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The Western Interpretation Of The Indian Spirituality
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I am neither Indian nor Western. I no longer belong to a club. My affiliations with either culture went long ago.
Unlike most Indian gurus or Western seekers and teachers visiting either culture only briefly, I have a unique perspective from being born and raised in India and attaining self-realization in the West while being married to a Westerner. This background has allowed me to have an in-depth understanding of how these two minds roll.
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Over the past two decades, many Western clients and students have opened up to me about their collective psychological conditioning, revealing intricate details about their personas, family dynamics, emotions, and aspirations.
I notice a striking contrast between the Western emphasis on confidence and individualism and the deeper, heartfelt spirituality that is often woven into the daily lives of people in India. This blending of two very different ways of life significantly influences my work. It shapes my ability to help you recognize and overcome the deepest subconscious obstacles that stand in the way of transformation.
India has embraced life as a sacred and integrated process for tens of thousands of years. The life and the collective mind have been shaped around eternal truths of existence. An ancient and unbroken history of inner exploration to achieve the union of the mind, body, and spiritual reality. A recipe that has been slowly and lovingly cooked for several millennia, imprinting the very DNA, permeating the very fabric of society. A vibe so strong, it is felt across the globe.
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West has been abundantly rich in Christian tradition but lacks a significant spiritual foundation. Western scholars in the 17th and 18th centuries discovered the Vedas, which introduced them to the cosmic scheme, regenerative power of vibration, energy, sound, meditation, Yoga and Ayurveda. Western consciousness was devoid of those concepts until the Vedic knowledge became accessible to Europe via translations. Later on, European philosophers wrote lengthy books, philosophising the same Vedic concepts. Modern Quantum Physics expands the Vedic thought though many scientists often overlook this influence. and many eminent scientists give credit where credit is due. ​​ Since then, the world has embraced concepts of Indian lineage such as spiritual enlightenment, meditation, OM, chakras, karma, kirtan, chanting, mantras, sound healing, mind-body connection, and yoga. These ideas, along with day-to-day elements such as the health benefits of turmeric and traditional Indian squatting or walking barefoot, are often more emphasised in the West than in India, where they are simply part of daily life. ​
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​People have Google search, but no real guidance
In the West, as well as in India and other parts of the world, there is a growing need to embrace the core principles of India's spiritual traditions to foster a more positive and hopeful environment. The Abrahamic mindset prevalent in the West often promotes a strong "can-do", superior and entitled attitude, In contrast, the Indian perspective, rooted in Vedic principles, may sometimes convey a sense of inferiority due to its emphasis on inclusiveness, service, devotion, and the idea of a universal human family. West accepts Indian wisdom in an entitled and condescending manner. Abrahamic mind interprets obedience, surrender, devotion and service as submission, rather than essential steps to greater strength and freedom. It seems to worship the idea of freedom more than freedom itself. Despite a considerable reliance on Indian wisdom for spiritual guidance, these teachings are frequently interpreted through an intellectual or individualistic lens. This can lead to misunderstandings and an oversimplified, marketable version of Indian wisdom.​ Abrahamic consciousness has created a pretentious spirituality, where people can speak and intellectually understand stuff, but it fails to settle them. Among my clients, Spiritual seekers are the most unsettled people.
Spirituality is never about making oneself better, it is about knowing yourself. When you know you, there is no suffering.
Widespread Spirituality:
Spiritual seeking has become a widespread cultural trend, thanks to the internet, with millions doing spiritual practices. However, often lack the foundations of values such as receptivity, respect, devotion, and humility. These values are crucial for revealing your true spiritual nature, but they are frequently overlooked or hurried in Western societies.
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Do you think the world is more spiritual today than ever before? You would probably feel it is. It's not. Real spirituality is as rare as it always was. Mind can learn. Spirituality is going beyond mind. That calls for extreme settling down. That is not everybody's calling.
