The Science

Of Spirituality
 SCIENCE & THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Science is the practice where people, usually as collectives, make controlled
observations and testable predictions. This is done in the hopes of constantly refining
their models and understanding of the world. Science has always sought to explain
the unexplainable, solve the unsolvable, and know the unknowable.
A scientific method seeks to explain the events of nature in a reproducible way, and
to use these findings to make useful predictions. This is done partly through
observation of natural phenomena, but also through experimentation that tries to
simulate natural events under controlled conditions. Observability, Testability,
Repeatability and Falsifiability are the hallmarks of the scientific method.
In the scientific method, we begin with a hypothesis. Next, we make a plan of the
procedure and or materials we want to use to test the hypothesis and follow it exactly
and record the data or findings. When complete, we analyze the data and report on
the results. Was our hypothesis correct or incorrect?
The data either proves or disproves our hypothesis. We prove our hypothesis when
we can replicate the results under the same conditions. Once a hypothesis has
survived testing, it may become adopted into the framework of a scientific theory. A
large number of hypotheses can be logically bound together by a single theory.
Spirituality is studied in the same manner as science. In it, the hypothesis that is
sought to be proven is the existence of the soul and the Oversoul or God. The
experiment is carried out in the laboratory of the human body in the catalytic
presence of the perfect spiritual Master. However, as in outer science, a set of basic
conditions, such as following the prescribed method and practices- such as
inculcation of ethical virtues, imbibing vegetarian diet need be adhered to.
 EXPLORING THE INNER SCIENCE
How may we enter the Kingdom of God? With the help and guidance of one who
has himself entered it and who can guide us there. If all of the physical sciences that
belong to the realm of Apara Vidya and are studied and mastered on the plane of the
senses, require the help of a teacher, the need of a teacher is still greater for spiritual
science, Para Vidya, knowledge of the beyond, which is an inner process far beyond
the ken of the senses, to be studied in the depths of the mind and experimented with
in the laboratory of the soul- the human body.
It is not enough to be content with holy books which are the valuable records of
inner experiences of various Masters in Spirituality. The one who can open our inner
vision and show us the Light of God, and make our inner ear hear the Voice of God
the Wordis the real Master. As light comes from light, so life comes from life. The
science of the Spirit is a thing which neither the scriptures nor book learning can
give. Life impulse must be transmitted into the soul of a seeker to make it quicken with
real life, the life of the Spirit.
Truth or God cannot be known by the senses, intellect or Pranasonly soul can
experience the Lord, and this can happen only after it has come to know itself. To
know our Self is not a matter of feelings, emotions or drawing inferences. It is really
one of rising above body-consciousness by self-analysis. Knowledge of the Self
precedes the knowledge of God because it is the inner conscious Self which can
know Godthe All Consciousness. This is in consonance with the hidden laws of
Nature, of which we have as yet no knowledge. This is also the one common goal for
all humanity. Man is the highest of all creation. If he does not attain his goal, he is lost.
 EXPLORING THE INNER SCIENCE
We are aware of the world and our body through the faculty of our attention.
Presently, most of our attention is going outward into the world and outside the body
drawn by the 5 senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. We perceive the world
thru these. If we withdraw our senses to a point, known as the seat of our soul or
awareness, located between and behind the two eyebrows, our attention will focus
there. When all our attention is closed off from the physical world and our body and
concentrated here, we will be able to see the inner Light and hear the inner Sound.
Through further concentration on them, the conscious part of ourselves will withdraw
into it and we will emerge into a realm of higher frequency of Light and Sound.
Rather than the outer science that rests upon its validation on our imperfect outer
faculties, the Spiritual science is validated by our hitherto dormant, perfect spiritual
agencies of inner vision (known as Nirat) and of inner hearing (known as Surat),
awakened by the grace of a perfect Master by opening of the Third or the Single Eye.
This inner science perfectly fulfils all qualifications to be called a science. Which is
why it is considered to be the very Science of all sciences.
