Character and Spirituality

Character Building/Morality and Ethics and Spirituality

Character building is a Conscious process and a brick-by-brick process. Spiritual process can bring about inner change/transformation but character formation should be conscious effort of the individual that matches the inner spiritual progress. Character development does not happen automatically; it happens very slow even if it happens; therefore the need for conscious effort. If Character development does not match or is not aligned to the inner spiritual progress, such progress remains futile. Therefore no Character, no spiritual progress.

Spiritual progress happens only when there is shift in consciousness every time we meditate. That is exactly what happens to one who meditates regularly in the Heartfulness Way. There is significant shift in Consciousness (because of the Divine transmission or Pranahuti), that we are supposed to recognize and savour at the end of every meditation for few minutes what Daaji calls AEIOU process. And we are supposed to try to remember with an inner attention throughout the day of this shift in consciousness that we recognized in the everyday morning meditation. With this constant inner attention (inner consciousness) to our inner condition we carry out our daily chores, karmas, which slowly turns into devotion. 

Character development and Morality are synonymous; There is no character without moral life. Morality is all about practising the values consciously, faithfully. Spiritual progress gives the solid base that is required to hold on to values.

We can find evidences in our puranas, some characters who progressed spiritually very much with their penances but lacking very badly in Character. It is possible that a person can be spiritually advanced but with no moral character to match and that leads to self-destruction. It is like the flame in a lamp burning brilliantly inside but it is covered by black sooth preventing the lamp from illuminating.

Individual Consciousness and Collective Consciousness

All that see around – happiness, misery, tragedy, bliss in the life in and around us is a play of Consciousness, a manifestation of Consciousness. Consciousness is the real thing behind all that is visible. No Consciousness, no Existence. Consciousness is both inside and outside just like space is inside and outside. In fact, everything exists in consciousness, it appears.

Apparently every being animate or inanimate has consciousness. Every individual possesses consciousness. And this Consciousness defines what the individual is. Collective Consciousness is the total effect of the Consciousness of all individuals. Change in individual consciousness affects the collective consciousness. For instance, unless each soul is at peace, there can never be real world-peace.  Each individual has to be addressed at the level of consciousness to affect the collective consciousness. And there the need to meditate for every individual for changes in the collective consciousness to happen. Because it is only through meditation that real shift in consciousness happens that can be experienced by every individual after sufficient practice.