shows us our bondage in various ways and we try to free ourselves of this bondage by peeling layers and layers of our conditioning.
Suppose I am unfortunately conditioned to go to the pub every evening. I go to the pub no doubt, but at the same time I resent my slavery to this thing in the heart of my hearts, at the deepest layer of my being, at the core of my being. I detest it, try to revolt against it, try to rise above it, try to transcend it. And ultimately I will transcend it, which will mean ultimately I will go beyond or deeper than this conditioning. More the energy we have more we will put ourselves into various conditioning situations first, in reality only to transcend them, so as to ultimately become our own masters, so as ultimately to enjoy ourselves beyond conditioning.
There were the days when I was slave to drinking and smoking daily. Now I drink or smoke but not daily, not daily in the evening, but when I - repeat I - wish it. Drink or smoke are now no longer my master, I am their master, I may use them the way I like, or I may not use them altogether.Even if some people have shunned such things through oaths of various kinds they are not masters of it, they have become conditioned in another way, they have become bound in another way. The above are just examples.
Actually we go on de-conditioning ourselves in this way all through our life and lives. In the ultimate life or in the ultimate unconditioned state we will merge indistinguishably with the All Spirit just as the drop of the above example will merge indistinguishably with the sea.
*PS(28/05/2011): Though spirituality too is not an end in itself. Going beyond all isms is the end. Going beyond all yet embracing all.
Related: http://self-designed-universe.blogspot.in/2011/05/spirituality-of-atheist_29.html
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