The spiritual journey

The spiritual journey is a journey within yourself to discover the core of your own being. The true inner essence of every human being is an ever flowing stream of bliss. When you reach it you will no longer search for it outside. In most cases, the spiritual journey starts when you have experienced life and decided that there must be something more than day to day existence. You are born, you go through some experiences, get married or unmarried, have kids, have a business or a job and then in the end, you die.

Is this all there is to life or could there be something else? There are some who don’t accept this and think life can’t be so meaningless. There must be something more. And so begins the search. Buddha’ was born in a luxurious family. He experienced all the pleasures and happiness of living in the palace. In fact, somebody had told his parents that if he sees sick people or people who are dying, he may leave home. So, they kept him protected. Then one day, he saw a dead person and looking at the dead man, he thought – is this the fate of all human beings, to die? He started wondering if there was freedom from sorrow and walked out of the palace. He concluded that desire is the root of all sorrow, and that Nirvana is freedom from sorrow.

So, the beginning of a spiritual journey is dissatisfaction with the status quo. The speed of the journey may depend on the road you take, the vehicle you use, the maturity that you have, and the treasure of experience you carry from your past. It so happens that there are innumerable ways to reach the Truth. One cannot say that there is only one path. Often, it’s difficult to figure out which part is right for you.. So, therefore, there are teachers who can guide you.

The essential thing, however, about listening to someone who probably has travelled the path and touched the goal is to listen with a completely open mind- not prejudiced by all that one has gathered over the years- knowledge, impressions, images and memories.

That which we seek, that which we search for, whatever the journey, is something so intimate. We are actually searching for ourselves in our true essence, not what we believe that it is or have heard that it is.