Spiritual Quest

In the quest for harmony

I have been a constant seeker in the last twenty years, mystified by the ancient Indian philosophies. I realize that there are two types of texts available, one that talks about mystic kings and their valor and the other that talks about the science of consciousness.

We can further divide the subset of texts that fall in the latter category into two types — first, those that present facts with reasoning, and second, which provide experimental procedures (just like a lab manual) to testify these facts. Discourses that talk about procedures provide an open invitation to the seekers who are in the quest for harmony. With my limited exposure to these texts, I realize:

a. Depiction of an experience, worldly or conscientious, is limited by not only the exposure of the Guru (the Author) but also by the limitations of language and the abilities of the seeker (recipient). For example, the enthralling beauty of Mt. Everest is certainly difficult to explain in words. It is easier to depict the same through motion pictures taken at Mt. Everest than those taken in studios. However, even with the highest quality motion pictures, a blind man may not appreciate the beauty of Mt. Everest.

b. The quest is a solo journey. Everything else is a mere companions. Neither I am faster, nor you are slower. Not that you can, and I could not. Neither it is a matter of current good versus past bad. Life is an equal opportunity employer; it takes everyone on a unique ride only to conclude on one realization — to seek the purpose.

In this light, I surrender, for I may not be capable to decipher the signals and meanings from the text nor the vision from the practice (of the procedures). I realize I need someone to handhold me, to walk me through the journey of infinity. But for someone to walk me through the infinity, one should first be eternal, isn’t it? Amazing!

I surrender by practicing the procedures without asking for the revelation. It is not an exaggeration once you see this from the following perspective. Imagine you are on a leisure car ride and waiting for the traffic signal to go green. You are alone and restful — without many thoughts and in no hurry to go home or reach your destination. Suddenly, someone bumps into your car, and you felt the jerk. You take time to understand the situation, gauge your best response and then you react — sometimes you ignore but at times you get into a squabble. The reaction is not automatic, right? In fact, response to any situation is not automatic. We can feel the duality all the time. There is an inner voice and the body. Sometimes, this duality develops into triality — the inner voice, the counter-voice, and the body. My quest is to bring all three into harmony — to transcend into one.

Surrendering means accepting that the procedures and prescriptions work. It also means that we acknowledge the limitations of not only our understanding (of the procedure) but also our assessments (that we are adhering to the procedures) and expectations (that we expect certain outcome -revelation). The duality here is the difference between declaration and action.

Here are the five actions that I take to reaffirm my above declaration of surrender to the quest for harmony.

Intellect over Mind

Triality is the Body, the Mind, and the Intellect. The body is the medium for the quest to establish harmony between the Mind and the Intellect. Mind is a wanderer, manipulator, and bliss seeker. Whereas our intellect is a companion, a trustworthy advisor in the first part of our journey to infinity. The first action we can take is to give more power to our advisor, the intellect, and curtail the expeditions of our minds. Being aware that the two work incessantly and we need to favor one and discourage the other is a good starting point.

Complete surrender

Surrender to the cause and let it take the form. The purpose of life is not to take different forms and shapes, but to get immersed with the one. Feeling grateful for the present and hopeful for the future lays a solid foundation for our quest for harmony. By accepting our achievements merely as a means to our livelihood and failures as a stepping-stone, we remind ourselves that we are up for a bigger battle. Witnessing success and failures and tailoring our response to become balanced prepare us for the quest.

Deep dive to know the truth

When I surrender, I take a vow to deep dive and not accept things at their face value. Deep diving with the right purpose of knowing what it is gives us immense confidence and courage to take on the quest for harmony. Deceit, lie, defiance, anger, love, trust, confidence, and all human behaviors demand careful consideration. By taking time, accepting that there are myriads of other possibilities, and ways for the event to happen the way it occurred, gives power to our advisor, the intellect, to enquire into the fancies of our mind.

Resolute determination

After we give in to our cravings, our desires, it all boils down to our determination. By not letting go of our virtuous desires, by being astute to our call of duty, we reaffirm to ourselves that we will eventually win in our quest for harmony. It does not matter how many inner battles we lose, but each battle that we win takes us a step forward in our journey to infinity.

Empathy and continuous improvement

When I see someone lagging, struggling, and decimated by the tyranny of one’s own deeds, I don’t feel pity, for I know that the suffering is temporary. The immense potential of the human being can never be crushed, and this too shall pass. Instead, I pray for more power to the sufferer, and I reaffirm to myself and oblige in gratitude that despite having gone through many such cycles (myself in the past), I have been pulled out to keep treading on the path.

Way forward

In the journey to infinity, the first step is to win over the quest for harmony. It is only the beginning. The ancient Indian philosophies talk at great length about this journey. Swarved, the encyclopedia of spirituality, provides the procedure that can potentially take us to infinity.

Follow us for more on “The journey to infinity”. These revelations are based on my over twenty years of immersion in Swarved, the encyclopedia of spirituality. Swarved is available on Amazon and on Google Play store in multiple languages.