Some aspirants have been asking me if they should switch up their spiritual practice. Basically, the question is:
If your goal is to realize your true Self, but your spiritual practice doesn’t seem to be producing any proper results, should you switch it up?
Yes, no? Well, it’s not a “black or white” answer.
If a practitioner is happy with his/her spiritual practice, nothing needs to change. If he/she is seeing slow progress or is just unhappy with the results—then a few things can be changed.
But before changing any practice, one should ask oneself these questions, and answer them as honestly as one can:
“Am I practicing mechanically or with true devotion?”
“Have I truly surrendered to God/Spirit/Truth/SatGuru?”
“Is my whole life around the goal of Enlightenment?”
“Is my desire for Enlightenment as sincere, intense and strong as it can be?”
“Am I willing to be stripped off of everything for my goal? Is that why my breath keeps on or do I also have any other desires?”
Most of the times the practice is not the problem. The answers to these questions are.
Regarding the spiritual practice itself, the most efficient and direct way is actually very simple:
Do a practice you love and enjoy that directly awakes and raises the Kundalini toward the Crown. Kriya Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, or any similar variant, various kinds of Buddhism, or any spiritual practice that directly works with the breath, life-force and the mind will work (all 3), as long as it comes from a genuine source.
Once the Kundalini has been awakened and raised to the Crown, and you are in Savikalpa Samadhi, or your mind is super still, consciously proceed to the Parvastha/Background/Witness stage. Observe the observer, see who is experiencing that, ask without words “Who am I?” Stay with that Presence of Being. This “following” of the “I” will take the aspirant directly to the Spiritual Heart. With enough practice, surrenderness, and earnestness, the “I” will dissolve. The ego-mind thrives with the perception of otherness. Once it turns back to itself, to emptiness/nothingness, it will disappear, since it has no support whatsoever. Without support, the I-cloud disappears and the Sun of Consciousness finally “shines” at full force.
Conclusion? Make sure all the points abovementioned are spot-on before considering changing your spiritual practice.
– SantataGamana
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