There are no hard and fast rules, no ceremonies, no offerings of gifts during
spiritual initiation. In this process, the Master acts as an external catalyst, enabling
the unification of the soul with Oversoul or God. A disciple has only to enter into the
laboratory of his body and proceed. A firsthand experience of withdrawal of the Soul-
current, the opening of the inner vision and hearing of the Sound-currentthe Voice
of Godis invariably given by the Master to the disciple at initiation, which
experience is developed from day to day by regular meditative practice.
 THE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL-OVERSOUL
The Science of the Soul, also known as Sant-Mat, means the knowledge taught
by the perfect Spiritual Masters. It is neither an intellectual scholastic system of
philosophy nor a mere code of social or moral conduct, though both of these are
elementary steps on the way of Spirituality. Although Sant-Mat is a pristine,
unchanging spiritual knowledge, it does present itself from time-to-time in the
language of the day. Since, the intellectual path finds wide acceptance in the
present times, this knowledge is also being made available in the paradigm of science
i.e. as the Science of Spirituality.
Any belief not based on personal experience and verification of facts has little
value. The Science of Spirituality deals both in theory and practice with mans true
nature and his relation to God. It is purely a personal, practical and a natural science,
not subject to change or time. In it, if there is a hypothesis required to be proven, it is
that soul and God exist.
The Upanishads describe two kinds of knowledge: (i) Para (Transcendental) the
superior Pratyaksha (direct), and (ii) Apara (Terrestrial) the inferior Paroksha
(indirect). Apara is preliminary knowledge consisting of study of scriptures, codes of
rituals, book learning, worship, fasting, giving of alms, etc. and is also known as
Karmakaand or Shariat. Para knowledge is by far the Natures science of approach
to God or the Science of realized Truth. This science is and has been at the root of
all isms, faiths, religions and all beliefs throughout the world, in all ages past and
present, and shall remain so for the future.
While Science aims to uncover deepest spiritual truths, Spirituality aims to search
for the cause behind scientific facts.
 THE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL-OVERSOUL
Spirituality should not be confounded with Apara vidya or knowledge comprising
miracles, psychic phenomena or yogic powers. It is instead the inner experience of
the Soul, and its alphabet begins where all philosophy and Hatha-yoga practices end.
When one gets actual experience of the Soul by self-analysis and contacts the
Overself, it is called Spirituality. It is an active and live principle which comes as a
pure gift from a Master-soul, one attuned with the Divine Cosmic Awareness.
The Science of Para Vidya teaches us how the spirit is to be liberated from the
bondage of mind and matter, to come in contact with the Spirit Divine in order to
realize and regain the Kingdom of God, the Garden of Eden, our True Home, which is
now a lost province. It integrates the individual systems of science, psychology,
philosophy, spirituality and religion into a unified system that describes the multi-
dimensional nature of man and the universe. It provides a more comprehensive
description of reality than science can offer and explains the mechanisms behind an
array of paranormal phenomena that science chooses to ignore.
The scientists of Spirituality have found that when we invert our attention, we find a
source of light and sound not evident through gross scientific instrumentation. They
have uncovered higher frequencies of existence far beyond that of the physical
universe. They discovered an essence that consists of Light and Sound that is
conscious and imperishable. As scientists in quantum physics split the atom and
atomic particles in particle accelerators, they find at the heart of each of these
particles dancing packets of energy radiating light and sound. It has taken physical
scientists considerable period through the development of refined instrumentation to
prove what scientists of Spirituality had already discovered thousands of years ago.
 THE SCIENCE OF SPIRITUALITY (SoS)
The scientists of Spirituality found there were a series of regions, each more
ethereal and functioning at higher and higher vibration levels than those below it.
When they crossed this threshold they were ultimately able to merge into an Ocean of
Spirit. At this point at their journey, they came to know all there is to be known. They
experienced oneness with all creation. They experienced a state that brought about
ineffable happiness, love and bliss. Let us now analyze their findings.
The Science of Spirituality (SoS) relates to the inner creation, well beyond the
scope of the outer sciences. There is indeed a spiritual ladder of the Yogis
comprising seven Chakras or ganglionic centres, partially enunciated up to the
microcosm (the region of creation within which the soul, separated from God, is
currently enslaved and constantly forced to undergo metempsychosis) stage, which is
likewise also described by various religions such as Judaism and Jainism.
