The Nature of Spiritual Experiences

There are many beliefs and notions of what spiritual experiences may be, but in reality, there is only one spiritual experience that one can undergo: enlightenment or the realisation of the truth.

Enlightenment is like illuminating the darkness within oneself with the light of the truth. Just like switching on the light in a dark room can illuminate it and make everything be seen clearly, enlightenment switches on the light within. It eliminates the darkness of ignorance, illuminates us and we realise the profound truth of life like—who am I? Why am I born? What is the purpose of my life? What is the truth of my birth? What is the truth of my death?

The first step to attaining the spiritual experience is having the yearning for it—a deep longing to realise the truth about oneself and god. This will lead to a spiritual quest, where one asks all the questions, investigates and explores the possibilities, and finally realises the truth. A quest is incomplete without the guidance of a master or a guru, who is a realised being. A guru guides the seeker from gu or darkness to ru or light. 

The realisation of truth happens with two sparks: self-realisation and god-realisation. Human beings think that they are the body, mind and ego. To realise oneself, one has to realise, ‘neti neti, tat twam asi,’ meaning, ‘I am not the body, mind or ego; I am the divine soul.’

Did we bring our body along with us when we were born? No. At the moment of conception, we were just a single cell, called the zygote. The body was then formed in our mother’s womb. At death, the body will be left behind as mortal remains and it will be ultimately destroyed by either burning or burying. This is the truth about our body. But if I am not the body, then, am I the mind? Can the mind be seen in any scan or X-ray? No, because it does not exist; it is just a bundle of thoughts. Whenever there 
are thoughts, the mind appears and vice versa. So, am I the ego? It is a product of the mind, a false identity that says, 

‘I, me and mine.’ Thus, we are neither the body nor the mind, and not the ego.

Then who am I? It is important to realise that I am the life force that came and gave life to the zygote. The life force or that power of life is the Soul a Spark Of Unique Life. At death, it is the soul that departs the body and makes it lifeless. Hence, we are the soul. Just as energy can neither be created nor destroyed, the soul is also birthless and deathless. This is the first spark of the spiritual experience—the self-realisation.

After self-realisation, comes god-realisation. Who, where and what is god? Every religion has a different definition of god. God is portrayed in a human form with a gender too. God is neither a man nor a woman. 

God is a power. God is the energy that gives us breath, and without god, there would be death. God is the supreme energy form, the supreme power. God is birthless and deathless. Thus, god is 
a Supreme Immortal Power, SIP. The divine power makes everything work in this universe. Realising that god is SIP is god-realisation.

God is present everywhere and in everything. Just as a wave emerges from the ocean and merges back into it, the soul also emerges as a speck of energy from the SIP and merges back into it. SIP is present in one form or the other in every creation of the universe, whether animate or inanimate. It is present as the soul in all the living creatures that take birth and die, and present as energy form in inanimate objects like nature, mountains and stones—in every molecule and element. It is the power that gives force to the gushing rivers and oceans, and makes the breeze flow. It is the energy felt as the heat of the fire and the quakes in the earth.

Science also proves that every molecule of matter has energy. The 2022 Nobel Prize for Physics was given to three physicists from quantum physics and quantum mechanics, who experimented and proved the Wave-Particle Duality Theory, which said every particle of matter is a form of energy. Therefore, science endorses the spiritual belief that every molecule is made up of energy. Thus, every cell is energy, every living cell is soul, part of SIP, and therefore, every particle, every animate and inanimate creation is SIP. Everything is a manifestation of SIP, god or divine. This is god-realisation.

This is the essence of the truth of life. When you explore and realise this spiritual experience or awakening called enlightenment or the realisation of the truth, it will not just shape your belief about god, but rather, will transform your belief and life. These realisations will create a metamorphosis—an irreversible change in you.

