Why is spiritual reality not easily accessible?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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And that is also spiritual success. So, why is spiritual reality not obvious? I said that we have free will. And based on the free will, we are given options about how we want to perceive happiness.
So, those people who want to live materialistically, for them, if the spiritual reality is very evident, then they cannot play out their desires. They cannot act on their desires. And in this world, because most people are materialistic, so they have been given the facility to play out their material desires, their material fantasies.
And eventually, as they evolve, they will realize that, okay, this is not really bringing me happiness. So, let me look for something higher. So, because this world is the material world, and most people are materialistic, and because we have been given free will to act according to our desires, that is why the spiritual is not immediately apparent in this world.
Okay. When I talk about this world, what do I mean? See, there is the material world, and beyond this world is the spiritual world, where the souls and God reside in an eternal bond of love. So, now, the souls in this world are largely materialistic.
So, Bhagavad Gita says, In 8.20, it says that beyond this world is another world, and all in this world is destroyed, that part remains as it is. So, that is talking about the spiritual world. And we are in what is called the material world.
Now, in this world, as I started by talking about how every device has a particular purpose, so this world has the purpose of experimentation and redirection. So, those who want to experiment with different ideas of how that can make them happy, how they can become happy, they are given the facility for that. And that is why the spiritual is not apparent.
But everyone, at some point in their lives, they experience some things, which makes them think about life’s higher dimension. What is more, sometimes a loved one may pass away, or sometimes they may have just experienced some sort of traumatic experience, or just like sometimes they come to some situation where they… I myself think why I am here and what is my purpose. Yeah, exactly, that’s true.
All of us think about it. See, all of us think about it sometime or other in our life. Now, when we think about that, if we look deeper at the nature of life, we see that our basic needs in life are provided for.
For example, we need air to breathe, and there is atmosphere which contains air which contains oxygen. We need water to drink, and water is there in nature. We have hunger for food, and food is there in nature.
So, whatever are our basic needs, they are provided for in nature. Now, one need for functioning effectively in life is also knowledge. So, we need to know, okay, what am I living for? And is that knowledge also provided in nature? Yes, that knowledge is provided not through nature, but through scripture.
So, just like I gave earlier the example of a multiple choice exam, where people choose, and if they have studied what they have been taught, then they will make the right choices. So, like that, we human beings, if we reflect a little bit, we will ask fundamental questions about life. And when we ask fundamental questions about life, at that time, we will be guided from within towards books, towards social circles, towards spiritual sources of knowledge, where we will get answers to our questions.
So, there is beyond whatever is happening in our life, there are higher forces in action, and that higher power is observing us. I am convinced that there is a higher power, I would be convinced about it. But if we desire to know about that higher power, then we will be guided.
So, it is God, if you call that higher power as God, God wants us to know about life’s spiritual side, and to evolve spiritually. But God doesn’t force that upon us. So, because our majority of our desires are materialistic, that’s why the material side of life is more apparent in this world.
But in whichever religion, whichever culture, whichever tradition, even thoughtful people, they have enquired and explored life’s spiritual side. It is said that a believer needs no reasons, a non-believer accepts no reasons. So, if we are sceptical, we will keep rejecting the life’s spiritual side.
But as you said, if we have had some experiences, if we understand that life’s spiritual side does exist, but then we also need knowledge to gain more clearer understanding. And in a sense, if we see any sophisticated body of knowledge, we don’t perceive it without a certain level of education. Say, if a person who has no knowledge of economics, they come and see on a computer, you know, a line, a graph going downwards.
And people who are in a stock market, they may get a heart attack because of that. This person says, what is happening? Why are you so worked up that there is some ray of light going down on a graph? So, it is our education that transforms perception into comprehension. The perception of the graph going down.
So, Krishna also talks about this in Bhagavad Gita when he says, He says that when we have the eyes of knowledge, then we can perceive how the soul is present in the body, how the soul moves from one body to another, how the soul acts within the body. These can be perceived with the eyes of knowledge. So, if we study spiritual knowledge, if we study books like the Bhagavad Gita, then life’s spiritual dimension becomes more and more clear.
So, because this world is largely materialistic, meant for materialistic people, that’s why the spiritual is not apparent immediately. But if we are inquisitive, then the higher power will guide us towards the sources of knowledge where our questions will be answered. Nancy, question? Thank you.
You come here regularly or this is the first time you are coming? No, actually, I am actually from India.