Guest guest Posted December 12, 2001 Report Share Posted December 12, 2001 Practice of Spirituality relevant to the times (yugas)<br><br>According to eastern philosophy, time since Creation, can be divided into four major eras - the Satyayuga, Tretâyuga, Dvâpâryuga, and Kaliyuga. We are currently living in the era known as the Kaliyuga. Kaliyuga means the era of strife. The practice of spirituality for every era is predetermined. Just as a farmer grows his crops according to the seasons, so also we derive maximum spiritual benefit by following the spiritual practice relevant to our era.<br><br>Era Relevant - spiritual practice - Average individual spiritual level (%)<br><br>Satyayuga - Path of Knowledge (Dnyânyoga) (70%)<br><br>Tretâyuga - Path of Penance and Meditation(Dhyânyoga) (55%)<br><br>Dvâpâryuga - Path of Rituals (Karmakând) (35%)<br><br>Kaliyuga - Path of Chanting the Lord’s Name (Nâmasankîrtanyoga) (20%)<br><br>The average spiritual level of a person born in the current era is 20%. Someone who has completely merged back into God (attained the Final Liberation) is said to be at the 100% spiritual level. <br><br>During the Satyayuga, the average individual spiritual level was 70%. Today this spiritual level is considered as Sainthood. Because people were so close to God during the Satyayuga, when they read spiritual texts such as the Vedâs, they could understand the implied (spiritual) meaning of the text as well as experience that knowledge. Hence, the most suitable spiritual practice during the Satyayuga was to follow the Path of Knowledge. <br><br>As years passed by, man regressed spiritually and was unable to effectively follow the path of Knowledge. Thus, during the next era (Tretâyuga), the best suited spiritual practice was that of penance and meditation. However, unlike the practice of penance and meditation today, the level of penance and meditation followed then was very intense. People would stand on one leg for many months and would go into deep meditation for years on end. Such depth in penance and meditation is required to make any significant spiritual progress on this path. In the stressful world of today, it is almost impossible to undertake such a spiritual practice for any length of time, for it to be effective. That is why, penance and meditation are not recommended for this era. <br><br>As time passed by, man regressed even further, and could not withstand the severe austerities on the path of meditation and penance. Hence, in the Dvâpâryuga that followed, ritualistic worship became the most suitable form of spiritual practice. People would perform elaborate religious rituals and sacrificial fires that sometimes lasted for days, weeks, and even months and needed many expensive ingredients of highest purity (sattva). These rituals were dependent on many factors such as the time of the day, month, and year, highly evolved priests, and the supervision of a saint, in order to be effective for spiritual growth. In today’s times, we have neither the time nor the other required resources to effectively follow this path. <br><br>In the present era of strife, the average spiritual level of man is at an all time low of 20%. Knowing this and the existing condition of today’s spiritually undernourished world, the Lord gave us a simple solution for our spiritual progress - chanting His Name that is, calling upon Him as often as possible. <br><br>As we know, the Lord is known by many Names in different religions. To eliminate any confusion as to what Name one should chant, He has predetermined the Name for each of us by giving us birth into that religious order the worship of whose Principle is best matched to our spiritual progress. Thus, in the current era, one can make maximum spiritual practice by chanting the Lord’s Name as per their religion; a practice recommended by all saints and faiths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.