The author is a spiritual leader and founder of the AiR Institute of Realization and AiR Center of Enlightenment

<br /> There are many beliefs and notions of what spiritual experiences may be, but in reality, there is only one spiritual experience that one can undergo: enlightenment or the realisation of the truth.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Enlightenment is like illuminating the darkness within oneself with the light of the truth. Just like switching on the light in a dark room can illuminate it and make everything be seen clearly, enlightenment switches on the light within. It eliminates the darkness of ignorance, illuminates us and we realise the profound truth of life like—who am I? Why am I born? What is the purpose of my life? What is the truth of my birth? What is the truth of my death?</p> <p>The first step to attaining the spiritual experience is having the yearning for it—a deep longing to realise the truth about oneself and god. This will lead to a spiritual quest, where one asks all the questions, investigates and explores the possibilities, and finally realises the truth. A quest is incomplete without the guidance of a master or a guru, who is a realised being. A guru guides the seeker from gu or darkness to ru or light. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The realisation of truth happens with two sparks: self-realisation and god-realisation. Human beings think that they are the body, mind and ego. To realise oneself, one has to realise, ‘neti neti, tat twam asi,’ meaning, ‘I am not the body, mind or ego; I am the divine soul.’</p> <p>Did we bring our body along with us when we were born? No. At the moment of conception, we were just a single cell, called the zygote. The body was then formed in our mother’s womb. At death, the body will be left behind as mortal remains and it will be ultimately destroyed by either burning or burying. This is the truth about our body. But if I am not the body, then, am I the mind? Can the mind be seen in any scan or X-ray? No, because it does not exist; it is just a bundle of thoughts. Whenever there <br /> are thoughts, the mind appears and vice versa. So, am I the ego? It is a product of the mind, a false identity that says, </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>‘I, me and mine.’ Thus, we are neither the body nor the mind, and not the ego.</p> <p>Then who am I? It is important to realise that I am the life force that came and gave life to the zygote. The life force or that power of life is the Soul a Spark Of Unique Life. At death, it is the soul that departs the body and makes it lifeless. Hence, we are the soul. Just as energy can neither be created nor destroyed, the soul is also birthless and deathless. This is the first spark of the spiritual experience—the self-realisation.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>After self-realisation, comes god-realisation. Who, where and what is god? Every religion has a different definition of god. God is portrayed in a human form with a gender too. God is neither a man nor a woman. </p> <p>God is a power. God is the energy that gives us breath, and without god, there would be death. God is the supreme energy form, the supreme power. God is birthless and deathless. Thus, god is <br /> a Supreme Immortal Power, SIP. The divine power makes everything work in this universe. Realising that god is SIP is god-realisation.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>God is present everywhere and in everything. Just as a wave emerges from the ocean and merges back into it, the soul also emerges as a speck of energy from the SIP and merges back into it. SIP is present in one form or the other in every creation of the universe, whether animate or inanimate. It is present as the soul in all the living creatures that take birth and die, and present as energy form in inanimate objects like nature, mountains and stones—in every molecule and element. It is the power that gives force to the gushing rivers and oceans, and makes the breeze flow. It is the energy felt as the heat of the fire and the quakes in the earth.</p> <p>Science also proves that every molecule of matter has energy. The 2022 Nobel Prize for Physics was given to three physicists from quantum physics and quantum mechanics, who experimented and proved the Wave-Particle Duality Theory, which said every particle of matter is a form of energy. Therefore, science endorses the spiritual belief that every molecule is made up of energy. Thus, every cell is energy, every living cell is soul, part of SIP, and therefore, every particle, every animate and inanimate creation is SIP. Everything is a manifestation of SIP, god or divine. This is god-realisation.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>This is the essence of the truth of life. When you explore and realise this spiritual experience or awakening called enlightenment or the realisation of the truth, it will not just shape your belief about god, but rather, will transform your belief and life. These realisations will create a metamorphosis—an irreversible change in you.</p> <p>The author is a spiritual leader and founder of the AiR Institute of Realization and AiR Center of Enlightenment<br />