The Cosmos being holographic in nature (the very concept of Maya or illusion),
the journey through the inner worlds can be very deceptive indeed, where many a
turn falsely appears to be the very destination or God. The deities of the lower rungs
of the ladder aloneespecially up to the microcosmic stageare described the most
in our religions and theology, and worshipped most the world over; indeed, one mans
God may not be the same as anothers, although God-Power is One alone!
By enunciating the spiritual ladder in-toto, SoS lays bare the inner spirituality of the
various religious masters and permits parallel study of religion. Not only does this
model bring out in detail the stages of spiritual ascent and the deities connected with
them, it also sheds light upon the Cosmic architecture i.e. the manner in which
creation took place, and how it was built as a copy of copies.
 THE SCIENCE OF SPIRITUALITY (SoS)
SoS also clearly definitionalizes various spiritual terminologies (e.g. Nirvana,
Samadhi), bringing out their variegated aspects with clarity. Ishta or Deities (e.g.
Christ, Rama, gods-goddesses) are located upon the ladder, more as spiritual
concepts (rather than as historical persons) as was intended originally. The
concept of the Trinity (e.g. Father-Son-Holy Spirit or Vishnu-Brahma-Shankar) can
not only be specified but also generalized across the board. It gives life to the various
scripture and epicsboth of East and West, and even to the childrens fables which
are often but allegorized or masked spiritual truths. Who would ever have imagined
the Ramayana to be tale of the souls 7-staged journey up to the Nirvana stage,
rather than that of an ideal king! It also enables a parallel study of the esoteric
aspect of various religions, revealing them to identical in various ways.
SoS describes three macrocosmic grand regions created by the ultimate and
eternal Unmanifest God, simply described as the Ocean of Love: 1. Sach-Khand
(The +ve Region of Truth), 2. Paar-Brahm (The neutral Region beyond Brahm) & 3.
Brahmand (The -ve Triple Region, where the Law of Karma driven Cycle of 8.4 mill.
Species operates), all of which need to be transcended during the spiritual journey,
in order for the soul to reach its True Home. The Yogis operate within Brahmand,
whilst the Sadhs (or Sadhus) go up to Paar-Brahm and attain Nirvana or freedom
from bondage, and the true Sants reach Sach-Khand, where the soul achieves self-
knowledge, having disrobed itself of the various Koshas or coverings of the inert
mind-matter of increasing grossness. Param Sants (though described as Sants
while aliveas being the self-form of the manifest God, our Father) take us the
Supreme Divine, where the droplet merges with the Ocean, achieving God-realization.
 CONCLUSION
Physical joys are not lasting. There are limitations of body and mind to which we
cannot shut our eyes. We must therefore search for the perennial source of joy and
peace within ourselves. The Spiritual Science envisages and offers actual experience
of death-in-life because the Spirit is enabled to rise above the body. It is indeed the
Mother of all science.
Throughout the ages, Self-knowledge has been acclaimed as the higher type of
knowledge. It consists of understanding the true nature of the Soul, and its relation to
the body in which it is lodged. It can then be separated at will from the tentacles of the
body to seek out its source. It is by the process of inversion through meditation that
the Spirit rises into Cosmic Awareness and attains everlasting peace.
In terms of theory, SoS offers the ultimate key that unlocks the various spiritual
allegories that we are confronted with, and defines the stage that properly and truly
describes God (the Lord of the Durbar, as being different from and superior to His
durbaris), thus putting to end an enduring falsity. It also points to the nature of the
preceptor and the practice required to be undertaken in order for the soul to be re-
united with God.
The popularity of metaphysics, spirituality and new science in the 21st century
indicates that humanity is now ready for a modern presentation of esoteric
knowledge. In this context, it would be fair to say that in order to truly imbibe the
scientific temper human society will need to shift to a higher paradigm of science
the Science of Spirituality, which may be considered summum bonum of the very
human existence. Explorations into the outer space and sub-atomic space will have to
yield to much more fruitful explorations in the inner space.