Wisdom Search

Gurudev, I understand spiritual practices are to meet God, but that is not my motive. I want to excel in life and in my career. How can spirituality help me do that? Why does spirituality suggest one generic solution to all of life’s problems.

See, when you are hungry, the only way to satisfy hunger is to eat. If you say, “I am thirsty”, there is just one solution to quench the thirst, you need to drink liquids. But what type of liquid you should drink? I say you have many choices ...

Gurudev, does practicing spirituality in the workplace diminish dynamism and aspirations, and bring about complacency instead?

Absolutely not. Complacency is not spirituality in the real sense. Neither does peace mean a sense of complacency, nor can stress be a sign of creativity. If stress meant creativity, then Afghanistan should have been the most creative part of the world. ...

Dear Gurudev, you do so much for us, what can we do for you?

Keep smiling and spread the smile and happiness. There is so much work to be done in the world. There are conflicts in Syria, in Egypt, in Ukraine, in Pakistan, in Columbia, and in many other parts of the world. We should see what we can do. If t ...

Gurudev, on what basis can I call myself as spiritual? Is the meaning of spirituality to go beyond the senses?

I tell you, you just declare that you are spiritual. There is no problem, and nobody will challenge you. Nobody can, for everyone is made up of spirit. It is the spirit in you which is speaking, which understands, which is perceiving and communicating, ...

Gurudev, how does knowledge of substances lead to enlightenment? Are all physicists enlightened?

You know, a scientist once told me, 'Gurudev, for 40 years I have studied matter just to realize that it doesn’t exist'.The one thing that exists in the world is waves, which appears to be matter. If you are a quantum physicist, you ...

Gurudev, you have said that in spirituality, faith comes first and then the experience, whereas for people with a scientific temper, it is the exact opposite. This feels a bit contradictory and I did not get it. Can you please explain?

No, I feel you got it wrong somewhere. It is the difference between the oriental and the occidental way of looking at things. In the orient, we always say that first the experience must happen, only then do you fully understand and grasp the concept. Bu ...

Why do you think attaining spirituality is necessary?

It is because you want to be happy unconditionally; you want peace which does not get disturbed by small things. And this is quite natural.Wanting spirituality is as natural as wanting deep rest, as wanting to be loved, as wanting comfort and ...

Different people have different notions of spirituality. Some think it is escapism, others think it is torturing oneself. What is spirituality according to you?

Anything that uplifts the human spirit is spirituality. Anything that brings you peace, joy, love, comfort and motivates you to do service in society is spirituality.We are made up of both matter and spirit. Our body is made up of Amino acids, carbo ...

Spirituality is the need of our country. The reality is that it is limited to the rich, and the ones who can afford it. What should be done so that every common person who may not financially be able afford it, gets to experience it?

Spirituality has nothing to do with money; absolutely not! Poor people can benefit from spirituality as much as the rich people. In fact, we are doing programs in so many villages, nearly 40,000 villages in the country, and in slum areas. When poor pe ...

Gurudev, spirituality has become a buzzword amongst many people. Everybody wants to say 'I meditate, I am spiritual'. What is spirituality?

We are all made up of both matter and spirit, right? Our body is made up of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals. The spirit is made up of creativity, peace, love, joy, anger and all these emotions. Spirituality is attending to the spirit; who am I? Am ...