What if there is no God? What if Spirituality is sham?This is an interesting question, a friend of mine asked this. It's possible that there is no God or that there is no enlightenment. Then aren't we wasting time on things that are useless to life? isn't it better to eat drink, make merry than meditate god or worship him? Let's look at different spiritual practices and what becomes of them if spirituality or God is just a belief and not reality. RajaYoga [Practice of Hatha Ygoa, Pranayama, Meditation]
JnanaYoga [Yoga of Wisdom]:Yoga of wisdom involves three kinds of knowledge;
Surely knowledge of God may not be helpful if there is no God, however knowledge of the self & knowledge of the path to higher reality are independent of the ultimate reality, as this knowledge is rooted in present reality & making it little more better; However Submitting to a belief entirely without fact checking would be waste of time & mind. What are the basic aspects of JnanaYoga?
These are eternal questions, Gita, Upanishads, Tripitakas, Agamas try to address these, these expand human thinking and are undoubtedly better than Plato, Socrates or Dante. JnanaYoga is great exercise of Self-analysis, it helps regardless of one's belief in God. KarmaYoga [Yoga of Right action]:Karma Yoga is about acting from right perspective. If it isn't based on beliefs but better understanding of the reality, then it does not become invalid in the absence of God. If our actions are rooted in the belief that there is a Karma, or that there are Heaven & hell, such actions are not liberating though good sometimes. Actions that have origin in rationality, Love & compassion are far liberating and better than good actions done from fear born of belief. A KarmaYogi :
Purpose of KarmaYoga is to help one perfect his mind gradually by sticking to the right ways of thinking by acting on them. Even the staunch anti-theist would appreciate this philosophy though he/she might disagree on the finality of finding God through service. BhaktiYoga [Yoga of Devotion]:Devotional practices like singing, chanting, praying together, serving together bring us closer to other people, enhance the sweetness within, a relief from the routine life. Devotional practices if are more ritualistic than idealistic perhaps are waste of time. conclusion: Spirituality in actual if understood & practiced correctly is helpful regardless of one's belief in God. Though we can disagree on the finality, the assessment of "human condition" as per paths of "wisdom" (JnanaYoga) & "right action" (KarmaYoga) are spot on and intellectually & emotionally enriching. Meditation helps everyone gain a grip on reality than on the idea of reality as enforced by persistent linear belief. It surely is liberating regardless of God. Believing in certain practices of food, clothing, drinking, social rules just because the texts say so but offer no explanation is detrimental, that certainly is waste of time & one will feel cheated when such person comes out of the rut. Real spirituality happens within, it is not ritualistic (though rituals may help), he/she who has understood the essence of spirituality will never be disappointed, spirituality is rooted in liberating man regardless of his/her belief. If belief isn't helping in that direction, then such beliefs deserve to be discarded. Categories: Related content2. Be a Lion not a dog [story] 6. Each and Every creation of God has a Reason [story] 8. God appears as half Shiva and half Vishnu [story] 11. From the depths of silence the geyser of God's [quote]
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