Feeling Spiritually Alive

Its fascinating for me trace my spirituality from my beginnings in Hinduism to what I currently believe in. As a child I remember following the ritualistic Hinduism. But that didnt last very long. During my early teens, I started being interested in vedanta when I read teachings by Swami Vivekananda. (I still love what Vivekananda has done to Vedanta). The proximity of Ramakrishna Mutt from my house, and the incredible energy of that place endeared me and I spent many evenings at the Mutt in peace and quiet (Thats something I miss a lot here). I understood what it was to smile from the inside when I saw Ramakrishna in meditation.

In my early 20s, I was introduced to reiki and I pondered on the energy aspect of healing and the relationship of the universal energy to one's personal energy. Yoga and reiki seemed complement each other and seemed to have a wonderfully calming effect on me.

One day at a Barnes and Noble store, Eckhart Tolle came into my life. Eckhart is a wonderful teacher, one I cannot write enough about. I also started being drawn to A.Parthasarathy's literature on vedanta and Bhagvad Gita. I read a few interpretations of the Gita and I believe that its one timeless epic. I was surprised to find that the Bhagvad Gita didnt really tell you what to do, just offered a lot of suggestions and said you could choose whatever fitted you best. I love that aspect of that book.

I found myself looking for that one truth of which everything I'd studied before were derivatives. I read a lot of new agey and eastern philosophical works by J.Krishnamoorthy, Deepak Chopra, Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer. Watched the Secret. They were all nice. But there were too many paths to follow, too many details to remember. My mind needed something uncluttered and organized. I stumbled upon Abraham. I think after I met Abraham, I stopped looking. The teachings of Abraham sort of put things in perspective for me. I dont feel guilty about not following the religion of my ancestors because in the multi-facted, multi-threaded, constantly evolving religion of hinduism, the abrahamic teachings are already present.

Here are the reasons I like Abraham
1.To me, spirituality is not as much about finding as it is about remembering. I think the Abraham's teachings help me remember and validate what I already know. So its not like someone is pushing their ideas on me.

2.Its simple. My belief system had to simple. Because, as humans, we have a basic right of conduit to the divine. Lack of mental interpretive skills should not stand in the way of perceiving God. I dont think God would have designed a path to reach Him, that only a select few have access to.

3.I have many opportunities to validate the teachings in practice as part of everyday life. I'm also able to validate it against some timeless epics like Vedanta and the Gita, which proves that the truth always stands the test of time.

4.Practical. I do not wish to renounce this life to be a saint (atleast not right now). I wanted something comfortable that can be practiced anywhere and something that integrates right into my life.

I think its exciting for me to not just ponder spirituality, but look back and see how every single teacher I've crossed paths with, has molded my belief system today. I do not think my beliefs will be right for everyone, but hey, there is no right or wrong in this. Just what works for you.

I dont feel the need for organized religion. But I still like to go to a temple because I like how it makes me feel. Maybe a few years from now, I will have evolved from Abraham and on to someone/something that helps me remember more about myself....maybe just a tad more. Isnt that (Personal Evolution) what spirituality is about?