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Many Western seekers visit India briefly, return, and start teaching, leveraging their confidence but overlooking the need to grow roots. The knowledge disconnected from its depth and essence is often rebranded for digestible and quicker consumption. This has caused a lightweight version of spirituality. There are more awakened people and healers in the West today than logistically possible! The state of our world does not reflect a spiritually activated race of people, but rather a spiritually informed generation.
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This disconnect has led to well-informed yet confused and unsettled minds. This results in an environment where people feel empowered to mentor and lead others. There are business mentors who teach spiritual folks how to attract clients and run spiritual retreats. Corporate Spirituality, reducing it to just another marketable service. This mindset is plunging humans deeper into the fake and pretentious. Spirituality without pure essence is more harmful than no spirituality at all.
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''Healing'' Indian and Western comparison
The Western world faces deep emotional and psychological challenges, spurring people to turn to spirituality in search of freedom from their inner torments. The Western approach to spirituality focuses on addressing personal issues. underlines continuous self-improvement through healing therapy and sundry spiritual practices. focussing entirely on damage and lack rather than the wholeness of being. Battling with issues is a merry-go-round leading nowhere. We seem to have developed an obsession with labelling people with weird and wonderful conditions, more and more conditions are being invented, and at the other end of the pendulum, more and more healers are bragging about 'bringing new healing energies' into the world'. It is, as in the Bible ''Blind leading the Blind''. It's a broken collective, devoid of true guidance, but masquerading as wise and spiritual. The world we are collectively creating reflects our true spiritual state.
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India possesses extensive knowledge on diagnosing, treating, and curing diseases by enhancing the body's inherent ability to self-heal. There are elaborate healing systems in place (Yoga, Pranayam. Kayakalp, Nadi-Shodhan, Rechan) to achieve that, but there is no notion that people are damaged. Indian understanding is that people suffer because of the forgetfulness of their Dharma and their Real centre. India's age-old antidote to suffering is to initiate people to remember God and wake up to HIS glorious grace or invest in Self-enquiry. There is nothing to heal. you are Whole. Although there have been and will always be enlightened beings in India through the millennia, Most Indians do not hanker for personal awakenings. People live a lifestyle touched by grace and progress quietly within their worldly circumstances. Western seekers aiming for Awakening, enlightenment, etc, is an expression of their individualistic personality and the ''can do'' collective mindset that seeks personal achievement in spiritual life. Indian essence is about dissolving the drop into the ocean, rather than the drop becoming glorious, special, powerful or awakened. India leans towards devotion. All personal glory is false and delusional.
Living Guru- a portal to higher consciousness
India has a beautiful and powerful phenomenon called Guru. A guru is your inner core, in the form of a human. A Living guru is the most incredible transformational force known to humanity. It's all effortless in their presence. A deep self-remembrance starts to happen quite spontaneously. Indian spirituality is all about transmission. and it is an effortless giving from one who has arrived to the one still seeking. There is no spiritual jargon or circus involved. The conversation with a true guru is often purely about day-to-day life, Transmission is hidden in the mundane. People go and sit in the presence of a guru and life starts to simplify. Everyone receives according to their inner inclination, Darshan (beholding their living form or photo, their remembrance or even a mention of their name) causes practical solutions in day-to-day life. Prayers are heard, the sick are healed, marriages are sorted, court cases are judged favourably, new possibilities open, old long-standing problems dissolve, miracles happen, money comes, odd synchronicities, spiritual experiences, People progress in their sleep states. It sounds extraordinary yet it's a common occurrence around a living guru.
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No Effort
People with a guru don't do rituals or austere practices. They just soak up the presence and over time are themselves filled with that essence. Hence the Indian spiritual songs( Kirtan) about flame lighting another flame. Their transmission enters you through casual conversations. There is just no need for spiritual talk, philosophies or even practices. Just common human interaction does it. Hanging out with a living guru, eating and having a good time, is the Indian way to progress spiritually. A self-realized being is naturally, by default, capable of fishing others out of suffering and instilling a sense of deep peace. People who seek a guru's grace are already deeply aware and receptive. Even those with tight-shut hearts open up and receive.