theory & practice

Today I’d like to talk a little more about theory and practice on the spiritual path. In the West we have become rather wedded to the thinking mind, to ideas, mental understandings, to theory. But life is not a theory – life is lived. It is a tangible, sensuous affair. If we stick only with words and thoughts, we miss life. On the spiritual path, we need to combine thinking, words, and understandings, with practice, with involvement. Spirituality is not a spectator sport, it is no use just commenting from the sideline. It is no use just analysing without taking part. We need to plunge in with all our being, not just with our mind.

So practice is an essential part of the spiritual journey and ultimately it is practice that will yield the greatest results. For this journey is not about coming to a deeper understanding of life, it is about coming to live life more deeply and this lived reality can come only by exercising our being, not only with thoughts – they are a small part of the equation – but with practice.

The practice may follow any of the spiritual disciplines or a combination of many. I will talk about meditation but you can substitute for the word meditation whatever practice works for you, it might be yoga, it might be tai chi, it might be any of thousands of disciplines which are available to us today.

So, if meditation is a part of my spiritual path I should practise it diligently. This means setting aside some time each day, one hour at least, two is better. Two hours a day, dedicated to the spiritual path, will yield results. If you struggle to find the time, better to sleep less and meditate more, it will have equally beneficial results for your health and wellbeing, and ultimately it will lead you to a place where you will not be worrying about the availability of time. Also, you can find some things in your life to drop. Perhaps you do not need to watch so much television or spend so long reading the news- papers. We tend to idle away much time. Some of that can be redirected to meditation or your spiritual practice.

Apart from this daily time, it is great once in a while to set aside some days, a week, or a month or more, to really focus on the spiritual journey. You could attend a meditation retreat, for example, or some other intensive spiritual gathering. You could travel to a monastery or an ashram in India. You could spend time in these places which have been dedicated to spirituality for hundreds of years, thousands of years in some cases. The energy of the spiritual path is so intense and alive in such places that your journey can progress quickly and you can deepen into yourself in a matter of weeks in a way that would take years otherwise. So, as well as daily practise I urge you to set aside time each year, a few weeks or a few months, to really focus on your spiritual journey.

If you are very keen you could make it a full time occupation, but actually I would urge you to spend some time in the marketplace, in a job, or in society where spirituality is not the focus. For ultimately this journey takes us to a place where we are at ease everywhere in any situation. This aspect will be made more easy by keeping in contact with the wider society which does not spend so much energy focussed on spirituality.

So, do not think that the spiritual journey is purely an intellectual exercise, no. Practice is essential. Find a discipline that suits you or a combination of disciplines and practise them regularly. They will bring to you gifts that you cannot imagine and you will become happier.